How to supercharge your sleep
“Sleep is the best meditation”
We are all aware of how important sleep is, especially when we are struggling to get enough sleep or having difficulties with our sleep patterns. Many factors effect our sleep patterns such as worries, stress, working shifts, waking up with small children, going to the toilet or simply a routine that has become out of sync.
Although occasional sleep interruptions are generally no more than a just nuisance with tiredness effecting us the following day, we can usually catch up by sleeping well the following night. Ongoing lack of sleep can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue, emotional difficulties, poor job performance, and a general lower quality of life including anxiety and depression.
There is no questioning the importance of restorative sleep, and a certain amount of attention is necessary to both manage and prevent sleep deprivation. The thing that has always worked for me is a regular meditation practice, along with healthy lifestyle routines such as a balanced diet, regular exercise including regular walks, yoga and more intense form of exercise including hiit workouts and running. Meditation however is my consistent practice that has helped me, even through the tough times. There is also lots of research to back up my theory.
Why Choose Meditation for Sleep?
Meditation improves the quality of your sleep and although meditation isn’t a substitute it has been scientifically proven to help with getting a good night sleep. Meditation complements sleep and with daily meditation, you will experience a deeper and a more restful sleep.
If you are suffering from sleepless nights then a regular meditation practice can be the best insomnia treatment. It doesn’t matter what kind of meditation you practice the important thing is to have a dedicated daily practice. You don’t need to practice for hours every day a simple 15/20-minute practice is all you need.
Try to establish a regular routine so that you’re able to stick with the practice, perhaps first thing in the morning or last thing at night, maybe you could practice every day during your lunch break or if you walk to work try a mindful walking meditation. There are so many types of meditation and when you find one you enjoy then you’re half way there. At first it might feel difficult to remember to fit it in to your busy day but once you establish a regular routine you will really look forward to your practice and appreciate how much better you feel.
The Science Part
A regular meditation practice allows the body to l re-balance the levels of melatonin to enable a perfect amount of melatonin to flow throughout the body this will help you reach a deeper level of sleep, so when it’s time for bed, deep, nourishing and peaceful sleep will come more quickly and easily.
Scientifically meditation can really help you to establish better sleep. Melatonin is a hormone known for creating restful sleep – many insomniacs have problems producing enough of this very vital chemical, and is key if you want to sleep well at night. In a university study, meditation was effectively proven to boost melatonin levels by an average of 98%, with many participants showing increases of more than 300%
More Top Tips For a Restful Nights Sleep
Get some fresh air every day
Try to get more exercise during the day
Optimize your bedroom environment: ensure you have clean comfortable pillows and sheets and try to reduce external light and noise
Try to Sleep and Wake at Consistent Times
Reduce screen time during the evening
Cut back on alcohol in the evening, perhaps try a herbal tea instead
I hope you have found this useful and it’s really worth investing in a little time each day to practice meditation. It will not only help you to achieve a great sleeping pattern but it will also benefit your whole wellbeing.
Love Jen x