Around 35 % of the world’s adult population experiences insomnia symptoms. But, mindful techniques like meditation can help mitigate the symptoms by increasing melatonin and serotonin in the body.
Do you have trouble going to sleep at night? If yes, then you are not alone, as around 30 to 35 percent of adults worldwide experience regular symptoms of insomnia. A platter of reasons, such as an increase in stress and time crunch, excessive dependence on caffeine and soda, increased screen time, mindless mobile scrolling habits, etc., might all be the reasons why people are not able to get proper sleep before bedtime.
However, all is not lost, as you can take recourse to trajectories like meditation.
How Can Meditation Help with Sleep?
Meditation is a relaxation technique, which can quiet your mind and body, thereby offering you inner peace and helping you sleep. Meditating in the evening is an excellent way to let off the day’s stresses, worries, and wries. It helps us clear our minds of any lingering thoughts and feelings and enables us to better connect with our inner selves. So, when performed prior to bedtime, meditation can mitigate symptoms of insomnia and sleep troubles by facilitating overall calmness.
But, we should remember that evening meditation triggers various psychological responses in our body, which initiate better sleep. These include -
- A probable increase in melatonin - the body’s sleep hormone
- Increase in serotonin - a precursor to melatonin
- Reduction in heart rate and blood pressure
- Activating parts of the brain that control sleep
Top 5 Benefits of Meditation Before Bedtime
Of course, meditating before bedtime might help improve sleep, but there are ancilla benefits, such as
- Overall improvement in mood
- Reduction in stress
- Boost in Creativity
- Helps you relax
- Encouragement of self-care and more
Simple Meditation Techniques to Try Before You Go to Sleep
- Basic Meditation
You can indulge in a generic mediation practice in the evening by following the steps given below -
- Find a quiet area to sit down
- Close your eyes and breathe slowly
- Inhale and exhale deeply and focus on your breathing
- When a thought props up, let it go and focus on the breathing
- Mindful Meditation
To engage in mindful meditation, follow the steps mentioned below -
- Get inside a quiet and distraction-free room
- Lie down in a comfortable position and focus on your breathing
- Inhale for 10 counts, then hold your breath for 10 counts and exhale for 10 counts
- Repeat five times
These two evening or pre-bedtime meditation techniques are simple and yet can make a mile of a difference in your sleeping pattern. However, you can also take assistance from technology and consider YouTube sleep meditation channels.
My 3 Best YouTube Sleep Meditation Channels for a Sound Slumber
- Goodfull - You can find 15-minute meditation videos for beginners
- Calm - Brimming with an array of short and long-form meditation videos with stunning visuals
- Headspace - You can find mini educational videos on meditation, meditation-videos, celebrity series, etc.
