Stop Trying to Fall Asleep

Insomnia is something many city dwellers know all too well. On a night of tossing and turning, your body may have stopped, yet it just won't settle; your mind keeps churning, you cycle through five or six different positions, and still your body refuses to relax. Soon enough you start blaming yourself for not being able to drift off — and the harder you force yourself to sleep, the more wide awake you become…

This probably sounds familiar, doesn't it? The good news is that practising mindfulnessmeditation (Mindfulness Meditation) is a great way to let your body and mind settle down together and relax completely. Psychological research has found that mindfulness meditation can benefit sleep quality[1]; a single session can help quiet the mind, and of course the effect is even better with regular practice.

Below is a guided sleep meditation recorded by TreeholeHK that you can try before bed. We suggest lying flat on your bed for this practice. One thing to note: this is not a recording designed to send you off to sleep, and you may not necessarily drift off after listening. On the contrary, it helps you let go of the fixation on "I must fall asleep" — and, interestingly, that makes it easier to drift into sleep. So while you meditate, there's no need to deliberately make yourself sleep or stay awake; simply follow the instructions in the recording and let things take their natural course. If sleep doesn't come in the end, that's no problem at all. Keeping this frame of mind is what gives the recording the best chance to do its work of settling body and mind together.

The first few times, you may want to use this recording to guide you. But once you are familiar with the content, you can try doing the practice on your own. Stick with it, and mindfulness will become a valuable tool for helping you sleep and improving your psychological well-being.

Download the recording

References

Howell, A. J., Digdon, N. L., Buro, K., & Sheptycki, A. R. (2008). Relations among mindfulness, well-being, and sleep. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(8), 773-777.