Improve Your Sleep with Swissflex: Meditation to Fall Asleep

Meditation to fall asleep – Does it really help?

Meditation to help you fall asleep – can it really help? Anyone who regularly suffers from difficulty falling asleep and often drags themselves to work in the morning with heavy eyelids is probably initially sceptical about the effectiveness of this method. Fortunately, researchers have asked themselves the same question and subjected the traditional practice to a thorough examination in several studies published in 2015. The encouraging result: meditation for sleep actually works and can even improve sleep quality!

Why might that be? If you keep in mind that excessive stress is the number one cause of sleep problems and that meditating in the evening helps quiet your racing thoughts and relax your body, you are quite close to solving the puzzle. The state of inner calm that arises during meditation ensures that your heartbeat slows down and your blood pressure drops – ideal conditions for falling asleep quickly and sleeping through the night in a relaxed state.

Create an atmosphere and more – the right preparation is crucial

What's important to know: As helpful as meditation is for falling asleep, the technique is highly unsuitable as an immediate measure and last-minute fix for a good night's sleep. This is because meditation requires a certain amount of mindfulness and the right atmosphere. If you're already tossing and turning sleeplessly in bed, it's usually not worth starting meditation then because your mind and body are too exhausted and distracted. The right preparation is therefore essential if you are new to meditation. The following tips are helpful to start meditating to fall asleep:

Find a suitable place at home for your meditation. Ideally, this should be far away from your desk! Instead, choose a place where there is no chaos and where you feel completely at ease. A little tidying up before meditating could be helpful. Then, spread out a yoga mat and air the room thoroughly beforehand.

Have you ever wondered why many people sit in front of a candle when meditating? Dimmed light promotes a calm atmosphere and helps block out distractions. Make sure that all electronic devices in the bedroom, such as smartphones, laptops, and TVs, are switched off at least half an hour before you go to sleep. Artificial, bright light inhibits the production of the hormone melatonin and signals the body to stay awake – the exact opposite of what you want to achieve with your meditation.

Use your bedtime meditation as a soothing ritual directly before going to bed, followed by rest and relaxation. If there are any things you still need to do, you should cross them off your to-do list before going to bed so that your mind can achieve deep relaxation and is not preoccupied with your everyday life.

Practice makes perfect

Like any new skill, meditation requires practice and repetition. Don't be too impatient and approach your goal in small steps to avoid frustration. For example, you can start by meditating for five minutes at a time and increase the duration by another minute every few evenings until you have reached around 20 minutes. This is how long your body and mind need to fully enter a state of inner peace. nings until you reach about 20 minutes. This is how long our body needs to relax completely.

Breathing meditation – relax through your breathing

Breathing meditation is probably the best-known type of meditation to help you fall asleep. It involves consciously breathing in and out to bring the body into a calm state through regular breathing and to achieve greater serenity.

For breathing meditation, you can lie down – for example on a yoga mat or in your bed – or sit cross-legged. Relax your arms and close your eyes. Then pay attention to your breathing: breathe in deeply through your nose and count to ten. Breathe out through your nose and count to ten again. Continue in this way for several minutes until you feel the tension release and realize that you are calming down. Keep feeling your breath – this will help you develop a special awareness of your body.

For beginners: Guided meditation to fall asleep

From body scans to special breathing and mindfulness exercises to active yoga: there are various techniques to choose from to help you fall asleep and sleep through the night. A guided meditation to help you fall asleep is particularly suitable for beginners. Here, a voice prepares you for the meditation and gives you instructions that you only need to follow. By concentrating on the teacher's voice, your own thoughts automatically fade into the background, and it is easier for you to let go of everyday life and slip into a meditative state. You can find numerous examples of guided meditations on video platforms such as YouTube – simply try out different videos or ask your friends for recommendations.

Another way to wind down in the evening and build up the focus for a meditation to fall asleep is to listen to relaxing music. Here too, video and music streaming platforms are an excellent source and offer a whole range of different soothing sounds! The relaxing sounds stimulate your subconscious and reinforce the ritual character of your meditation. You should try out different types of meditation to find one that works for you and helps you fall asleep effectively. It is equally important to not force sleep: If you absolutely cannot seem to concentrate on meditating in the evening, it's okay to stop and try again the next day. If you integrate meditation into your everyday life and are conscious and mindful of your body outside of bedtime, you will find it much easier to identify and deal with your stress triggers – and hopefully a good night's sleep will come naturally!