{"id":1244,"date":"2020-11-16T16:38:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T16:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/?p=1244"},"modified":"2021-01-27T16:52:21","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T16:52:21","slug":"is-meditation-the-key-to-better-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/16\/is-meditation-the-key-to-better-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Meditation the Key to Better Sleep?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_303989517__1603453192_86687.jpg\" alt=\"woman meditating in her bedroom  \" class=\"wp-image-1245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_303989517__1603453192_86687.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_303989517__1603453192_86687-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_303989517__1603453192_86687-768x551.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Sleep is intrinsically connected to the health of your mind and body. Poor sleep can be the result, or cause, of many physical and mental ailments. That\u2019s why diet, physical exercise, and mental wellbeing are all important points of discussion when trying to improve sleep quality. Fortunately, there is a centuries-old practice that you can begin today, in your own home, to improve your sleep quality as well as mental and physical health: meditation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mindfulness Meditation Benefits for Sleep<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Improved Sleep Quality &amp; Melatonin Production<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Those who partake in mindfulness meditation are more likely to improve their sleep versus those who do not. Based on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/fullarticle\/2110998\" target=\"_blank\">a study<\/a> published in JAMA Internal Medicine, people who practice mindfulness experience less depression, daytime fatigue, and insomnia. Meditation has also been reported to <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3328970\/\" target=\"_blank\">enhance melatonin<\/a>, a key hormone that regulates the sleep cycle. With greater melatonin production, we can conclude that meditation is an easy, low-impact way to improve sleep quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Stress &amp; Anxiety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mindfulness meditation evokes \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/mindfulness-meditation-helps-fight-insomnia-improves-sleep-201502187726\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the relaxation response<\/a>,\u201d a deep physiological shift that counters the stress response, an emergency reaction that triggers anxiety. Mindfulness changes the psychological \u201crut\u201d your mind can carry due to day-to-day stress and helps you be present in the moment. The relaxation response can also improve ailments such as depression, anxiety, physical pain, and high blood pressure, all of which have been linked to an inability to get a full night\u2019s rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By participating in mindfulness meditation, you are not only healing your mental state, but improving your ability to sleep peacefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Meditate<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>While there are many online resources and books to help you kickstart your journey into meditation, there are a few basics that everyone can easily follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindful.org\/how-to-meditate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">As outlined in \u201cHow to Meditate\u201d by mindful.org<\/a>, meditation begins by finding a comfortable place to sit still. You\u2019ll then focus on your breathing: in\u2026 and out, paying close attention to how you\u2019re naturally breathing. Is it from your belly and then up through your mouth, or up through your nose? Focus your attention inward and follow the natural flow of your breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For beginners, it may be easiest to follow a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=inpok4MKVLM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">guided meditation<\/a> to help you ease into the desired meditative state needed to feel a sense of relaxation. It\u2019s often easier to start slow, meditating for just a few minutes, and then work your way up to a longer period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meditation &amp; Sleep Disorders<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, while meditation can enhance sleep in many ways, the one thing it can\u2019t do is overcome a sleep disorder like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/what-is-sleep-apnea.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sleep apnea<\/a>. For this, you\u2019ll need to seek professional help.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can never seem to get enough rest, have been told you snore every night, often wake up out of breath, or suffer from morning headaches and a sore throat, it\u2019s time to call <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/meet-dr-rodgers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Jeff Rodgers<\/a>. He provides treatment for sleep apnea in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/oral-appliance-therapy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">oral appliances<\/a>, an alternative to CPAP machines that are preferred by many patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Schedule a free consultation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/request-an-appointment.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sleep is intrinsically connected to the health of your mind and body. Poor sleep can be the result, or cause, of many physical and mental ailments. That\u2019s why diet, physical exercise, and mental wellbeing are all important points of discussion when trying to improve sleep quality. Fortunately, there is a centuries-old practice that you can begin today, in your own home, to improve your sleep quality as well as mental and physical health: meditation. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/16\/is-meditation-the-key-to-better-sleep\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is Meditation the Key to Better Sleep? - Sleep Better Georgia Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meditation has many benefits that can improve sleep quality, from greater melatonin production to less stress and anxiety.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleepdunwoody.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/16\/is-meditation-the-key-to-better-sleep\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Is Meditation the Key to Better Sleep? 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