breathe deeply, sleep soundly: the connection between sleep and meditation
A good night's sleep can do wonders for your overall wellbeing. With so many physical and mental processes linked to sleep and the emotional benefits of feeling well-rested and recharged, we've become increasingly aware of the need for balanced and healthy sleep hygiene. After all, why aim for one good night's sleep when you can make every night more restful?
One of the most helpful practices you can call on to support your sleep hygiene is meditation. It's an ancient practice that comes in all forms and offers many scientifically proven benefits. The connection between meditation and sleep is no exception, with each of our body's sleep cycles positively impacted by meditative practice in different ways.
We spoke with Matt Young from the Melbourne Meditation Centre who explained more about these unique benefits – along with how you can call on meditation's power to improve your sleep hygiene.
what are some benefits of meditation and getting a good night's sleep?
Sleep isn't just crucial for our overall wellbeing – it's essential. With better sleep hygiene a part of our daily lives, we notice all sorts of positive physical, mental and emotional impacts.
It can improve our mood, help us manage stress, recover from physical injuries, boost our immune system, and even stimulate our creativity and emotional intelligence. On the other hand, a lack of sleep can cause an increase in anxiety and depression, a drop in our attention span and a higher risk of disease and inflammation.
That's where meditation comes in. Meditation taps into our body and brain's natural capabilities to help us improve our sleep.
This begins before our eyelids have even fallen shut, as meditation alleviates some of the stress and anxiety about getting enough rest that can keep us up in the first place. Once we're in a sleep state, meditation continues to work wonders by changing the patterns of our brain waves.
"Your brain produces more theta and alpha waves, which helps us enter deeper, more restful sleep stages, " says Matt.
"The parts of our brain involved in dreaming – like the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex – are also stimulated, leading to more vivid, creative and emotionally-fulfilling dreams".
In short, a brain that's comfortable meditating is often more relaxed during sleep and enjoys all kinds of health benefits.
are there certain types of meditation – or times to practice – for the best possible outcomes?
In short, no. Since our relationship with meditation in our daily lives is unique to each of us – and meditation improves the nervous system rather than the act of sleep itself – you're more likely to experience the benefits of meditation on your sleep hygiene if you find a form you enjoy. This includes the ideal time and space that brings out your most positive mindset.
For many people, yoga nidra and body scan practices are the ideal preference, with mindful movement and micro-movement practices also considered very effective – even though they might need to be performed out of bed.
Here are five tips from Matt to help you uncover your uniquely beneficial meditative style:
what are some other tips for better sleep hygiene?
There are all kinds of insights, tips and advice regarding sleep hygiene and the environment we create for ourselves to fall asleep in. However, Matt's advice is to not worry about those environmental factors.
"People can fall asleep with the TV blaring. They can fall asleep on planes and trains. If you're tired enough, it's impossible to stop yourself from falling asleep", he says.
"Instead, make sure that you are getting up at a consistent hour, not going to bed too early, and not trying to banish your nighttime worries or make yourself fall asleep, which are habits that keep you awake".
With meditation on hand to help support your path to more restful, enriching sleep, to improve your sleep hygiene Matt suggests that you:
Try incorporating meditation into your sleep routine with Matt’s meditation classes on endota Retreat.
