If you have found yourself struggling to sleep, meditating before heading to bed may help. Statistics show that over 70 million people, in the US alone, struggle with sleep disorders. Insomnia is an unhealthy condition that affects far too many people. Several issues contribute to this condition, including the overuse of electronic devices close to bedtime. Using meditation for better sleep can help.
Mindfulness meditation for better sleep
Mindfulness meditation is one of the more popular mediation techniques and can be done during the day or night. This type of meditation for better sleep just requires that you pay close attention to your environment and your experience. This sounds rather elementary but putting it into practice can make a large difference.
For instance, you could focus on your breathing. When you learn to direct your attention to your breathing and allow distractions to simply pass you by, you can start to practice other techniques.
These could be noticing tensions in your body, such as tense shoulders, and releasing them. Alternatively, notice external stimuli such as the sound of raindrops against the windows.
Practice mindfulness mediation before you go to bed. This way you will start to become more aware of what is happening within you. You will also become better at allowing distractions to flow by.
For better sleep, learn to deal effectively with distractions.
Affirmation meditation
As part of affirmation meditation, one needs to pay attention to one thing at a time. The main difference is that affirmation meditation for better sleep focuses on replacing distractions with positive affirmations.
Affirmations to focus on include, “my mind is at ease”, “I breathe in goodness, breath out calm”, etc.
Affirmations that have meaning to you should be chosen. Alternatively, instead of an affirmation, you could try using a mantra from your particular faith, (if you are a religious person).
Psychologists have long held the belief that the thoughts we hold in our minds as we fall asleep become anchored in the subconscious. Positive affirmations help us fall asleep and it is believed they have a residual, uplifting effect too.
Guided meditation for better sleep
A meditation guide who speaks in a soothing voice might just be the right thing to assist you in falling asleep. In guided meditations, teachers will guide you through the meditation for better sleep sessions. Your teacher may instruct you to relax your toes, inhale deeply, lie with legs straight and relaxed, etc.
Visualize a set of relaxing images too. For example, a guided meditation instructor may invite you to visualize a beautiful sandy beach. With this image in mind, imagine you are seated at the edge of the water as the waves gently roll over your toes.
As you breathe in the sea air, you may imagine you hear distant bird songs. You will be yawning in no time at all.
The great thing about guided meditation is that when you get the hang of it, further sessions are not needed. Many people are adept enough after one guided session. So it is well worth looking into if you have trouble sleeping with other methods.
It should be noted that meditation for better sleep has been in use for a long time. Millions of people around the globe swear by it. Note that quality sleep is important for overall health. If you have trouble sleeping, give meditation for better sleep a try.
