Meditation For Better Sleep

Meditation For Better Sleep

Interestingly enough, some meditation experts do not recommend meditating right before bedtime. Even though meditating can relax the body, facilitate healing and calm, it is meant to leave you feeling vibrant and more awake afterwards. This is why, ideally, meditation is recommended to be done first thing in the morning, before breakfast, in order to set a positive tone for the rest of the day.

Some people find it beneficial to meditate during the day for a few minutes if they start to feel overwhelmed or stressed. Others have incorporated it during their lunch hour. Still others find it a beneficial transition from their work day once they are home. They find it useful for releasing all of the pent up energy from the day and helpful to ensure a restful and relaxed evening.

Why Not Meditate At Bedtime?

It is recommended that if you choose to meditate in the evening, give yourself at least an hour between finishing your meditation and going to bed. Otherwise, you can inadvertently train your body to fall asleep and associate sleep relaxation with meditation, as opposed to meditation relaxation.

Obviously, this could make meditating during the day less beneficial, and you may end up dozing off during your lunch hour and feeling less than rested.

Some people who have been meditating for a long time describe a vibration throughout their body as they are coming out of their meditative state and trying to fall asleep. This can be disorientating and confusing. Experts state that if you have been moving from one level of awareness into another, the normal patterns involved in falling asleep may become disrupted.

This is why meditating in the early morning or afternoon, followed by copious amounts of daily activity are beneficial in order to honor your natural patterns of consciousness, along with your wake/sleep cycle.

The Benefits of Meditation Music at Bedtime

If you are used to meditating to some kind of meditation music, mainly instrumental or consisting of nature sounds, playing the same music at bedtime can help you quiet your mind. Just as listening to the music during meditation helps you focus on your breathing and find your inner stillness, replaying it before bed will help you revisit that nurturing place.

Think of Pavlov’s dogs and how they would salivate when the bell would ring; your body and mind associates the soothing meditation melodies with a peaceful place, exactly where you want your mind to be when drifting off to sleep.

Some people have trained themselves to the same piece of music so well, that if they hear it elsewhere, they are instantly transported to that place of serenity.

Being able to relinquish the worries of the day and transcend into your own relaxed state is truly a gift. If you have mastered this meditation feat, be proud of yourself!

Being able to rely on yourself to get to that place is wonderful and beneficial in so many ways. If we could all connect within that well, think of how much more peaceful our world might be. If you can help your kids, your spouse or friends attain this skill, they will surely thank you one day. Maybe it starts with giving them a copy of your magic meditation music!