Meditation before sleep: everything you need to know
Meditation is a way of giving us the peace and calm we need in our daily lives. In addition to helping to improve the quality of life, it is directly linked to a good night's sleep. Find out how.
Meditation it has the power to change the physical and mental state, using attention and concentration techniques. The greater these sensations, the greater will be the inner peace and relaxation. What enhances restful nights.
Using sleep meditation not only will shorten the time needed to fall asleep, it will also improve your nights rest.
Usually we lie in bed with our heads full of thoughts and worries, letting our minds want to think about everything but calming down and falling asleep.
These mental lists that we make right now are big impediments to sleep well. Sleep meditation will prepare you for a good night's sleep, being a barrier to anything that can harm you.
It's an excellent guide to get the rest you deserve!
What is Meditation?
It is an ancient technique that comes from eastern culture and that develops the ability to concentrate, calm and focus on the present.
When we think of meditation, images of buddhist masters, tibetan cups and temples, and people with great method and emotional discipline immediately come to mind.
In fact, it's much more than that. Anyone can meditate, and in many ways! You don't need to be the epitome of meditation.
It is a strategy that ends restlessness, and helps you to know how to deal with the stress of your day, so that you can lead a calmer and more positive life.
Meditation is a practice that will regulate your body and mind, focusing your attention. With meditation, what goes on in your consciousness is observed and absorbed, without you having to think about it. And how good it is not to think about anything!
Whenever meditate, you are learning to put stress aside. It gets easier and easier with practice, like when you start exercising.
This results in:
- Decrease in repetitive and negative thoughts
- Reduction of stress and anxiety that life's problems cause us
- muscle and mental relaxation
- Greater mental and body control
What types of Meditation?
There are different types of meditation, which can be applied according to your needs and preferences:
Mindfulness
It is the most common form of meditation - a meditation of mindfulness.
It focuses on paying attention to your body and being more aware of the sounds and movements of your breath and your surroundings, such as the floor at your feet.
The brain is adept at scattering to something that has nothing to do with it, making you think about that problem that worries you.
If this happens, the real challenge is this: observe the behavior and return to paying attention to the body, without any judgment.
Meditation of concentration
It is meditation focuses on focusing your attention on something specific. It can be on an object, or even repeating a sound or mantra out loud, such as “I am at peace”.
It serves to have a focal point and to calm your mind by relaxing completely.
Guided Meditation
This kind of meditation uses another person, who conducts the practice. It is an instructor, who will ask you, for example, to concentrate on relaxing your toes, legs and so on.
That's why it's called guided meditation.
Guided meditation will make you visualize images, asking you to imagine, for example, that you are on a white sand beach.
These guided images can be applied to improve performance in certain activities.
Athletes, for example, can imagine themselves mastering a technical skill or gesture, or an executive can visualize themselves presenting something with confidence.
All of them are valid! Choose the sleep meditation that makes the most sense to you!
What are the effects of Meditation?
There are those who lie down in bed and only manage to fall asleep a long time later, changing their position several times, counting sheeps and looking at the clock, always anxious to see the time pass.
If the moment you put your head in the pillow is associated with the thoughts and problems of the day, plans and to-do lists, it will be increasingly difficult to change this pattern.
And, as you well know, this can be a serious problem if repeated over several nights. At insomnia and fatigue will greatly harm your day-to-day.
This is where the sleep meditation goes into.
Meditate before bed interrupts our patterns and routines. Why? You ask. Because the sleep meditation will help to re-orient your thoughts, replacing your worries with total relaxation.
Even if you have no problem falling asleep and you sleep like a rock, meditation before bed will help you because it will make you sleep way better and with more quality.
Remember: the better you sleep, the better you'll enjoy your time during the day!
And now you ask: but what are the advantages of meditation?
Well, who practices meditation experiences a particular state of consciousness, which leads to changes in the central and autonomic nervous systems:
- Reduction of oxygen consumption
- Greater elimination of carbon dioxide
- Reduction of substances associated with anxiety and depression
- Greater control of involuntary physiological functions.
- Thickness of the cerebral cortex - resulting in increased attention, positive feelings and resilience.
- Greater adaptation to stress, by regulating the heart rate.
- Control of appetite.
- Improved metabolism.
- Increased levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
- Improving the immune system.
- Prevention of hypertension and other cardiovascular problems.
- Increased GH hormone, which prevents osteoporosis and body fat accumulation.
- Preventing aging and increasing skin health and beauty.
- Increase of concentration, memory and reasoning.
- Increased mood.
- Prevention of sleep disorders, like sleep paralysis.
As you can see, just good reasons to start meditate already today! Your quality of life will improve visibly! Give it a try!
How can I Meditate?
Before we get to know you more, you should know how to create the right conditions so that you can meditate before bed. Pay attention to the following tips:
1. Make your room silent
- Not suitable meditate with the television or radio on, isn't it? You must turn off all these distractions to be able to relax in conditions.
- Get away from the noise of people talking, close your bedroom door and window
- Dim the light or turn it off completely so you can concentrate better
2. Wear comfortable clothes
Wear loose, comfortable pajamas so you don't feel trapped or blocked. Do not wear tight pants or sweaters.
3. Adopt a correct and comfortable posture
- Your back should be straight and your legs comfortable, straight or crossed.
- Hands can be on your lap or at your sides.
- Tilt your chin slightly as if looking down to relax your neck.
- Close your eyes and keep your mouth shut.
- Slowly begin to inhale and exhale through your nose and concentrate on your breathing.
- Relax your body and enjoy!
4. Focus on sleep
For meditate before sleep, it is essential that you focus on being able to relax in order to have a good sleep night.
- Don't think about anything, just feel your bed, your pillow and the way your body molds to them.
- Close your eyes and breathe calmly, always remembering the ultimate goal: a peaceful sleep.
5. Meditation APPs
Once you've followed these tips, there are loads of resources at your fingertips that can help you meditate.
Be for guided meditation, mindfulness or concentration. You decide!
Here are some applications that will help you meditate:
Now that you know how to meditate before bed, enjoy all the benefits this practice provides. Sleep tight!