For years, my relationship with meditation was a bit of a roller coaster. I’d get into a good routine of quieting my mind through those conscious breaths and letting go of my anxious thoughts…only for the inevitable curveball of life to derail me again.
But no matter how long the breaks, I always found myself being drawn back to that serenity and mental clarity meditation provides – especially when it comes to getting quality sleep.
See, meditation has been a game-changer for my lifelong struggle with insomnia and a perpetually busy brain. It’s like giving my overthinking grey matter a break from its incessant churning of thoughts, worries, and mental to-do lists.
Rather than lying awake ruminating for hours, meditation helps me fully relax and let go. And the science backs this up – practices like mindfulness, breath focus, and guided imagery actually alter our brainwave patterns from that frenetic high-frequency state to, calm, sleepy theta waves.
With regular practice, meditation can fortify the brain regions that govern emotional regulation and cognitive control too. So rather than being hijacked by anxious thoughts, we can put the metaphorical foot down and steer our minds to a more balanced place.
For me, one of the most powerful meditation techniques for better sleep is the body scan. By systematically relaxing every part of my body through deep breathing, I can quite literally release the physical tension I’ve unknowingly held onto all day. Ahhh…
Loving-kindness and guided imagery meditations also work wonders for cultivating a positive, tranquil mindset before bed. While my greatest hits playlist of worries tries to take over, I’m able to re-direct my focus to soothing scenes and feelings of self-compassion.
And when I’m really struggling to shut off my churning mental chatter, simple mindfulness – focusing solely on my breath as thoughts arise and pass – is incredible for gently bringing me back to the present moment instead of ruminating on the past or catastrophizing about the future.
Do I always nail my nightly meditation? Of course not – life, kids, work, etc. can make it challenging to commit. But on the nights I do take that 5-10 minutes to tune inwards and tune out the noise, the reward is the deepest, most restorative sleep.
I wake up feeling refreshed, clear-headed and ready to tackle another day, rather than groggy and burdened by that same old stream of anxious thoughts.
So if meditation has always seemed too woo-woo for you, I’d encourage giving it a shot – if only to silence your inner insomnia gremlin. Your well-rested self will thank you!