How to use meditaion for natural Sleep - Sleep Meditation Guided For Deep Sleep

Sleep meditation is an exercise that can help us fall asleep and stay asleep longer. It is not easy to get out of a busy day, but research is clear: mindfulness and sleep meditation do help. When we go to bed with a to-do list, sleep meditation rests our mental processes, calms the body's nervous system, and creates conditions for sweet, deep and natural sleep.

Sleep Meditaion Guided

Sleep Meditation 

Healthy sleep depends more on the quality of rest than the number of hours. Sleep meditation helps create the inner conditions necessary for a truly peaceful night. Because when we calm the mind, we let the body rest, and this calm makes it easier for us to relax and fall asleep. Disclaimer: This page describes general research on meditation, and any research using the Headspace app will be noted. 

The scientific team at Headspace is committed to researching our product to ensure that it benefits our users. Although our research is ongoing, it is important to note that Headspace is not used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition.

 

What is meditation for sleep?

Sleep meditation is a meditation practice designed to calm the body and mind through deep and progressive relaxation. Sleep meditation is part of falling asleep.

Meditation trains us to reduce the thinking in our heads and learn more about the present moment. At bedtime, when we stop suddenly and remain motionless, the tendency of our brain to sink into thoughts may be strongest. One day, everything that happens, everything that is said, so that we can rest our mind and our body at the same time.

 

From a scientific point of view, meditation helps lower the heart rate by opening up the parasympathetic nervous system and encouraging slowing down of breathing, thereby increasing the chances of getting good quality sleep. When you engage in guided dream-based meditation, you may find new tools and techniques to help you. Relax and spend the day by relaxing.

 

How to meditate for sleep ?

After falling asleep, sleep meditation can be as simple as the following 6 steps: Pay attention to inhalation. Pay attention to your exhalation. Pay attention to how your body feels. Let the thoughts come. Let go of your thoughts. Pay attention to your breathing again. Although the steps are simple, it is not easy to maintain meditation practice during sleep. This requires...practice. But for us to practice every night, even if it is only a few minutes, the benefits will increase. We begin to retrain our brains to relax and calm our bodies so that we can fall asleep more easily.

 

The sleep deprevation epidemic

Sleep is as important to our happiness as food, water or shelter. However, as a society, we do not always treat it like this. Research shows that Americans lack adequate sleep: According to a recent Gallup poll, most adults perform best when they sleep 7 to 9 hours a night, but more than 40% of Americans sleep less than 7 hours a night . 30% of people reported having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep at least several times a month; 6% reported insomnia almost every night. This problem even spawned the entire industry: In 2014, people around the world spent 58 billion U.S. dollars on sleep aids, and this number is expected to increase to 76.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2019.

 

Some people are proud or resilient in their ability to function well without sleeping. We can see this reflected in phrases such as "I will sleep when I die" or "You sleep and you lose". However, in recent research and culture, sleep has become an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

 

How to make sleep meditation a regular practice ?

One way to take care of yourself is to make sleep meditation part of your daily relaxation ritual. The ceremony does not have to be complicated or long. It might look like: turn off the device, take a bath or shower if you relax, and then go to bed. If you find that it is a time of worry and stress before going to bed, it can be helpful to add 10 minutes to your routine daily so that these ideas can be removed from your mind and written on the page. 

To further signal to your body that it is time to rest, you can spray a natural sleep spray on your pillow. (Calm Sleep Mist Spray is a choice, a special mixture of lavender, chamomile, frankincense and sage.) When forming a new habit, we involve as many senses as possible, especially when it feels pleasant . The last step before sleep meditation should be to feel comfortable in bed. Following the same steps in the same order, we create a routine for ourselves and prepare for the next thing; in this case, sleep meditation. It becomes a habit.

 

What keeps people up at night?

Almost half of us don’t get enough sleep, but it’s not because we don’t want to sleep. Sometimes, due to various biological forces and lifestyle choices, we simply cannot fall asleep or stay asleep. You know what's going on: you put your head on the pillow, and your mind seems to accelerate suddenly. Of course, the thoughts are always there; just without distractions, you will be aware of them.

 

Technology has also exacerbated sleep problems: 90% of Americans use technology (including watching TV, using mobile phones, playing video games, using computers, etc.) one hour before going to bed. Many of us even put our phones under our pillows or next to our faces and sleep with the bell ringing. Unfortunately, unconscious use of screens and technology is negatively correlated with deep sleep: a study has shown that the more devices a person uses on any given day, the more difficult it is for them to fall asleep and stay asleep. These effects mainly appear on people who use the device at a high level during the day, especially those who fall asleep with cell phone ringtones (or even used as alarm clocks) or other nearby interfering devices.

 

What is a guided sleep meditation?

Guided meditation is when the meditating person meditates under the guidance of the meditation teacher or other practitioners. In the case of guided sleep meditation, this most often occurs when listening to audio meditation online or in a meditation app. The meditator does not meditate silently, but hears the guidance of another voice. Guided sleep meditation is designed to deeply relax the listener and let them fall asleep. Guided sleep meditation is a very comforting way to start a new sleep meditation practice.

 

Sleep Meditaion Guided

The more you try to force sleep, the less likely you are to succeed. Explore this guided meditation to get rid of stubborn thoughts and rest all night.

Since staying awake during meditation is usually a huge challenge, it is not surprising that mindfulness has been shown to promote healthy sleep. Sitting quietly and breathing is not that exciting. It can be absolutely relaxing. But this is not all.

Mindfulness practice fosters non-judgmental awareness-seeing things as they are in an honest and curious manner. Sleep is the same as meditation practice, intent is easier said than done. Neither sleeping habits nor mindfulness exercises can cope with heavy hands well.

 If you intend to force yourself to fall asleep, you are unlikely to do so. If you strive to have a perfect mentality while meditating, you will create more stress and uncertainty. If it is established through clear planning and patient determination, intentional but not forced, sleep and mindfulness are more likely to follow.

The Guided Meditation for Better Sleep

When considering any sleep-related meditation, realize that nothing can be forced or happen. Since forcing yourself to make sleep more challenging, start practicing without specific expectations or goals. We can't fall asleep, but maybe, in order to stay calm and not so addicted to our thoughts, we still fall asleep.

For the next meditation, there will be no bells or final instructions. Finally, if you want, continue to practice, or hope to get a good night's rest.

1. Begin to lie down and rest your legs in a comfortable position that is as wide as your hips. You can place your arms on your sides or place your hands on your abdomen.

2. Start by paying attention to your breathing. Pay attention to body movements related to breathing as much as possible, such as raising and lowering the abdomen. Or, if you want, you can focus more closely on the air going in and out of your nose and mouth 

3. Many thoughts are normal and even expected. Your brain will repeat the day or focus on worrying about tomorrow. Recognize these habits, and then practice letting it go. Mark things that caught your attention and pay attention to your breathing again. Inhale and exhale

4. Pay attention to whether you are trapped in effort, frustration, or fear, and sympathize with yourself. Capture self-criticism or frustrating thoughts, and then take a breath. Ideas are just ideas. Inhale and exhale. You do not need to correct or change anything at this time. Observe where your thoughts go and label them "ideas". Go back to the next breath over and over again

5. Focus directly on how your body feels. First transfer your consciousness to the physical sensation of your feet. You don't need to wiggle your toes or feet, just look at them: the temperature or the pressure of your heel on the blanket or mat under you

6. Starting from the feet, focus your attention on your calves and pay attention to everything you can see. The feeling of giving up trying or having to do something. Then start from the calf, through the knee, and then to the thigh. If you feel any pressure or tension, try to relax and let go.

7. Next, shift your attention from the hips and pelvis to the abdomen and abdomen. You may notice the feeling of breathing up and down, or other physical sensations, and sometimes even a reflection of certain emotions (maybe emotions such as fear or anger are reflected in the stomach in the form of tension or tightness). As you move from your abdomen to your chest, pay attention to every time your mind is attracted by uncomfortable or distracted thoughts. Then gently and patiently, guide him back again

8. Moving to your back, there is no doubt that many of us maintain tension in different ways, relax your muscles as much as possible, and lower your shoulders away from your ears. If you feel that you need to make adjustments, please consciously allow it to happen, pause and choose your next action. Shift your attention to your hands and forearms, again without the need to actively move or change anything, observe and let go

9. Then pass through your neck into the muscles of your face, perhaps paying attention to any tension or squeezing, and then gently, as far as you can, relax these muscles. Then within a few minutes, there is a general understanding of the physical sensations of the whole body

10. Now, if you are still awake, pay attention to the breath again, whenever the heart wanders in the past or the future, or where it decides to go. If it is useful for your attention, you can count breaths, inhales, one, exhale, one, inhale, two, exhale, two... When you reach ten, start from one

11. If the count becomes distracting, stick to the sensation of breathing, whether you feel the breath coming in and out anywhere in your body, or rising or falling in the abdomen and chest. Now go on to yourself, count to ten breaths, and patiently refocus your attention every time you get distracted. If you forget to count, that's okay. Start where I remembered last time.

 

The benefits of sleep meditation

Sleeping often less than 7 hours a night can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and unhealthy eating habits, which can lead to other chronic diseases. Insufficient sleep can lead to short-term and long-term memory, decision-making, attention and reaction time obstacles. People who don’t get enough sleep tend to make more mistakes at work and drive more dangerously on the road. On the other hand, it can reduce stress levels, improve thinking clarity and memory. Improving sleep will also affect our immune system), promote better eating habits and weight control.

 

Better sleep is even associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. Research often associates improved sleep with better well-being. Why do you choose to meditate before going to bed? Especially if you have insomnia or difficulty falling asleep, meditation has been shown to improve the quality and efficiency of sleep, the speed at which you fall asleep, and the amount of time you can stay awake during the day. Fall asleep faster; once you fall asleep, you may also sleep better.

 

Meditations for falling back to sleep

For some people, falling asleep is not difficult, but falling asleep again is difficult. Meditation also helps here. If you wake up at night and perform a body scan meditation, in which you pay attention to and relax every part of your body from head to toe, it will soothe and encourage you to fall asleep gently again. You can also practice breathing meditation, counting your breaths instead of sheep ("inhale, exhale...inhale, exhale..."). If you want more support than self-guided meditation, there are guided sleep meditations designed to help listeners fall asleep again.

 

Meditation for quality sleep – during the day

Sleep belongs to a unique category, and high-quality Zzzs require more than just meditation in bed. Peaceful sleep is highly dependent on a resting mind, so preparations can start from the way you think...in the daytime. Most of the time, our sleep-related problems are deeply ingrained in our thinking process. For example, the Headspace 30-day sleep course (for Headspace subscribers only) is not designed to make you fall asleep at this time; it is designed to change your relationship with sleep. By gradually training the mind in a specific way, day after day, month after day, an environment conducive to a good rest at night is gradually created. The 30-day sleep course is recommended to be used during the day, combined with single sleep meditation before going to bed. This course trains long-term sustainable thoughts; single meditation is a specific exercise that puts you to sleep.

 

How to start meditating with Calm?

Start meditating and fall asleep through the 7 guided meditation series in the Calm app. This is the so-called 7-day sleep. Each lesson lasts approximately 14 minutes and includes simple mindfulness instruction from our mindfulness director Tamara Levitt, and guided meditation designed to help you fall asleep naturally.

 

What to expect when meditationg to fall asleep?

Sleep meditation should be like we meditate during the day: a gentle, relaxing way. When we relax our body and let our thoughts wander, we will proceed in a gentle way and don't try to force sleep, otherwise we will encourage more thoughts and possibly some tension. Try to let yourself be guided by a guide as much as possible, and don't think too much about skills or instructions. Before starting sleep meditation: Lie on your back in bed, take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. , Let the body begin to close. If you are using guided meditation, follow the instructions. If you practice meditation without guidance, please progress at your own pace. The more you practice this type of meditation, the more likely you are to build a calm and peaceful mind that can fall asleep peacefully.

 

Guided sleep meditations generally employ a number of different techniques:

Breathing exercises. This involves regulating your breathing (for example, counting your breaths) and eventually slowing your breathing a bit, signaling your body to sleep.

 

Conscious body scan. When you are lying in bed, you may be asked to observe your breathing and where your body touches the bed. Then, starting with your toes, you can consider any effort to "turn off" every part of your body, bit by bit.

 

Visualization. Visualization requires you to imagine an image or scene, and then brings you into a hypnotic state of mind. Gratitude-Some sleep-focused meditation programs focus on appreciation meditation and loving-kindness meditation, which requires you to focus on gratitude.

 

counting. In order to slow down your thinking and get rid of circular thinking patterns, you may be invited to count slowly: start at 10 (or even 1,000) and count down to 1, then start at 10 again.

 

be quiet. The storyteller or guide may ask you to be quiet for a few minutes, giving you very little guidance as a way to concentrate after a long and busy day.

Exercise-based meditation. If you personally instruct you in sleep-based meditation, you may be invited to perform conscious exercises such as Tai Chi, low-impact postures, or light stretching exercises.

 

Back to his day. Looking back at your day in detail, item by item, is a good way to distract you long enough to fall asleep. Starting from waking up in the morning, showering, and eating breakfast, spend 20 to 25 seconds every day dealing with everything of the day, no matter how small. This is a good way to start shutting down before breathing or meditating.

 

The best guided sleep meditation for falling asleep at night

 

Sleep Meditaion Guided

Try guided sleep meditation to help you fall asleep and postpone your nap

If you have sleep problems, guided sleep meditation may be the solution for your sleepless nights. Mindfulness exercises can relax your body and mind and help you prepare for a peaceful night. Meditation has been proven to improve sleep quality, falling asleep speed, and sleep duration. It is a natural remedy for insomnia that can help you sleep more soundly and provide the best pillow or stable sleeping habits for your sleeping position. Studies have shown that sleep problems in the elderly are often untreated, but mindfulness techniques such as meditation can improve sleep quality and overall health by reducing fatigue, insomnia and depression symptoms. 

It is scientifically based. Headspace Chief Content Officer William Fowler explained: “Meditation helps lower the heart rate by opening up the parasympathetic nervous system and encouraging slowed breathing, thereby increasing the chances of getting quality sleep.” The parasympathetic nervous system is a direct neutralizer of the sympathetic nervous system. Also known as the system that triggers our fight or flight response when we feel anxious or stressed. Once we activate the relaxation response, our breathing will slow down and our body will relax, making it easier to fall asleep.

 In addition, guided sleep meditation encourages us to put aside the challenges of the day. Many meditation suggestions imagine your thoughts and feelings as dark clouds, allowing you to let stressors come and go without having to focus on them overnight.

 

However, if you find it difficult to meditate at first, then you are not alone and it takes time to get into the rhythm of the practice. "Be kind to yourself in the process," said Eve Lewis Prieto, Headspace's meditation director. "The more time you spend training your mind to be more present, more aware, and more compassionate, the more it will be reflected in your daily life."

1. Nightime SOS: Mental Chatter Meditation by Headspace

For those nights when you can't stop thinking, this guided sleep meditation is your choice. Using the roller coaster analogy, the headspace 10-minute meditation gently encourages you to stay away from your thoughts and observe them, letting them come and go instead of focusing on, worrying, or frustrating with them. This exercise will help you calm your mind, lower your heart rate, slow your breathing, relax your body and prepare for sleep.

 

2. 10 Minute Guided Meditation For Sleep & Relaxation by Boho Beautiful Yoga

Poor sleep hygiene is one of the most common causes of difficulty falling asleep. If you don't have time to sleep at night, you may have trouble falling asleep and having trouble falling asleep. Combine this 10-minute guided meditation with the super relaxing sound of rain into your daily life, and you will fall asleep soon. Let your body and mind be relaxed, soothing music will bring you into a welcoming space for deep sleep. This + bedtime yoga practice = dream combination of relaxing before bedtime.

 

3. Rainday Antiques Sleepcast by Headspace

Headspace Sleepcasts are like bedtime stories for adults. Using sound and visual meditation techniques, Rainday Antiques will guide you through the comfortable antique shop, as the rain outside is beating on the outside, making you sleep peacefully. The 10-minute guided sleep meditation is available for free on YouTube, or you can access the 45-minute version on the Headspace app.

 

4. Guided Meditation For Before Sleep by Great Meditation

Immerse yourself in your mattress and relax in this guided sleep meditation, designed for you in bed or before your head hits the pillow. To fully reap the benefits of meditation, you usually need to sit in a comfortable and alert position and stay fully awake during the practice. However, the beauty of guided sleep meditation is that if you feel good, you can put yourself to sleep during the practice, and this 10-minute meditation is perfect for this.

5. Stephen Fry's Blue Gold Sleep Story by Calm

Calm`s Sleep Stories tells stories, combines text, music and sound effects to create dream-like visual effects to help you fall asleep at night. Narrated by Stephen Fry, Blue Gold is a 24-minute guided sleep meditation. Relaxation exercises will take you through peaceful villages and lavender fields in southern France.

6. Positive Affirmation Meditation For Sleep by Bob Baker

Ending the day with a positive affirmation will not only help you fall asleep, but it will also benefit your overall health. Research shows that positive affirmation can improve a person's self-awareness and overall health. Falling asleep with affirmative sentences like "everything is fine in my world" and "everything is working for my higher self" will help you have a positive attitude, let go of the challenges of the day and relax to get good quality. . , Sleeping.

 

A simple meditation to aid sleep

If you wake up at night, your thoughts can help you stay awake. Your head is buzzing, worrying about all kinds of things that might happen. Simple meditation based on counting breaths can be of great help. First explore the tension and relaxation areas of the body. Then start counting your breaths (1 inhale, 2 exhales, 3 inhales, and so on, up to 10 times). If your thoughts are floating, please recalculate your breathing. The idea is to get rid of the preoccupied thoughts, give your mind a different goal, and focus on it for a period of time so that you can fall asleep again.

 

Other ways to improve sleep

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for a good night’s sleep. Meditation is a good start, but sleep hygiene or developing good sleep habits and practices are also very important. Some key factors for good sleep hygiene include:

 

conventional. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. This helps develop and maintain a strong circadian rhythm; consistency tells the body when to stay awake and when to fall asleep. For people who work on shifts or often experience jet lag, consistent routines can be difficult, but research shows that light signals can help regulate the sleep-wake cycle.

 

Dreamy environment. Comfortable bedroom layout is a necessary condition for sleep hygiene. Studies have shown that darkness is important for the release of melatonin, and lower temperatures will promote better sleep; minimizing sound interference inside and outside the home will also help maximize your sleep quality.

 

diet. Certain foods may be "sleep thieves". A balanced diet and adequate hydration have been shown to lead to better sleep habits.

 

Stress and pain management. The 2015 American Sleep Survey revealed that stress and pain are the two most important factors affecting sleep. Lack of sleep can also exacerbate stress and pain, which can be a difficult cycle to break. Developing healthy strategies to manage stress and pain (like meditation!) during the day can improve sleep at night.

physical activities. Regular participation in sports activities, including long-distance walking, weight training, yoga, running or group fitness classes, can have a long-term impact on your sleep quality.

Ready to go to bed. Prepare for success a few hours before bed. Before you plan to go to bed, try to put the technology on hold for at least an hour. When you lie down, complete the exercises you might have learned through sleep meditation exercises by yourself (or, if you need guidance, at least hold your phone or device face down to hide the glowing screen-you can even use

 

Sleep with Headspace on your Alexa or Google Home device for a pure audio experience. ) Choose pajamas that can help regulate body temperature while maintaining comfort. Let yourself relax, find inner peace, and deal with the day. For some people, keeping a bedtime diary may be an effective way to bring your thoughts back to the present.

 

Most Americans lack sleep, which can cause serious physical and mental health problems. This is why using meditation as a tool to sleep better, deeper, and longer can change the rules of the game, especially if you are a person who has difficulty falling asleep. When it comes to sleep meditation, the most important thing to start is to meditate hard and stay quiet before trying to sleep; the more you do, the more comfortable you will feel, and your meditation style, posture, and breathing work will become perfect. Begin to create suitable conditions for a quieter sleep tonight.