Guided meditation for sleep helps you to calm your mind and body, making it easier to fall asleep. It also reduces ruminating thoughts that can impede your ability to sleep.
Some types of guided meditation include breathing exercises, mindful body scanning, and visualization practices. Generally, a soothing-sounding narrator leads you through the practice with relaxing music in the background to help you get focused on your breath and relaxation.
A body scan meditation focuses on noticing and relaxing each part of your body from head to toe, which can help you to relax any tension that may be keeping you awake at night. Gratitude and thankfulness are also encouraged in this meditation, as it can improve your ability to fall and stay asleep.
Finding a regular sleep routine is key to getting a good night’s rest. Turning on a sleep meditation at the same time every day is a great way to create consistency and signal your brain that it’s time for bed.
You can find a variety of guided sleep meditations online or on apps such as Calm, which is rated the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation. You can even download a free trial to try out the service before purchasing.
Some sleep guided meditations also offer guidance to help you sleep better if you have covidsomnia, a condition caused by the pandemic that has left many survivors with long-term COVID symptoms. These calming videos use deep breathing, positive affirmations, and visualization techniques to ease you into a relaxing state of mind, which will help you fall and stay asleep.