Dalia Lama once said, “Sleep is the best meditation”. But what if we turn this thought inside out. Let’s think how meditation can become the wellspring of healthy, quality sleep. Have you ever thought that focusing on your breathing and body, ability to leave all the thoughts out can help you get rid of insomnia? If not, you should get to know about sleep meditation, how it influences us and the best time to practice it.
What is sleep meditation
Seems like falling asleep is an easy thing to do but that’s not exactly so. Some people find it difficult to cope with their thoughts, worries, and sleep is one of the aspects that is damaged in this case. Don’t hurry to take sleeping pills, there is a better option – sleep meditation. If you wonder what is sleep meditation and how it differs from ordinary meditation, let’s make it clear. All in all, meditation is about focusing. With meditation a person pays attention to breathing, body movements, feels the whole body and concentrate on the sensations.
Sleep meditation – sleep guided by relaxed focusing on the sleepiest parts of the experience. Don’t take the word “focusing” as an effort or tense. In terms of sleep meditation, it means resting of your attention, even partly losing it but lightly touching such area as meditation sleep breathing. There should be no pressure or tightness, only your inner peace, and harmony.
Meditation increases the amount of restful sleep
Meditation is a good way to have natural deep sleep and to prove that we have prepared some facts on how meditation improves sleep:
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Get rid of insomnia
The root of insomnia is sleepless nights. The roots of sleepless nights usually sleep apnea, snoring, and a head full of chaotic thoughts. At the last situation, meditation is worth trying. The link between meditation and insomnia was found in a Stanford study. The output was that 60% of people who suffer from insomnia didn’t even qualify themselves as insomniacs after the course of meditation.
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Sleep hygiene VS meditation
If you still hesitate, can meditation help sleep or not, here’s one more study. During it, two groups were tested. Participants from the first group tried sleep hygiene education and the second group practiced mindfulness meditation. After completing the six weeks’ research, the second group reported they fell less depressed, fatigue and insomnia level had decreased.
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Melatonin producing
In spite of all the pros of meditation, it also increases the melatonin level, which is responsible for promoting good sleep. If you can’t get restful sleep practicing sleep meditation and yoga may be the best boosters of your sleep quality. Besides, serotonin levels – the hormone which controls mood regulation, memory and appetite also increased in its level.
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Genes changing
The whole power of meditation is vividly described in this study. Turned out that meditation changes the expression of genes that control inflammation, circadian rhythms, and glucose metabolism.
What’s the best time to meditate?
Being aware of the use of sleep meditation is a part of the path. Knowing when and how to do sleep meditation takes the rest. With the increasing interest in meditation and desire to simplify it, you can use a meditation sleep app you like. Healthy sleeping hype also caused the invention of sleep tracking apps, like Goodsomnia Lab. With its help you can easily track sleep activity, snoring and even detect the first signs of apnea. To help you start meditating effectively, here are three periods that suit best.
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Morning
Meditation in the morning is considered to be the best. Mostly because it sets the rhythm and the mood of your day. It’s better to do it 15-20 minutes before breakfast, breath slowly, concentrate on meditation sleep sounds and try to think about nothing. Imagine that your head is empty of thoughts. It can be hard for the first time but then you get used to it and simply get into the flow.
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Stress
Depression, anxiety, stress – all these states damage sleep quality and lead to insomnia. Sleep meditation – insomnia treatment should be considered as two integral things. Simply clear out thoughts, shut out all the devices and focus on your breathing and body will help you leave stress out, don’t rush and rethink the situation. In this state, you prepare yourself for the sleep and in the morning wake up with a sound and calm mind, ready to make a decision.
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Evening
The evening is not the best time to meditate. Mostly because the aim of meditation is the opposite – to wake you up. Note, that sleep meditation doesn’t work like sleeping pills, it nourishes you with energy. That’s why if evenings are the only option try to leave an hour before your meditation session and going to bed.
