6 meditation techniques to help you get better sleep tonight
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Looking for natural ways to get better sleep? Learn how meditation can help calm your brain and 6 techniques to help you fall asleep with ease tonight.
It’s 12:38am, and you’re doing the math: If you fall asleep right now, you’ll get just under six hours before your alarm goes off. But instead of drifting off, your brain is wide awake, rehearsing tomorrow’s presentation, running through the kids’ school drop-off checklist, or spiraling about that weird comment you made to your friend. The clock keeps ticking, and sleep feels like the one thing you just can’t cross off your to-do list, no matter how hard you try.
Falling asleep shouldn’t feel like such a chore, but for a lot of people, it does. Luckily, when sleep feels out of reach, meditation can be one of the simplest ways to calm a racing mind and settle your body. Think of it as a gentle way to help you slow down the spirals, relax your nervous system, and create the space your brain needs to finally power down.
So, how do you actually do it? Let’s uncover how meditation can support deeper sleep, practical ways to make it part of your nighttime routine, and six science-backed methods you can try tonight so you can get the sleep you need and deserve.
How meditation can support deeper sleep
At its core, meditation is a practice of slowing down, which your body and brain need to fall asleep. When you meditate before bed, you’re training your nervous system to shift out of go mode and into a state of rest. This helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system (also known as the rest and digest response), which lowers heart rate, eases muscle tension, and signals to your body that it’s safe to ease into sleep.
Meditation also encourages you to become more aware of your thoughts without getting caught in them. That alone can be a game-changer for nighttime spirals. Instead of getting stuck in anxiety loops, you learn how to notice the thoughts, breathe through them, and return to the present moment. Even a few minutes per day has been shown to help.
5 possible benefits of meditation on your sleep
1. It can help you fall asleep faster: Research shows that mindfulness and relaxation-based meditation practices can reduce sleep onset latency (aka, how long it takes you to fall asleep). Even a short practice can help slow your thoughts and soften any physical tension you might have before bed.
2. You may wake up less in the middle of the night: Meditation can improve overall sleep continuity. By calming your stress response, it helps reduce those jolts that force you up at 2am and keeps you awake.
3. It supports deeper, more restorative sleep: Some studies suggest that people who meditate regularly spend more time in slow-wave (deep) sleep. This is the phase associated with physical restoration and memory consolidation, so you wake up more rested, even if you’ve slept fewer hours.
4. It reduces bedtime anxiety: Meditation teaches you how to respond to anxious thoughts with awareness instead of reactivity. So, instead of allowing them to spiral, you simply notice them and let them fade away. After all, it’s much easier to fall asleep when your mind isn’t racing all the time.
5. It can lead to better energy during the day: More consistent, high-quality rest supports clearer thinking, steadier moods, and less daytime fatigue. Meditation can help regulate your sleep cycle naturally, so you don’t have to rely on caffeine or sleep aids to push through.
Related read: How to get better sleep with meditation
6 meditation techniques to help you get better sleep
There are several types of meditation that have been proven to help with sleep, so there isn’t necessarily a best option. But you can choose the one that feels best for you, which may change from day to day. All you need is a few minutes, a sense of curiosity, and permission to let things be imperfect (especially the first time around).
Here are six grounded, research-backed techniques that can help you wind down and fall asleep more easily. Try one, mix a few, or adapt them based on what feels doable on any given day.
1. Mindfulness meditation for sleep
This practice involves paying attention to your breath or body without trying to fix or change anything. It builds awareness by teaching you how to notice your thoughts without getting pulled into them.
How to try it: Lie down, close your eyes, and focus on the sensation of your breath. Feel it move in and out, and notice where your mind goes. When you see it drifting, gently bring your attention back to your breath. Keep repeating as needed.
Top tip: In the beginning, it’s best to keep sessions short (5–10 minutes). If you’re new to mindfulness, pair it with a calming bedtime activity like stretching or journaling to help you ease into it.
Read more: 5 ways to improve your sleep with mindfulness practices
2. Body scan meditation
This technique can help you connect to your physical body and release tension. It’s especially helpful if your body stays wired, even when your mind wants to rest.
How to try it: Slowly bring attention to each part of your body, starting with your feet. Then, go up in sequence—legs, hips, back, stomach, shoulders, arms, jaw, nose, eyes, and head—pausing for a few seconds at each. Notice sensations without judgment, and invite each area to soften with your awareness.
Top tip: Do this in bed under the covers. You might even fall asleep halfway.
💙 Choose how long you want to meditate with the options in Tamara Levitt’s Body Scan series.
3. Progressive muscle relaxation
This is a more active version of the body scan, where instead of simply noticing your body, you gently tense and release your muscles at each step. The contrast between tension and relaxation helps your nervous system shift into rest mode.
How to try it: Working from toes to head, squeeze each muscle group for a count of five. Then, fully release, allowing it to feel like you’re letting go of the entire day.
Top tip: Pay extra attention to the areas where you carry the most stress. Maybe it’s your shoulders, jaw, or stomach. Those are the body parts that often respond the most quickly to this technique.
4. Breath-focused meditation
Breathwork is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to calm your body and mind. It anchors you in the present and slows your physiological stress response.
How to try it: Inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of seven, and exhale for a count of eight. Repeat this 4–7–8 cycle for a few rounds. If that feels too structured, just try lengthening your exhales, since a longer exhale signals relaxation to your nervous system.
Top tip: Use breathwork as part of your evening wind-down instead of when you’re already in bed — maybe try it while brushing your teeth or after turning off screens. This will help relax you before bedtime and leave you feeling more ready to switch off when you finally get under the covers.
Read more: 8 best breathing exercises for sleep
5. Guided sleep meditation
If silence feels overwhelming, try a guided sleep meditation or Sleep Story. It can offer structure, support, and a calming voice to focus on instead of your inner monologue.
How to try it: Look through the Calm app and see which voice sounds the most soothing to you. Then, select an option and simply close your eyes, letting the meditation do the rest.
Top tip: It’s important to note that the Sleep Story or meditation that works one night might not work the next, and that’s okay. Feel free to switch things up based on your mood.
💙 Drift off calmly with the Wonder Sleep Story narrated by Matthew McConaughey.
6. Visualization or imagery meditation
This technique invites you to mentally create a safe, peaceful place using visualization. Most of them ask for dreamlike, scenic escapes, like a cabin in the woods, a quiet beach, or a warm evening by a campfire.
How to try it: Close your eyes and build a calming scene in your mind, making sure to use all your senses. What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel? Imagine yourself there entirely in the space, feeling fully at ease.
Top tip: If visualization feels hard, pair it with a guided recording. It can be easier to follow along with someone than to invent everything yourself.
💙 Imagine your own dreamy sanctuary with A Woodland Stroll to Sleep with Dr. Megan Reitz.
Sleep meditation FAQs
What’s the best meditation for sleep if I can’t turn my brain off?
If your mind feels like it’s stuck in overdrive, a guided sleep meditation can be just the thing to help. They usually include a calming voice, which gives your attention something to focus on and can interrupt an overthinking spiral.
Look for meditations that focus on breathwork, body scans, or visualization, since these can all help shift your awareness away from your thoughts and into your body. You might also try pairing your practice with white noise or ambient music if the silence feels too stark.
How long should I meditate before going to bed?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, so you’ll have to play around a little to find the option that works best for you. Some people find that five minutes is long enough to shift gears, while others benefit from longer practices (up to 30 minutes).
The key is to choose a duration that feels manageable and sustainable for you on a daily basis. You could try starting with 3–10 minutes a few nights a week, and then adjust based on how everything feels. If you find that it’s helpful, you can start building meditation into your existing bedtime routine (aka habit stacking), like right after brushing your teeth or while lying in bed with the lights out.
Can I use meditation for nighttime anxiety?
Absolutely. Meditation is a well-researched tool for reducing anxiety, and it can be particularly helpful when those anxious thoughts show up at night. Practices that involve breathwork, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided visualization can help slow your heart rate and signal safety to your nervous system.
What are the benefits of meditation for sleep?
Meditation offers a range of sleep-related benefits, many of which are backed by research. It can help you fall asleep more easily, reduce nighttime wakeups, and improve overall sleep quality.
It also supports emotional regulation, which means you may feel calmer and more grounded right when you’re heading into bed. Over time, regular practices can retrain your nervous system to respond to stress differently, so you’re no longer spiraling every day.
Does meditation actually help with insomnia?
While meditation won’t cure chronic insomnia on its own, it’s a powerful tool to have. In fact, mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce insomnia symptoms, particularly when stress or anxiety is a contributing factor.
If you’re dealing with persistent sleep issues, meditation can be a supportive addition to medical care or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). It’s low-risk, widely accessible, and adaptable to the things you’re already doing to help.
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