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:

  1. Find a serene room and seat yourself comfortably.
  2. Slowly close your eyes and start breathing. Keep all your focus on inhaling and exhaling.
  3. Let your thoughts overwhelm you, and let them pass without any reaction.
  4. 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:

  1. Lie down in a comfortable position and remove all the distractions.
  2. Start breathing. Count to 10 when you inhale. Hold your breath and count to 10. Exhale and again count to 10. Then repeat.
  3. Keeping your focus on your breath, inhale and tense your body. Relax when you exhale.
  4. 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:

  1. Select a recording from the internet and dim the device’s lights to listen to the recording calmly.
  2. Start the recording, lie down, and start breathing slowly.
  3. 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.

Featured Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels