Mindfulness Meditation for a Peaceful Sleep

Most people have experienced tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep. What works as a sleep aid for one person might not work for another. However, sleep experts have high hopes for the calming effects of mindfulness meditation. When people are troubled by unresolved issues, mindfulness meditation can help them accept the reality of things not going smoothly.

Three Questions about Meditation and Sleep

What Happens in the Body When You Can’t Sleep?

From a physiological perspective, insomnia activates the body’s “fight or flight” stress response. When this response is triggered, the body believes it needs to stay alert, affecting the brain’s ability to regulate sleep and wakefulness.

How Does Mindfulness Meditation Improve Sleep?

By keeping the mind focused on the present, mindfulness meditation can reduce the “fight or flight” response. Many insomniacs go to bed wanting to escape worries and avoid reality, but this is not how the brain regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Meditation helps prevent insomniacs from “going astray” and allows the brain to regulate sleep and wakefulness naturally.

Should You Meditate Before Bed?

It depends on whether you suffer from chronic insomnia or have occasional difficulty falling asleep. Psychologists at La Trobe University in Australia found that practicing meditation is linked to the release of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. This effect varies from person to person, so you can experiment to see which time of day meditation is most helpful for falling asleep.

How to Do?

Write Down Your Worries:
Write down your concerns on paper and place it on your bedside table. By doing so, you acknowledge these problems’ existence. Then, tell yourself, “These are the things bothering me, but I’m not going to deal with them now.” These worries will still be there in the morning, but by identifying them clearly, you can leave them on the bedside table rather than letting them invade your thoughts.

Move Your Body:
Try doing some slow stretching exercises or yoga poses. Sleep is related to both physical and mental health. A tense body won’t fall asleep, but meditation can help relax the body and calm the emotions. Biomedical scientists at Ohio State University found that combining yoga, meditation, and music in a group setting helps improve the sleep quality of cancer survivors and their caregivers.

Relieve Tension Throughout the Body:
Stretching before bed is particularly helpful for falling asleep. After getting under the covers, tense each part of your body for a few seconds, then release each area one at a time. This technique provides a highly effective form of relaxation before sleep.

Try a Body Scan Meditation:
Lie down in a comfortable position, and then slowly move your attention from the top of your head to your toes, noticing each part of your body, including areas that are often overlooked like your ears, lips, tongue, teeth, shoulders, fingers, and knees. Don’t judge, just feel.

Practice Abdominal Breathing:
Neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School have found that abdominal breathing in yoga helps college students better manage stress. This breathing technique involves engaging the diaphragm more and reducing chest movement. Place one hand on your abdomen and the other on your chest to feel the rise and fall of your belly.

Focus on Resting, Not Sleeping:
If you’ve tried various methods and still can’t fall asleep, stop and tell yourself, “I don’t have to sleep; I just need to rest.” By not fixating on whether you can sleep and thinking of it as just resting, you are practicing mindfulness meditation.

Keep a Record:
It is recommended to keep a sleep diary daily, including information about naps, exercise, alcohol, caffeine, or medication intake, bedtime, lights-out time, time to fall asleep, nighttime awakenings, and wake-up time in the morning. Observe how certain behaviors affect sleep patterns over time and determine whether they help with sleep.

If the above methods are ineffective, consult a specialist. If an underlying health condition like sleep apnea is the root cause of sleep disorders, meditation will not be the solution. Medical examinations and evaluations can accurately identify the cause of sleep disruption and develop a personalized treatment plan.

If the treatment plan includes mindfulness meditation, be patient and persistent. It is unrealistic to expect results from just a few meditation sessions. Meditation is a lifelong practice for both body and mind.