Many of us find it troublesome to fall asleep at night. In fact, about 35-50 percent of adults around the globe experience insomnia symptoms. Many times the core reason behind this problem is stress that causes anxiety and makes it hard to get a good night’s sleep. However, meditation is a technique that calms your body and mind and alleviates your sleep troubles. It improves the autonomic nerve system, prevents you from waking up easily, stimulates the release of melatonin, a sleep hormone, reduces heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and triggers the brain part that controls sleep. Here’s how you can meditate:
- Find a serene room and seat yourself comfortably.
- Slowly close your eyes and start breathing. Keep all your focus on inhaling and exhaling.
- Let your thoughts overwhelm you, and let them pass without any reaction.
- Start by practicing the technique 3-5 minutes and gradually increase your timing to 15-20 minutes.
You can also practice mindful meditation technique that helps you focus on the present and be self-aware:
- Lie down in a comfortable position and remove all the distractions.
- Start breathing. Count to 10 when you inhale. Hold your breath and count to 10. Exhale and again count to 10. Then repeat.
- Keeping your focus on your breath, inhale and tense your body. Relax when you exhale.
- If a thought distracts you, return to the present and concentrate on breathing.
Guided meditation is another way to keep your mind and body healthy. To practice that:
- Select a recording from the internet and dim the device’s lights to listen to the recording calmly.
- Start the recording, lie down, and start breathing slowly.
- Focus on what the recording says and keep your attention to that. Keep your mind from wandering elsewhere.
Meditation can help you keep your mind and body in a healthy balance and help you sleep better than ever before.
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