How Evening Meditation Can Calm the Mind and Support Better Sleep

Key Takeaways

• Bedtime meditation may help you fall asleep and remain asleep by calming the mind and body and easing stress.

• Body scans, visualization, breathing exercises, and muscle relaxation are all meditation styles you can try before bed.

• Practicing nightly, keeping a consistent bedtime, and cutting back on screen time can support better sleep habits.

Getting enough sleep, and getting quality sleep, matters for both health and overall well-being. But what should you do if it takes too long to drift off or if sleep does not come easily once you are in bed?

One option is bedtime meditation, a set of mindful practices designed to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

How Bedtime Meditation Helps

Bedtime meditation may ease insomnia and other sleep issues by creating a sense of calm before sleep.

Meditation can activate the body’s relaxation response, helping shift the brain and body out of fight-or-flight mode and into rest mode. In that state, heart rate and breathing slow down. Relaxation can also reduce stress, which is closely linked to many sleep disorders.

“The specific science-backed benefits depend on the type of meditation you’re practicing, but meditation has been shown to decrease amygdala activity, which is a part of the brain that is involved in stress and fear responses,” explains Megan Monahan, meditation expert. “When there is less of that future/past rumination, it becomes easier to relax in the present moment and certainly wind down into sleep at the end of the day.”

By shifting attention to physical tension and to racing thoughts that may be feeding stress, bedtime meditation can help prepare the entire body for sleep.

What Types Are Available?

“I generally don’t recommend my clients use most traditional meditation practices (mantra especially) to fall asleep because they’ll more likely end up falling asleep when they use that practice during waking hours,” Monahan says. “I really like using yoga nidra meditation to aid in falling asleep, as you still get the benefits even if you end up drifting into a fully asleep state.”

Mindful Moment

Need a breather? Take this free 2-minute meditation to help you fall asleep—or choose from our guided meditation library to find another one that will help you feel your best.

Guided Bedtime Meditations

Guided meditations, which walk you through what to think about and how to move your body, can be especially useful for beginners who are still figuring out what works best for them, though they can help anyone.

These guided bedtime sessions can support breathwork, encourage present-moment focus, release tension, and use calming mantras. They are available on platforms such as YouTube or through podcast and audiobook resources.

There are also many meditation and mindfulness apps, including Headspace, Calm, and The Mindfulness App, that teach meditation and offer hundreds of guided sessions for a small monthly fee or, in some cases, at no cost. Some of these apps also include sleep stories, which are designed to help lull you to sleep.

Why Sleep Can Be Difficult

There are many obstacles that can get in the way of restful sleep.

How Poor Sleep Affects Health

Not getting enough good-quality sleep can take a toll on both mental and physical health.

Feeling tired during the day can hurt focus and attention, and ongoing sleep loss may raise the risk of depression and anxiety. Other long-term health problems linked to poor sleep include:

• Dementia

• Obesity

• Heart disease

• Kidney disease

• Diabetes

• High blood pressure

Sleep deprivation is also associated with a greater chance of catching a cold and with cravings for salty, sweet, and starchy foods, which has in turn been linked to obesity and diabetes.

How to Add Bedtime Meditation to Your Routine

The good news is that anyone can begin bedtime meditation at any point. Even beginners can build a routine with a few simple strategies.

Monahan suggests a few approaches to make mindfulness practices more effective, including:

• Using essential oils such as lavender or chamomile

• Keeping bedroom colors neutral, calming, and grounding

• Listening to instrumental music or nature sounds

• Limiting screen time

Other Strategies for Better Sleep

Read the original article on Verywell Mind