Guided Meditation for Sleep — Continued

Does guided meditation for sleep work?

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) agree. They introduced a study suggesting that you should try guided meditation and mindfulness practices if you have trouble sleeping.

In the study, 49 adults ages 55 and older participated in a six-week sleep education course. The adults had difficulty falling and staying asleep. The six-week program covered sleep habits and relaxation techniques, emphasizing setting and sticking to bedtime routines. The routines included not watching television or using a computer before bed and going to bed at roughly the same time every night.

Half of the people in the study participated in a mindfulness meditation course. The technique teaches people to be aware (or mindful) of their thoughts and emotions without letting them distract you. When you become distracted, you have trouble falling asleep at night.

The people enrolled in the guided meditation group reported a better quality of sleep than those who were not practicing guided meditation. The people who meditated also reported they slept through the night without waking.

Researchers believe the results from guided meditation are a positive alternative for sleep problems, at least in the short term.

Conclusion...