Meditation can be used as a way to keep your mind calm and has been proven to have an array of mental health benefits. People who meditate are calmer and better and managing their stress and their ability to focus is improved.
You can also meditate to reduce blood pressure and improve the overall quality of your sleep. So, if you’ve been experiencing sleep problems, meditation is something that you should definitely consider practicing.
One of the biggest questions that people have when it comes to utilizing meditation to help with sleep is whether you should do it at bedtime. This post covers the different times that you can meditate as well as some tips to help you learn how to meditate the right way to experience the best sleep benefits.
Best Time Of Day To Meditate
Any Time That Suits You
Due to how many physical and mental health benefits you can experience from meditation, you may be interested in taking it up multiple times throughout the day. For some, feeling more free with when they can meditate is the best option.
For example, if you’ve had a stressful day, meditating in the afternoon or evening can help to reduce your tension. This can be more beneficial than waiting to meditate at specific times.
You can meditate during your lunch break to give yourself more mental clarity for the rest of the workday too. Therefore, it may be a good idea not to put such strict limitations on the times that you can meditate.
If the urge strikes and you have the opportunity to meditate, you can minimize your stress throughout the day which can ultimately help you to be more relaxed when it comes to sleeping at night.
During Stressful Times
One of the best times to meditate is whenever you’re feeling stressed. If you have a stressful job and are feeling overwhelmed by it, practicing shorter and quicker meditation sessions could be just what you need to continue thriving in your career while also enjoying it more.
Even putting a few minutes aside to meditate can work wonders for your ability to deal with stress and focus better. Meditating clears the mind which enables you to have an easier time rationalizing any stress to overcome it.
In The Morning
Those of you who are interested in practicing meditation every day may be interested in meditating in the morning. Meditating first thing upon waking up is a superb way to start your day on a fresh mental slate.
Anything that you encounter along the course of your day can be approached with a calmer and clearer mind. Furthermore, any worries or things that were stressing you out the day before can be dealt with first thing in the morning so that you don’t have to carry the worry around with you all day.
Meditating in the morning isn’t something that needs to take up a lot of time. You could meditate for as little as 5 minutes and experience the mental health benefits. This is a great way for beginners to get into meditating regularly without it feeling like such a daunting task.
Setting aside 5 minutes in the morning for nothing but meditation is great to prepare for busy mornings if you have a hectic schedule.
How To Meditate Before Bed
If you’re completely new to meditating, it’s best to focus on your breathing. Take slow deep breaths in and out and try to keep yourself in the same rhythm. By focusing on your breathing, you’re able to have an easier time blocking out other thoughts.
Once you’ve practiced focusing on your breath for a little while, you can begin to practice more mindful meditation. This involves paying attention to your body and cutting out the environment as much as possible. This is what causes you to feel incredibly calm.
Meditating can be frustrating at the start as it’s likely that your mind will wander. This is normal and you can use it as an opportunity to improve your meditation abilities. Every time your mind wonders, you become mindful and bring yourself back from being distracted.
Every time you do this, you’re essentially training the brain to become less and less distracted. This is where the amazing benefits of meditation can truly show themselves and you’ll start to notice an improved ability to focus and be less stressed.
Is It Bad To Meditate Before Bed?
Meditating during any time of the day will help to clear your mind from overthinking and stress, which ensures that you have less mental clutter to help you sleep easier at night. However, meditating right before bed may not be the best approach.
We recommend that you meditate around an hour before your desired bedtime. This is because meditation requires focus during the moment which means you’ll need to be cognitively active. You can experience the relaxation benefits after you’ve finished meditating which is when you can fall asleep easier.
We also advise that you don’t meditate in bed as it requires you to be mentally active. Therefore, you could begin to associate being mentally active with your bed, which is a place you should keep sacred for sleep. Meditation can’t replace sleep as you’re having to focus and be very mindful.
Night Time Meditation & Lucid Dreams
If you’ve been interested in lucid dreaming, meditating at night provides you with a safe way to do so. Meditating helps your mind to disassociate itself from the environment around you which puts you into a better mental state to have more awareness while you’re in the lucid dream.
Conclusion
Now that you know more about when to meditate and how it can benefit your sleep, you can start implementing it into your daily routine. Getting yourself into the habit of meditating every day is what will keep your mind relaxed and help to improve the quality of your sleep.
The times of day that you choose to meditate doesn’t matter too much. One of the only factors to be aware of is to try and avoid meditating directly before going to sleep. Meditation requires you to be fully awake and aware which means it may take a little time for your mind to relax enough to sleep afterward.
Remember, you can begin meditating with as little as a few minutes here and there to get started. You can increase the amount of time you meditate for gradually to experience more of the relaxation advantages. Use the tips mentioned throughout this post to use meditation as a tool to help you relax and sleep better.
