How Meditating Before Bed Can Improve Your Sleep

If you feel like you’re not getting enough sleep each night, you’re groggy in the morning and struggling to get through the day, you’re not alone. Experiencing insomnia can indicate that there’s an underlying emotional issue, such as anxiety or depression. Getting an adequate amount of good sleep is critical for children and adults’ overall health, so it’s worth making some sleep-friendly adjustments in your life. Different treatments help different people, so it may take some trial and error to find what works best for you. Meditation has become more mainstream over the years, and for a good reason. It’s one of several natural remedies for teenage anxiety or depression. It works great for adults with the same issues.

The Benefits

Meditation can be super beneficial for your overall health. When you’re healthier, you’re likely to sleep better, and better sleep promotes good health. Here are just a few of the benefits of meditation:

  • Promotes overall calmness
  • Elevates mood
  • Improves focus
  • Reduces pain and inflammation
  • Decreases heart rate and blood pressure

If meditation alone doesn’t do enough to relieve your stress, non-prescription anxiety relief pills may do the job. Natural and homeopathic solutions, combined with a healthy lifestyle, can sometimes be just as effective as prescription medications, without all the undesirable side effects.

Prepare Your Environment

Meditation is an excellent way to relax because it’s simple and can be done virtually anywhere at any time. If you’ve never meditated, it may take some practice focusing and learning different types of meditation to find the one that gives you the most benefits. All meditation involves focusing on and controlling your breathing and thoughts. When you’re trying to relax before bed, it’s best to lie down in a comfortable, quiet area. Then close your eyes, inhale and exhale deeply and slowly while focusing on your breathing. Keep your thoughts at bay as much as possible. Focus is the primary goal of all meditation. This focus can help you drift off and sleep more soundly.

Choose Your Meditation Method

  • Body Scan Meditation

The primary basis of body scan meditation is focusing on each part of your body individually. This helps to raise your awareness of physical sensations in different parts of your body.

  • Mindfulness Meditation

In mindfulness meditation, you’re only focusing on the present. You are fully present in the moment. When you raise your awareness of your breathing, consciousness and body, in general, you’re able to simply be in the present without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

  • Guided Meditation 

In guided meditation (aka guided imagery), you’re vocally led through each meditation step. This usually involves visualizing images or sounds while concentrating on relaxing your body and your breathing. To get started, explore guided meditation on relaxation apps and meditation podcasts.

When your insomnia gets to a certain level, it’s time to find help. The first goal is to determine if there’s an underlying issue. Stress-generated anxiety is a common culprit. Certain times of the year can trigger more anxiety than others, such as flu season. Products like homeopathic flu prevention may boost your immune system while providing you with some peace of mind.