If you struggle to sleep due to stress, anxiety, or insomnia, sleep meditation can help you finally get a good rest. Meditation helps the brain reach a “theta wave frequency“, which is a deep relaxed state that prepares the body for sleep. I use these techniques below which have helped me get deep, uninterrupted sleep. I hope they help you as much as they help me!
What are the Benefits of Sleep Meditation?
There are many proven benefits of using meditation and mindfulness practices to fall and stay asleep. Sleep meditation can easily be used by all ages, especially for those who have a hard time falling asleep. Some of the biggest benefits include:
- Improves relaxation to get to sleep faster
- Increases melatonin
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Lowers blood pressure
- Lowers heart rate
- Reduce Pain
- Increase telomeres to improve health and lifespan
3 Steps to Using Sleep Meditation Practices to Get a Good Night Rest
Doing these steps in order relaxes your body and mind, providing a deep and peaceful rest.
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diagrammatic or “belly breathing” has been proven to reduce anxiety, heart rate and blood pressure.
Doing diaphragmatic breathing for 5-10 minutes is all it takes to get the benefits of feeling more relaxed and peaceful. I do this whenever I’m stressed and it works like a charm!
2. Body Scan Techniques to Relax the Body
Body scanning allows you to become mindful of your physical state and prepares your body for physical relaxation.
By putting your attention on each part of your body, then relaxing it, prepares the body for sleep.
Start by lying or sitting in a comfortable position. Place your attention at the top of your head and relax your scalp, then move down to the face, torso, legs and feet until your entire body feels relaxed.
3. Guided Meditation
After using breathwork and body scanning to relax the body, your ready for the next step! Use visualization to see yourself in passive, peaceful scenes to reach mental relaxation. Within no time, both your body and mind will be feeling calm and relaxed.
I like visualizing myself standing on the shore of a turquoise beach. Binaural Beats is another a powerful tool used to reach theta brainwave states during guided meditation. I love using healing sounds frequencies to relax, such as a meditation bowl or signing crystal bowls. I also like using a sound machine which has been a great addition to my sleep routine.
Try Sleep Meditation Tonight
If you struggle to fall or stay asleep, I can assure you from personal experience, that sleep meditation works! Instead of using drugs, why not try a natural way to fall asleep? Add other natural ways to enhance your experience such as a sound machine and visualization techniques.
If you or a family member struggle to fall asleep, try sleep meditation. What have you got to lose except another sleepless night? If you are new to meditation and want to learn more, read my picks for the 3 best meditation books for beginners.
I do these practices every night and it has improved the quality of my life. I personally use the Mindvalley app which has many great sleep meditations.
Tips, Tech and Tools for Sleep Meditation
There are many effective free and paid for tools you can use to get started on using meditation to get a great night sleep every night. These apps use binaural beats and have personalized settings to focus on just what you want each night.
Whether you need to relieve stress or anxiety, or just unwind into a peaceful rest, these apps and tech below can help you do just that!
