Can't sleep, tossing and turning? Put tomorrow down, then let a recording settle you

How can a bedtime meditation help when you can't sleep?

On nights you can't sleep, many people try harder and harder: counting sheep, checking the clock, forcing themselves, and end up more awake. A bedtime meditation goes the other way: instead of chasing sleep, you follow a voice and let your body and mind wind down from the pace of the day.

The practice has two parts. First, take a minute to say what's keeping you up and write down the one thing on your mind for tomorrow; then lights off, and relax with the recording. Afterwards there's nothing to tap, and falling asleep is fine.

When things go quiet, your head can get louder, or unhappy things can come to mind. That's common; if it gets too much, open your eyes, switch on a small light, or stop at any point.

This recording is a way to wind down before bed, not a treatment for insomnia. If you've been struggling to sleep for a while, or it's affecting your energy and mood in the day, please talk to a doctor; cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is what doctors commonly recommend.

Most research on mindfulness and sleep is on courses lasting several weeks, which can help sleep quality. This recording is a way to wind down before bed, not a treatment for insomnia; if you've been struggling to sleep for a while, please talk to a doctor.

About the recording

The recording is in Cantonese and led by TreeholeHK's mindfulness teacher: about 16 minutes, with no talk at the end; it closes with "good night" (晚安).

All nine guided recordings can also be streamed or downloaded free from Guided Mindfulness Recordings.

How it works

1. 1Rate by feel how tense your body and mind are right now (0 to 10), and choose whether you'll lie down or sit up.
2. 2Pick what's keeping you up tonight, and write down the one thing on your mind for tomorrow.
3. 3Save your bedtime card (the first time, you'll sign in).
4. 4Read a short how-to card, lights off, tap play. The recording ends with a good night and stops by itself.
5. 5The next morning, you can say how you slept in My records.

References

1. Rusch, H. L., Rosario, M., Levison, L. M., Olivera, A., Livingston, W. S., Wu, T., & Gill, J. M. (2019). The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1445(1), 5–16.
2. Ong, J. C., Manber, R., Segal, Z., Xia, Y., Shapiro, S., & Wyatt, J. K. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation for chronic insomnia. Sleep, 37(9), 1553–1563.