If you have trouble falling asleep at night, you’re not alone. About 35% to 50%Trusted Source of adults worldwide regularly experience insomnia symptoms.

Meditation may help you sleep better. As a relaxation technique, it can quiet the mind and body while enhancing inner peace. When done before bedtime, meditation may help reduce insomnia and sleep troubles by promoting overall calmness.

Read on to learn about the different types of meditation and how to meditate for improved sleep. We’ll also look at the benefits and possible risks.

How to meditate

Meditation is a simple practice that you can do anywhere, anytime. You don’t need special tools or equipment. In fact, the only thing you need is a few minutes.

However, establishing a meditation routine takes practice. By making time for meditation, you’ll be more likely to enjoy its benefits.

Here are the basic steps of meditation:

- Find a quiet area. Sit or lie down, depending on what feels most comfortable. Lying down may be preferable at bedtime.

- Close your eyes and breathe slowly. Inhale and exhale deeply. Focus on your breathing.

- If a thought pops up, let it go and refocus on your breathing.

As you try meditation for sleep, be patient with yourself. A meditation practice is just that — a practice. Start by meditating for 3 to 5 minutes before bed. Over time, slowly increase the time to 15 to 20 minutes. It’ll take time to learn how to quiet your mind.

Let’s look at specific meditation techniques that tend to work well for sleep and how to do each one.

1. Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present. It’s done by increasing your awareness of your consciousness, breathing, and body.

If you notice a thought or emotion, simply observe it. Then let it pass without judging yourself.

2. Guided meditation

Guided meditation is when another person leads you through each step of meditation. They may instruct you to breathe or relax your body in a certain way. Or, they might have you visualize images or sounds. This technique is also known as guided imagery.

At bedtime, you could listen to a recording of a guided meditation.

3. Body scan meditation

In body scan meditation, you focus on each part of your body. The goal is to increase awareness of your physical sensations, including tension and pain. The act of focusing promotes relaxation, which can help you sleep.

How can meditation help with sleep?

When you meditate, a variety of physiological changes occur. These changes initiate sleep by influencing specific processes in your body.

In a 2018 meta-analysisTrusted Source of 18 trials, the researchers found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation interventions significantly improved sleep quality, even at 5- to 12-month follow-ups.

According to the researchers, meditation has a calming effect on the body. It can decrease ruminative thoughts and emotional reactivity, which, when combined, may aid sleep.

Meditation may also:

- increase melatonin (the sleep hormone)
- increase serotonin (precursor of melatonin)
- reduce heart rate
- decrease blood pressure
- activate parts of the brain that control sleep

Your body experiences similar changes in the early stages of sleep. As a result, meditation can promote sleep by initiating these changes.