Sleep Meditation and How Does It Work

Many people go to work during the day, and at night when they get home, their heads will always come up with a lot of messy ideas, causing them to lie in bed and not be able to sleep at all, and each time it takes a long time to fall asleep. The lack of sleep causes a poor mental state during the day, which not only affects the efficiency of work but also affects their daily lives.

Most people who have tried listening to music at night before going to bed, or sleeping with eye masks and ear plugs, often feel discomfort and simply can not sleep. The more you want to fall asleep, the more you can not sleep.

Want to overcome overthinking, we must learn to regulate life and work under the pressure given to all parties, so that they can transition from work to a rest state before going to bed. Of course, the ability to regulate this is not overnight, you need to go through some methods to slowly cultivate, there is a method: meditation regulation.

You can learn more about meditation on our summary of?Mindfulness?by Mark Williams, which is beneficial to your sleep and daily life.

Table of Content:

Do you know what sleep meditation is

What are the benefits of sleep meditation?

Sleep meditation: How can it help

How do you meditate to sleep?

How to improve sleep in other ways

Conclusion

Do you know what sleep meditation is

There are several forms of meditation, but sleep meditation is most commonly recognized as a method of letting go of worrying thoughts before bed, and relaxing your body before you go to sleep. As with other types of meditation, Sleep meditation involves focusing your attention on your body's sensations rather than your thoughts.

This type of meditation involves meditating before you go to sleep, usually as you lie on the bed. In other words, meditating before you sleep is simply meditating. In spite of the fact that you can practice sleep meditation on your own, guided practice usually involves listening to an audio recording that guides you through the steps of the meditation.

Using sleep meditation to decrease the effect of worrying thoughts and tension in the body on your sleep will help you start to notice improvements in your sleeping habits. By understanding how to redirect your thoughts and relax the body, you will soon notice an increase in your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Practicing sleep meditation regularly has been shown to improve the ability of an individual to get a good night's sleep, which means that this is an important strategy that you may want to use to improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

What are the benefits of sleep meditation?

In addition to developing heart disease, diabetes, and unhealthy eating habits that can lead to other chronic illnesses, people who sleep less than seven hours a night have a greater risk of developing these conditions. It has been shown that sleep deprivation can affect short-term and long-term memory, decision-making, attention, and reaction time.

In addition to making mistakes more often at work and driving more dangerously on the road, sleep-deprived people also tend to make more errors at work.

By contrast, if you get enough sleep, you are able to reduce stress levels, improve mental clarity, and improve memory. Better sleep also strengthens your immune system, helps you lose weight, and regulates your eating habits.

Sleep has been linked to reduced Alzheimer's risk as well as providing a sense of well-being. Several studies have even linked a good night's sleep to a reduced risk of the disease.

The impact of meditation on sleep, how quickly you fall asleep as well as how long you are able to stay awake during the day are one of the reasons why people would benefit from meditation before bed, especially if they have insomnia or difficulty falling asleep.

The practice of meditating before bed can assist you with falling asleep faster, and once you are asleep, you are likely to have better quality sleep than you might otherwise.

Sleep meditation: How can it help

A variety of physiological changes, which occur when you meditate, can lead to sleep, by influencing specific processes in the body, causing your body to work in a more productive manner.

During a 2015 study published in JAMA Internal, researchers analyzed the effects of mindfulness meditation on 49 adults with mild sleep problems by randomly assigning them to six weeks of meditation or sleep hygiene education. Those participants who were meditating had fewer symptoms of insomnia at the end of the study, as well as less fatigue during the day.

Meditation has been suggested to be helpful in several ways. According to the researchers, stress and worry are often the cause of sleep problems, but meditation is known to improve your relaxation response, as well as to improve control of the autonomic nervous system, which reduces how easily one can become awoken by external stimuli.

Other benefits of meditation include:

· Boost melatonin levels (the sleep hormone)

· Increase serotonin (melatonin's precursor)

· Lower heart rate

· Lower blood pressure

· Activate sleep-related brain regions

Meditation can promote sleep by initiating these changes in your body in the early stages of sleep.

How do you meditate to sleep?

In fact, you only need a few minutes to meditate. You can do it anywhere, anytime. You don't need any special equipment or tools.

Making time for meditation will increase your chances of gaining its benefits. Setting up a meditation routine takes practice.

Meditation involves the following steps:

1. Take a few minutes to find a quiet place to sit or lie down, depending on what feels most comfortable for you. Lying down is recommended at bedtime.

2. Lie down and close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Inhale and exhale deeply as you focus on your breathing.

3. There may be thoughts that pop up from time to time, so let them go and focus on your breathing instead.

Try meditation at bedtime for a few minutes at first, and then slowly increase the time to fifteen minutes or so as you learn how to quiet your mind. It will take time for this to become a habit. A meditation practice is just that - a practice. In the beginning, meditate for three to five minutes before going to bed. With practice, you will be able to quiet your mind.

Here we will look at a number of specific meditation techniques that are known to work well for improving sleep as well as how they are done.

Guided sleep meditation

A guided sleep meditation generally involves the following techniques:

Exercising the breath. Slowing down your breathing signals to your body that it is time to sleep by regulating your breath - counting breaths, for example.

Scan your body mindfully. You may be asked to pay attention to your breath and where your body touches your bed while lying on your bed. Next, starting at your toes, you will be encouraged to "switch off" any effort in your body individually.

Visualizations. It involves imagining an image or scene, which induces a trance-like state of consciousness. Gratitude: Some sleep-based meditation programs emphasize gratitude meditations and loving kindness meditations.

Making a count. Counting slowly slows down the mind and releases cyclical thought patterns. Start at 10 (or even 1,000) and count backward to one, then begin at 10.

Silence. As a way to focus after a long and busy day, you may be asked to lie quietly in silence for a few minutes, with very little guidance.

Meditation is based on movement. Tai chi, low-impact postures, and light stretching may be featured as part of an in-person sleep-based meditation.

Making a day-by-day recap. If you review your day, step-by-step, in detail, it can help distract your mind just enough to help you drift off for a while. Before a breathing or visualization meditation, spend 20-25 seconds reflecting on every event of your day, no matter how small. This is a great way to begin powering down.

Mindfulness meditation

In mindfulness meditation, you focus on the present. You pay attention to your breathing and body as well as increase your awareness of them.

Observe your thoughts and emotions and let them pass without judging them.

Mindfulness meditation: how to do it

Lie down in a comfortable position in your room without any distractions.

The first 20 counts should be inhaled, then held for 10 counts, then exhaling for 10 counts. Continue for five counts.

Take five deep breaths, and tense your body. Pausing, relaxing, and exhaling. Repeat five times.

Feel your breath and body. If you feel tight in any part of your body, consciously relax that part.

Refocus your attention on just your breathing whenever a thought arises.

Body scan meditation

By focusing on each part of your body, you can become more aware of your physical sensations, including tension and pain. Your body will become relaxed as a result.

Body scan meditation: how to do it

Lie down in a comfortable position in your room without any distractions.

Take a deep breath and notice your body's weight on the bed.

Don't forget to soften your jaw, your eyes, and your facial muscles while you're focusing on your face.

Lie on your back and relax your shoulders and neck.

Move down your body, beginning with your arms and fingers. Next, move into your stomach, back, hips, legs, and feet. Take note of how each part feels as you do so.

In the event, your mind wanders, slowly return your focus to your body. If you'd like, repeat the process from the feet to the head in the opposite direction.

How to improve sleep in other ways

Sleep hygiene is one of the most important factors to have a good night's sleep each and every night. In addition to meditation, there is another important factor to have a good night's sleep every night, and the habits and practices that allow you to do that are important.

Routine. The best way to develop and support strong circadian rhythms is to try to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day. Consistency tells the body when to stay awake and when to get drowsy. When people work shifts or suffer from jet lag, it can be difficult for them to maintain a consistent routine, but research shows that light cues can help to stabilize sleep-wake cycles for people who do shift work or experience jet lag frequently.

Sleep Environment. As part of a good sleep hygiene program, it is important to have a comfortable sleeping environment. Research has shown that melatonin production is enhanced by darkness, and cooler temperatures support sound sleep. It is also important to minimize sound disturbances both inside and outside the living area.

Diet. An imbalanced diet and adequate hydration can contribute to better sleep habits and a good night's sleep. Some foods can be sleep stealers.

Stress and Pain Management. It has been revealed that stress and pain are two of the biggest factors affecting sleep, according to the 2015 Sleep in American Poll. When you don't get enough sleep, you can experience a cycle that can be difficult to break. In order to improve your sleep at night, you must develop healthy strategies for managing stress and pain during the day (such as meditation!).

Physical Activity. The quality of your sleep can be affected by regular physical activity, for example, long walks, weight training, yoga, running, or group fitness classes. Regular physical activity can be beneficial for a variety of reasons.

Bedtime Preparation. It is important to set yourself up for success prior to bedtime. It is a good idea to put technology away at least an hour before bedtime so that you have a positive night's sleep. If you have been practicing sleep meditation, you may have learned exercises you can use when you get into bed (or you can use Sleep by Headspace on your Alexa device or Google Home device for an audio-only experience if you need guidance). You can even put your phone or device face-down to hide the bright screen if you need some guidance. Make sure that you choose sleepwear that is comfortable and has the ability to regulate your body temperature so that you can relax before falling asleep. For some people, journaling before going to bed can be a productive way to get their minds off things they have been thinking about.

Conclusion

The benefits of practicing mindfulness before bed can be enormous, depending on the type and intensity of the meditation you practice. The peace and sense of calm the habit brings can have a profound impact on gaining deeper, more restful sleep at night.

There is no doubt that getting into meditation can seem challenging or foreign at first, but like anything else, it takes time and persistence. Regular practice and repetition are essential to get practiced.

There is no "right" way to meditate, and we agree. When you find yourself having trouble focusing as your thoughts arise, do not be discouraged. Gently let them go and come back to your meditation when you are ready.

To get more productive sleep, you can also read Sleep?by Nick Littlehales?and improve your sleep quality.