There is so much to get done that giving sleep its due often suffers. And even when you lay your head down on your pillow, your mind may still be racing through your to do list. Something you forgot to get done earlier in the day may come to mind. And instead of waiting until tomorrow, you may decide to get up and do it immediately. Yet, we all know how incredibly important sleep is to our well-being. A lack of adequate quality sleep can adversely affect our mood, memory, and even our weight. Mindfulness can be a powerful ally in the pursuit for better sleep.

What’s Mindfulness Got to Do with It?

In a mindfulness practice, you intentionally cultivate awareness and presence in the here and now. And intentional greater present moment awareness can pay dividends when you’re trying to enhance the quality of your sleep. Here are a few ways it can help:

Reducing Stress and Ruminating: Stress and worry are significant obstacles to a good night’s sleep. What is keeping you awake at night? It could be work conflict, personal relationship challenges, or financial worries. It could be an obsession with a video game that you can’t step away from. Regardless of the source, a racing mind can keep you awake for hours and lead to poor quality sleep. Mindfulness can help you calm the mind and take some of the power the stressful situation or habit is taking from you emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Gaining Perspective: Sometimes our stress can be shifted by a change in perspective. Mindfulness can assist you in exploring why you’re depriving yourself of sufficient sleep. Questions you can explore as part of a contemplative inquiry include:
 

• Why is your mind racing? Are you, for instance, overwhelmed with so many responsibilities, at least some of which you can share or delegate to someone else? Are you putting too much pressure on yourself to get things done on an unrealistic schedule? 
• Why are you avoiding sleep? Is it because you don’t want to meet what may happen the next day? Or is it because you simply value “doing” more than “resting”? (This is a common cultural trait.) Or perhaps you are so excited about a task, it brings you so much joy or you are commonly in such a flow, that you don’t want to let it go even for 8 hours.
• Why do you need the tv on throughout the night or to work or play on the computer until you shut your eyes? Does silence at night make you uncomfortable? Or is it that you have little time for decompression so this is how you fit it in?

If getting sufficient sleep is a challenge for you, there are other questions that may come up for you as you give this more thought. Increasing your awareness as to why adequate or quality sleep has been difficult for you to attain can help you discern what shifts you may need to make to address it and how to do so. This may include visiting a medical professional for an assessment. 

Creating Better Sleep Habits: How you approach sleep is as important. Creating a sleep-friendly environment sets the stage for deep, restorative rest. Just as a calming space can help facilitate your meditation practice, creating a clean and calming sleep space can support deeply restful sleep.

The Role of Meditation

At the heart of mindfulness lies meditation. You can choose among a variety of meditation practices to integrate into your daily routine such as deep breathing, body scans, or guided visualizations. These practices can help you train your mind and body to let go of the day’s worries and embrace a rejuvenating and peaceful sleep.

Introducing Sleep Renewal: 10 Meditations for Quality Sleep

And speaking of meditation, I’m excited to share my meditation bundle, Sleep Renewal: Guided Meditations for Quality Sleep. These carefully crafted meditations are designed to help you settle into a night of restful sleep. Stay tuned – you won’t want to miss it!

Conclusion

The secret to better sleep involves intentional practices, such as mindfulness. By incorporating mindfulness practices into your nightly routine, you can reduce stress, calm the mind and body and get the rest you deserve.

Ready to take the next step on your journey to better sleep? Be sure to check out the meditation bundle Sleep Renewal: Guided Meditations for Quality Sleep. Click HERE to learn more.