As such, turning on a bedtime meditation is like Pavlov’s bell, signaling to the body that its time for some shut-eye.Ī growing body of evidence suggests that mindful awareness practices such as meditation can remedy sleep problems and treat insomnia. A regular bedtime signals to your body that its time to relax and get sleepy. The same daily rhythm concept applies to sleep.

If you have lunch around noon daily, your tummy starts grumbling around the time you’ve conditioned it to eat. Having a bedtime routine and regular sleep schedule –where you rise and go to bed around the same time every day–is part of good sleep hygiene. Increased and better sleep, however, can lead to lower stress levels, improved memory and mental clarity, and better weight management/eating habits. Any less and the CDC says you’re increasing your “risk of developing chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and frequent mental distress.” Additionally, not sleeping enough can lead to car wrecks and mistakes at work. According to the Sleep Foundation, when sleep is cut short, “the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases needed for muscle repair, memory consolidation, and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite.”Īdults require a minimum of seven hours of sleep a night. Like eating healthfully and exercising, sleep is critical to overall health, yet over a third of Americans aren’t getting enough zzz’s. Its also been proven that dementia caregivers experience shorter and poorer-quality sleep than their non-caregiver counterparts. The majority ( 77% ) of veterans’ caregivers cite sleep deprivation as an issue. With all the stress, worry, and concern caregivers go through during the day, it can be hard to fall asleep at night.

Deep sleep guided meditation