Meditation Methods For Better Sleep

Stress is an increasingly large part of our daily lives. As the world grows more complicated and our jobs and lives take on new burdens each day, it is not at all uncommon to find that you are stressed, anxious, or cannot sleep.

Missing out on sleep makes your anxiety worse because your brain needs to get deep sleep to rest, heal and process the things it experienced during the day. If you need some help getting better sleep, you are not alone! These great meditation methods will help you to get better sleep and to feel less anxious!

Basic Meditation

For some people just controlling the speed of their thoughts is enough to help them to get to sleep. If you find that your thoughts are spinning quickly around in your head, lay down in a quiet space and close your eyes. Focus on your breath at first. If thoughts pop in, push them gently away until you are mostly aware of just your breath. As you start to relax, allow your thoughts to wander some. Look at each thought for a moment, then tell it to go away now. As you start to let go of the things that your brain is overly aware of, you will start to calm down and should be able to slip off to sleep.

Body Relaxation Technique

Suppose you find that your body is just so tense that you can't sleep. Lie down somewhere quiet, or perform this exercise before you go to bed each night. Think of each body part, starting with your toes and tell that body part to relax. Move up your body until you reach the top of your head and tell all the parts along the way to relax. If you are still not asleep when you get to the top of your body, start over again. Usually, it will only take two or fewer cycles of thought to fall asleep.

Leaves on the River

For people with very active minds, imagine that you are seated by a river. The river is right next to you, but you are not interacting directly with it. When thoughts come to the surface of your mind, put them into the river and let them float away. Keep doing this gently with your thoughts as they arise. You will find yourself lulled to sleep in no time!

Meditation is an oft-overlooked form of health and well—being that many adults are totally unaware of. Being able to sleep well is another overlooked part of a healthy life. If you are feeling drained, keep getting sick, or find that you are feeling at the end of your rope each day, practice these meditation styles at bedtime. You will be amazed at the improvement of your sleep quality and the improvement of your mental health!