What is the best time of day for meditation? While that answer might change based upon your personality and schedule, building a meditation practice into your evening routine is one sure way to end your day centered and calm. Here are five benefits to introducing a meditation practice to your nightly routine.
Improved Ability to Fall Asleep
Falling asleep at night isn’t something that comes naturally to some of us. While some of us rely on sleep aids, others still toss and turn throughout the night, resulting in a state of chronic mild exhaustion.
Healthy sleep habits can’t form overnight—we have to make a change over time. Meditation relaxes and calms you, so you can focus on the present and not what you have to do tomorrow. With no more thoughts spinning through your head preventing you from resting, all that’s left to do is close your eyes and drift away.
Better Quality of Sleep
Falling asleep is half the battle—the other half is staying asleep through the night. Meditating an hour before bed is proven to relax you, quiet your mind, and ensure you have better quality sleep.
If you find yourself frequently waking in the middle of the night, working meditation into your evening routine may be the key to sleeping soundly. Again, meditation will impact everyone differently, but before you rely on other forms of sleep aid, this natural solution might make all the difference.
Less Anxiety
Meditation alleviates the stresses and anxieties that build up from day to day. While that freeing sensation may be temporary, it offers a nightly detox that will feel as good as it sounds.
If you think about it, meditating in the morning is a positive start to the day, but by the time you come home and are ready for bed, you’ve accumulated a whole day’s worth of stresses and anxieties. Meditating at night provides you with the opportunity to clear those negative thoughts before going to bed, for a fresh start in the morning.
A Transition Away from Screens
So many of us have a screen addiction that’s difficult to kick. From when we open our eyes in the morning until we close our eyes at night, the number of times we come in contact with an electronic device of some kind is astronomical.
Screen time can creep into your evenings in deceptive ways, from checking email to scrolling through your phone until you fall asleep. The screen addiction is real, and nightly meditation takes you outside of the screens and into your mental space, alleviating the damage done by blue light before bed.
Stress Relief Without Taking Away from Your Day
Nightly meditation is a way to build stress relief into your day without actually taking away from it. You don’t have to wake up early, you don’t have to step away at lunch, and you don’t have to take time out of your evening relaxation, as this is a built-in component.
Plan to go to bed at the same time every night and, before you do, take a few minutes to meditate and prepare yourself. You won’t feel like you lost any time, but your brain will be ready for a period of rest.
Nightly meditation may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it has a variety of benefits worth considering!