Using Meditation to Get a Good Night's Sleep
Keira Adams
If you're having trouble sleeping at night, you might want to consider taking up meditation. Practicing meditation can help you get a sounder and more refreshing sleep so that you'll have more energy and ability to concentrate in the morning. It also has benefits for people who have sleep difficulties because it relaxes the muscles and soothes the mind so that they fall asleep more easily.
A lot of people take a several types of pills for various reasons. If they add sleeping pills on top of the rest, it can lead to sleep disruptions and lethargy throughout the following day. Meditation is a far healthier solution, but you'll need to have patience - it will involve time and repetition before you have sufficiently mastered the practice in order to achieve the desired results.
There are several ways you can meditate - listening to music or in silence, burning candles, sitting calmly and allowing your mind to drift, or by the more concentrated practice of yoga meditation. Meditation relieves tension and eases anxiety, which will lead to a more restful and refreshing sleep.
There are things that you can do to help you focus on your meditation, like repeating a positive phrase to yourself, either in your mind or aloud. This positive phrase is known as a mantra. Or you can use a relaxing CD or deep breathing to focus. Focus on getting rid of the negative thoughts and having more positive thoughts to prevent disruption of your meditation.
You can more easily practice meditation techniques when you create an atmosphere that enables you to focus and shut out distractions. Try the following tips.
1. Find a quiet place where you're not likely to be disturbed. This place might be somewhere in your house, or a lakeside park bench. Remove the television, phone and other things that might cause a disturbance.
2. Get comfortable. Find a sitting position that is comfortable for you, using pillows or cushions if required. Remove your footwear, and do not wear anything that restricts you.
3. Get relaxed. Just close you eyes and let your mind begin to wander. If you want you can picture peaceful scenes in your mind to assist in your meditation.
4. Concentrate on your breathing. Inhale deeply and focus on each breath as the air enters and exits your lungs. Practicing this kind of deep breathing will help to reduce your stress and enhance the levels of oxygen in your system.
In order to get a good night's sleep, try practicing meditation for 10 to 15 minutes before you go to bed. This should help improve your sleep patterns, and leave you feeling nice and refreshed for the day ahead.
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