Introduction
In this article, we will be talking about the practice of meditation for sleep. You must have heard about the term, “Meditation”. Oftentimes, we have some preconceived notions about the subject.
These notions range from, “Only monks practice meditation” to “It is very difficult to meditate”. I can assure you that it cannot be any further from the truth. Anyone can meditate and develop a habit to practice meditation daily.
Today, we are here to help you find the optimum meditation practice which will help you get a deep and sound sleep. We will deal with the practice of meditation, how it is useful for sleep and some other benefits associated with meditation. Enough with the boring details, let’s dive right into it and see for ourselves what meditation is all about.
How To Perform Meditation For A Good Night’s Sleep
Let us deal with the elephant in the room first. Many of you might have seen saints and monks practicing meditation and the process might seem a bit overwhelming. However that is definitely not the case.
There are no strict guidelines or a stringent set of rules you have to follow. All we are actually doing is sitting in peace and tranquility at our selected place and doing nothing. Although for some people (including myself), the act of sitting quietly in peace is a mountain to climb in itself.
With that said, let us understand the basic steps required for performing meditation. Later on, we will figure out how to cut out distractions and get into the habit of regular meditation. These steps are as follows:-
- First, find a place devoid of any distractions (It can be either a room or someplace outdoors).
- Have a timer at hand to set the duration of your meditation practice.
- Sit in any position which feels comfortable (Either cross-legged or with folded feet).
- Close your eyes for about 2-15 minutes (Depending on your level of comfort).
- Slowly, breathe in and out (You can count your breaths which helps with concentration).
- Finally, try to observe your thoughts and do not react to them.
- You can also play some soothing music which helps you to relax.
- When the timer runs out, slowly open your eyes.
Note: The key to developing a successful meditation practice is to let your thoughts and emotions flow freely. Remember that it is very difficult to not have any thoughts at all whether you are sitting idly or practicing meditation. Until we successfully get into the habit of meditation, we can at least try to have an observational approach instead of a reactionary one.
How Can Meditation Help Us To Sleep?
A common question which may come up in your mind is, “How can meditation help with sleep?” The answer is quite simple. While meditating, our body reduces cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and increases natural levels of melatonin (the sleep hormone).
There are a large number of processes which take place other than the two mentioned above. With that out of the way, let’s find out what other benefits meditation has to offer besides good sleep.
Other Benefits Of Meditation
Having good and better sleep is just one advantage of meditation. When this is done regularly, meditation can also help with several things which can improve your health and wellness. Some of the things are:-
Lowers Stress Levels
One of the main reasons people fail to fall asleep on time is due to higher stress levels. Our work requires us to perform at our peak at all times. As a result, we tend to be highly overworked and that leads to increased levels of stress.
Fortunately, one of the most potent benefits of meditation is stress reduction as shown by research. Many people practice meditation just for the stress reduction it provides. If you feel as if you fall in this category, be sure to include meditation in your daily life.
Alleviates Anxiety
Another issue which has been on a rise in modern times is an increase in anxiety. Personally, this has been one of the reasons I started my meditation practice in the first place. The effects are definitely visible and can be observed in daily life as well.
If you suffer from anxiety, it is a good idea to adopt a regular meditation habit. Research suggests that meditation has shown promise for the treatment of anxiety. It is free of cost and just requires a few minutes of your time daily.
If that sounds like something which might help, it is worth giving meditation a try.
Increases Attention Span
The ever decreasing attention span of the population is a big concern in the modern era. We have easy access to high reward, low effort activities, there is a constant decline in our attention span. The common culprits are poor diet, excessive smartphone use and sedentary lifestyle.
Luckily, all these habits can be changed for the better. Meditation can help with the process of change. It has been observed that meditation has the ability to improve attention span with regular practice. We all could use some boost in concentration in our daily lives and meditation provides that without any cost.
Promotes Better Heart Health
There are proven heart benefits which are a result of a continuous meditation practice. As we age, our organs do not function as well as they did in our younger years. Since, heart is arguably the most important organ in our body, it is only fair if we treat it well.
Meditation provides a plethora of benefits for the heart. It helps keep the resting heart rate to optimum levels and lowers high blood pressure as well. There is evidence (although limited as of now) which shows that meditation may increase lifespan in healthy adults.
Regulates Circadian Rhythm
Circadian rhythm is also known as the sleep-wake cycle. It is the body’s biological clock which tells us when to sleep and wake and repeats after a 24 hour cycle. Having a proper circadian rhythm is vital for everything.
The research shows that meditation has the ability to regulate our sleep in a positive manner.
Reduces Risk Of Coronary Artery Diseases
People suffering from ailments such as hypertension, chronic stress and diabetes have an increased risk of suffering from coronary artery diseases (CAD). A study was done which concluded that meditation may have the potential to act as a therapeutic treatment for CAD.
People suffering from diabetes and hypertension can also give meditation a try along with their regular treatment.
So, What About The Cons?
I am of the opinion that anything which has pros must have some cons as well. It’s not applicable everywhere but that’s a rule of thumb which helps prevent any biases which may arise. As per the general consensus, meditation is a very low-risk practice.
The pros of performing a daily meditation practice heavily outweighs the cons. Though, we will still take a look at some of the cons for the sake of an open-ended discussion. It’s typically considered a safe and common exercise for most people around the world.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the disadvantages of meditation:-
Tedious Process
In the beginning, meditation feels like a very challenging process. Most people who are new to meditation might consider it boring or time consuming. Although meditation requires just under 20 minutes a day, it might be too much for people who already have trouble managing their time.
Due to this, many people quit their meditation practice after a few days. If people quit too soon, they would not get the full benefits of meditation. As a result, they might consider meditation to be a tedious process.
May Cause Dizziness
A first time meditation practitioner may feel light-headed after their first session. This is quite common for a lot of people. Although, in most cases it is not a matter of concern.
However, if the feeling of dizziness becomes too much to handle, you need to get in touch with your physician.
May Cause Mood Swings
Oftentimes, when people get into a meditative practice, they have a lot going in their life. When they first get into the habit of meditation, some behavioral changes can be observed. As a result, a new practitioner may notice rapid changes in their mood.
The new practitioner may feel happy and joyful at one moment, and feel stressed and overwhelmed at the other moment. This is not a cause of concern but if this issue persists, it is wise to consult with your doctor.
Why Is It Important To Have A Quality Sleep?
There has been an ongoing debate about the number of hours a person should sleep each night. For an adult, the optimum hours of sleep is somewhere between 6-9 hours. I believe that you should listen to your body and get as much sleep as you require.
What’s not up for debate is that sleep is essential for us. Without adequate sleep for prolonged periods, we cannot sustain our body. Lack of sleep gives rise to a myriad of different illnesses such as Alzheimer, Diabetes, Hypertension and Obesity.
Therefore, we should try to get as much sleep as our body needs. To get a proper good night’s rest, we should also figure out some things first. We will take a quick look at some of the reasons which are responsible for our poor sleep habits.
Reasons For Poor Sleep
To create a solution, we need to understand the problem first. In this case, the problems which affect our sleep quality are as follows:-
- Stress and anxiety.
- Blue light exposure at nighttime (Due to smartphone and computer usage).
- Consuming caffeine before bedtime.
- Irregular circadian rhythm.
- Depression
- Attending social events.
- Poor sleep conditions (Such as an untidy bedroom and noisy environment).
- Certain medical conditions such as insomnia.
- Poor diet and irregular eating habits.
- Lack of a proper workout schedule.
We have listed some of the factors which adversely affect your sleep. There are other factors as well but we have listed some of the most common ones out there. Now, it’s time to take a look at some of the solutions we can adapt to help us sleep better.
Different Steps To Optimize Your Sleep
Meditation can be a great tool for tackling sleep issues. However, we need to fix other problems as well which may limit your ability to get a good night’s sleep.
We can follow some steps to fix common issues which affect sleep. These steps are as follows:-
- Adopt a regular meditation habit (Remember to slowly increase your meditation time).
- Before 1 hour of your scheduled time to sleep, do not use any gadget with a screen (Blue light adversely affects sleep at night).
- Practice a regular exercise regimen to keep you fit and healthy.
- Eat a balanced diet and avoid eating junk food as much as possible.
- Make a well structured routine which you would follow.
- Stop consuming tea or coffee 8 hours before bedtime.
- Make your bedroom organized, neat and tidy.
- Seek professional help if you suffer from insomnia or depression. (It is better to find the root cause and get help before the problem becomes unmanageable).
These are some of the ways you can optimize your sleep. The goal here was to deal with the root of the problem. If the core of the problem has been found, it becomes a lot easier to formulate steps to tackle it with ease.
Conclusion
If you are still reading, we hope you found answers to some of the questions you had about meditation. Hopefully, we didn’t bore you with the details of sleep meditation. Our goal was to help you fall asleep although we would prefer if the medium was meditation and not our article itself.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments down below. Let’s meet soon with a new topic and till then, good luck on your meditation journey.
