By Denise Everheart
If you are in the habit of meditating at night you might be missing out on more than your best night’s sleep! Read to get the details.
In recent years more and more people are turning to meditation in the hopes of it helping them to fall asleep, stay asleep and enjoy better sleep quality. Quite often that meditation is happening at night, before bed, or even in bed! But is that the best time to meditate for better sleep? If you’re considering meditating at night here’s what you need to know.
Can you meditate at night?
Of course you can meditate at night! You can even meditate in the middle of the night! But...there may be ramifications from meditating at night. It’s not all bad, but it’s not all good either. Depending on which meditation practice you take up you could be setting yourself up for less than desired results if that meditation isn’t done at the right time of day. Here’s a look at a few techniques and what happens when you use them at night.
Guided meditation. This is probably the most commonly used meditation technique for sleep issues and is readily available in any meditation app. Guided meditation is really ideal for light relaxation without committing to a daily meditation practice. It can be done pretty much anytime. The drawbacks of a guided meditation done at night are:
It might lead to sleep that isn’t deep enough and you risk waking up in the middle of the night or too early in the morning.
The quality of your sleep might not improve much.
After a few times, the same guided meditation may not work as well or at all.
Mantra meditation. This type of meditation technique can give a profound state of relaxation and deep rest. Ideally, a mantra meditation is practiced once in the morning and once in the late afternoon or early evening. While it might be tempting to practice a mantra meditation technique like Sahaj Samadhi, which is twice as deep as sleep, right before bed, here are the risks if you do so:
After just 20 minutes of Sahaj Samadhi, you might be so refreshed and energized that you cannot sleep at all for at least a few hours.
Any benefits from your mantra meditation could also be clouded by the dullness of sleep. limiting the chances of enjoying the clarity and increased energy that normally comes after meditating using a mantra.
Breath meditation. There’s a lot of power in using your breath for meditation. Breath meditation, like SKY Breath Meditation, is unique in that it is both profoundly relaxing and at the same time energizing. SKY has also been found to improve the quality of sleep without needing to be done right before bed. In fact, it is best practiced earlier in your day, first thing in the morning. Here’s what could happen if you do a breath meditation practice like SKY right before bed:
Sleep might not come for hours! You might give up on sleeping and clean your house or finish an overdue project, only to feel tired the next day.
If you are carrying a lot of fatigue and do manage to sleep, you will most likely wake up earlier than you want, maybe even in the middle of the night.
Special note: If you find yourself able to sleep at night when using either a mantra-based meditation or a breath-based meditation like SKY, even when practicing right before bed, no worries! Generally, most people, like myself, will not be able to sleep due to an increase in energy. Do what works best for you!
How can meditation help with sleep?
The best way to get a restful night’s sleep from a meditation practice is to meditate regularly and make sure your Zen time isn’t too close to bedtime. Meditation is a means of diving deep into a reservoir where you experience deep rest and come out energized. When you meditate right before bed you might be able to slip into sleep but without the outward stroke of meditation and at least some activity, you miss out on a lot of benefits like an increase in creativity and better personal relationships.
That doesn’t mean you can’t use an occasional guided meditation at night, like Yoga Nidra (body scan). But if you become dependent on meditation at night you might want to re-evaluate your workload and lifestyle choices including diet. You may want to consider adding either a mantra meditation or breath meditation technique to your morning routine so you can naturally start to experience better sleep over time. Good quality sleep is one of the greatest natural wealths and definitely worth investing in!
What happens when you meditate instead of sleeping?
Meditation in place of sleep might help you get by with a little less sleep temporarily but it is not a substitute for a good night’s sleep! If insomnia is an every night occurrence even with a meditation practice and you have looked into food and other possible contributing factors, please seek a healthcare provider’s advice.
Why might you choose to meditate before bed?
If you work the overnight shift or you’re a stressed-out mom or similar special situation, you will need to experiment with what works best for you. If you find any meditation technique practiced right before bed does help you fall asleep, make sure you also meditate once during the day to enjoy the benefits while awake too!
Late-night meditation is also good if you’re planning an overnight road trip or need to stay up cramming for a test the next day!
On the other hand...Party time?
You could plan to have a "Meditation Night" with friends and family a.k.a. Meditate and Mingle party! Who needs alcohol when you have the natural high and increased stamina of breath meditation? Imagine how meditation could change any late-night celebration if everyone sat for a meditation session before partying!
And if you want improved sleep in addition to that natural high and increased stamina, give SKY Breath Meditation a try! Research has shown that SKY enhances deep sleep and reduces your serum cortisol levels (stress hormone), which is a major contributing factor to insomnia! SKY also significantly decreases depression and anxiety.
I would love for you to be my guest and attend a free breath and meditation session online so you can learn everything you need to know about SKY! A certified instructor will also teach you a simple breathing exercise nicknamed “Yogic Cappuccino” that you can use on those long road trips! Tell them Denise Everheart sent you!
Wishing you good sleep and deep meditations, just not at the same time!
Denise Everheart is a freelance writer, life-long meditator, SKY Breath Meditation instructor, party planner, veg chef, and recipe designer. Follow her @everheartstudio4meditation and @celeplateyourlife on Instagram.
Disclaimer: This content on the Art of Living Blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, Any links to third-party websites are provided as a convenience only and the Art of Living Blog is not responsible for their content.
