Know How Meditation For Sleep Helps You Fight Insomnia
Sleep Meditation |
Have you ever caught yourself tossing and turning all night, unable to fall asleep and relax your mind? If the answer to this question is yes, then you are suffering from Insomnia, my friend.
Whether you meditate right after you wake up in the morning or just before you go to bed, meditation helps you in both scenarios. Meditation for sleep is known to lower your levels of stress, improve the quality of your sleep, and relax your mind.
Mentioned below are the ways through which meditation can help you resolve your sleep troubles and say good-bye to those sleepless nights.
How Practicing Meditation Regularly Helps You Sleep Better
Studies have shown that practicing sleep meditation improves the quality as well as the duration of your sleep, regardless of what time you choose to practice.
Practicing meditation on a regular basis is known to decrease several health issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, and much more. So, it's no surprise that meditation heals insomnia too.
Practicing Sleep Meditation Before Going To Bed
If you tend to wake up in the middle of the night or are unable to sleep, practicing sleep meditation right before sleeping helps you push the reset button and prepare for sleep.
Start by finding a place according to your comfort and turn the lights off. It is recommended to lie down on your bed instead of any other place as the reason why you are meditating is because of the intention of falling asleep.
You are free to choose whether you want to dim the lights of your room or switch them off completely. Do whatever works best for your mind and body and helps you sleep at night. Once you are settled in your space, start taking deep breaths, and sink further into the bed as you exhale.
If you are choosy about which form of meditation you want to practice, scroll down, and learn more about the different types of sleep meditation.
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Body Scan Meditation
If you suffer from chronic pain that prevents you from falling asleep, or if you would like to sink further into relaxation, then body scan meditation is the perfect type of meditation for you. By practicing body scan meditation, you also get to relieve yourself from unwanted headaches and the issue of migraines.
Take deep breaths, and as you exhale, feel yourself relax and release the draining energy that you've gathered through the day. Do the same with your entire body, specifically your neck, shoulders, chest, and much more, relaxing each part of your body.
Gratitude Meditation
Start by focusing on a simple mindfulness meditation technique, that is concentrating on your breath as you inhale and exhale while taking deep breaths.
As you continue deep breathing, think about a minimum of three things that happened in your day for which you are grateful. Perhaps it's a deep conversation that you had with a loved one or the fact that you saved a puppy from dying. This will bring compassionate thoughts in your mind which will help you in falling asleep. Just keep one thing in mind that your thoughts of gratitude should not turn into worry or regret.
If you are beginning to nod off and have started falling asleep, then just let go and go to bed. But if sleep meditation still isn't working, then listening to songs, reading, or journaling your thoughts in a diary. This will release all your emotions on a sheet of paper and encourage a more positive mindset. Practicing journaling your thoughts will also help you in keeping your anxious thoughts under control.
Note: Do not try to reach for T.V or your smartphone if you are unable to fall asleep because the blue light from the screen impacts natural circadian rhythms which prevents us from falling asleep.
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If you are listening to guided meditation audio on your phone, that is okay. Just close your eyes and listen to the audio without looking too much at the screen.
Summing Up
Meditation might not be an instant fix to all your sleep problems, but if practiced regularly, it will surely help you fall asleep much faster than you used to. Sleep meditation also helps you in reducing cortisol levels and amygdala reactivity.
Read More:- Here's Everything You Should Know About Sleep Yoga
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