You probably know that a deeper and more relaxed sleep will make you feel better and more alert the next day. But have you considered using meditation to help you to fall asleep quicker and sleep more soundly through the night? Meditation can relax the mind and the body, helping to improve the quality of your sleep.
Though there are many OTC pills to aid in getting a better night’s rest, most of these medications bring with them some less-than-desirable side effects. It’s not uncommon for sleeping pills to make you feel groggy or drowsy during the daytime or make your sleep too heavy or too light.
As well, sleeping pills can be dangerous if used in combination with alcohol or other medications. For these reasons, it may be best to try meditation before medication.
Meditation takes a comprehensive approach to sleep therapy, addressing the root causes of sleeping difficulties rather than the symptoms. If you’re having trouble sleeping, there may be a deeper, underlying reason for your troubles. Meditation is geared towards helping you notice and address these issues, unlike sleeping pills that simply narcotize you into forgetting about them. In this way, meditation is often a more sustainable approach to sleeping problems than pharmaceuticals.
Not unlike pharmaceuticals, however, there are a wide variety of meditation techniques. Give yourself some time to find and learn the meditation practice that’s right for you. Some meditation techniques are about changing one’s thought patterns and retraining the mind to take different approaches. Other techniques are focused on simply noticing thoughts as they arise and letting them go without touching them. No matter what approach you take, however, almost every form of meditation is likely to help you sleep better.
Here are a few time-honored meditation techniques that you might try:
- Sit quietly, with our without music. You can light candles if you want but make sure you don’t fall asleep with them burning! You may want to sit in a comfortable position on the floor or lie down on your bed with your body relaxed. Let your mind wander and see what comes up. Perhaps it will surprise you. If you have the urge to give up or notice yourself thinking, “This is stupid – why am I doing this?” don’t touch the thought. Just notice it and let it go. Sometimes it helps to set a timer for yourself and agree beforehand that you will sit for a certain amount of time no matter what. Start out small, maybe 5 or 10 minutes and then gradually increase your meditation time after a couple days or weeks. Some people practice this form of meditation with a visualization to help them deal with their thoughts. Perhaps you could think of your thoughts as boats floating on the river of your mind. If one thought seems difficult or troublesome, just let it keep floating and watch it go by. Another visualization might be to see your thoughts like balloons floating up in the air until they disappear and others come in their places.
- Find a mantra that appeals to you. It could be a phrase you’ve adopted from a world religion that resonates with you, or something secular that appeals to you. Some people use single words such as a “love” or “peace” or “God.” Whatever you choose, stick with it. You can repeat it silently or aloud. You may want to coordinate it with your breathing. When thoughts arise, let them be there and simply return to your mantra.
- Focus on your breathing. This works similarly to meditation with a mantra, but in this case your breath is the mantra. Some breathing-centered meditation techniques ask you to do something with your breathing, i.e., slow it down, keep it consistent, or visualize inhaling troublesome things and then releasing them as you exhale. Other techniques ask you only to notice your breathing, not to control it. When your mind wanders, notice that your mind is wandering but don’t beat yourself up about it (because the guilt is really another set of thoughts, another story spun by the mind) and then return your attention to your breath.
- Feel your body. Pay acute attention to your senses. Gradually, increase your awareness to include the space around you. See if you can find the boundaries between yourself and the not-you spaces around you. Are there boundaries that you can perceive? Gradually expand your awareness further to include the entire room or space that you’re immediately in. Sense this. Then expand yourself even further to include the city that your in. Then the state, the country, the continent, the world, the atmosphere, etc. Spend an ample amount of time at each increment truly sensing the sensations of having an expanded sense of self. Explore this thoroughly. In the end, slowly return your awareness back down to your immediate surroundings and your own body, then something as simple as your breathing and heartbeat. Chances are that this exercise will relax you and put your problems in perspective.