A Guide to Mindfulness, Meditation and Sleep at Home
Staying calm, relaxed and sleeping well is an important aspect of not only gastrointestinal health, but overall health. Having a healthy mind goes a long way to having a healthy body.
We know there is an intrinsic connection between your mind and your gut. When you are nervous, anxious or excited, you may feel a ‘pit’ in your stomach, or ‘butterflies.’ This is an example of your mind having a direct impact on your physical wellbeing.
This two-way connection makes sense not only intuitively but also biologically. In the developing fetus, the neural crest (a large bunch of cells!) differentiate into the brain and spinal cord, and sends down cells to also populate the developing “endoderm”, which ultimately becomes the nerves which supply the gut. Thus, the nervous systems of the brain and gut are “hardwired”; they share the same neurotransmitters and receptors.
CALM Website, Computer Assisted Learning for the Mind
Start by visiting the Auckland University Calm website. This is a great starting place for an introduction to meditation and to listen to free guided meditations
https://www.calm.auckland.ac.nz/index.html (go to guided meditations tab)
Free Meditation Apps
Smiling Mind (completely free)
This has specific 5-15 minute mediation programs for different concerns including sleep, study, stress and relationships.
Insight Timer
Thousands of free meditations, sleep stories and relaxing music. You can also subscribe to paid courses on topics such as dealing with anxiety, trauma, OCD, self-love, workplace stress, sleep etc.
Paid Meditation Apps
Headspace or Calm App
These are two very popular meditation apps. They offer similar things; guided mediations, sleep stories, music and exercise programs. They both have free trials. I recommend trialling one and if it doesn’t resonate with you then trial the other one. Don’t forget to cancel if they are not working for you as they are subscription based.
Meditation to help with sleep
All of the above have resources to help with sleep however Yoga Nidra can also be helpful.
Yoga Nidra
A state of consciousness between being awake and sleeping which can help relieve stress and improve insomnia or sleep issues. This style of meditation is practiced while lying down so you cannot “do it wrong”. You can listen to a Yoga Nidra meditation on Insight timer, find one on YouTube or a Podcast.
This is an excellent one https://podtail.com/en/podcast/blue-lotus-yoga-with-jill-amison/yoga-nidra/
Breathing Exercises to help with stress
Count your breaths
The simplest breathing technique is to count your breaths. You start by counting 1 on the inhale, 2 on the exhale, 3 on the inhale, and so forth. You can choose to count up to five, then repeat back at one, to make sure your attention doesn’t wander. You might want to set a timer, or perhaps set your goal for the number of breath cycles you will count.
Box breathing
Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, wait at the very end of the exhale for a count of 4, and repeat. This is a very deep breathing exercise that has been shown to calm and regulate the autonomic nervous system.
Guide to Improving Sleep
- Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Get into bed when feeling drowsy, tired, and ready to sleep.
- Avoid napping during day if possible. If unavoidable, nap before 3pm, and then only for 30 minutes.
- Open your curtains and get lots of light in the morning but keep the house darker at night.
- Reduce caffeine intake in the morning and no caffeine after midday (don’t forget that chocolate contains a small amount of caffeine too!)
- Keep the room solely for sleep (and sex), no working.
- Exercise at least three times per week.
- Reduce alcohol intake.
- Avoid having a heavy meal just before bed.
- Stop all screens two hours before bed.
- Start winding down one hour before bed, with a routine such as shower/bath (not too hot), caffeine free tea, listening to music or other relaxing activity.
- Weighted blanket, and a cool, dark room can help.
- Write down three things you are grateful for, three positive affirmations and a rough plan for the next day. This gets it out of your head for the night.
- Practicing Yoga Nidra or a body scan can help reduce anxiety and help you drift off to sleep.