Meditation for Quality Rest

Most of us do not get enough sleep. A 2019 study from Ball State University found that our sleep habits are getting worse. The prevalence of “inadequate sleep,” which means seven hours or less, increased from 31% in 2010 to 36% in 2018. “Inadequate sleep is associated with mild to severe physical and mental health problems, injury, loss of productivity, and premature mortality,” said Jagdish Khubchandani, the study’s lead author. Since the pandemic began, things have not improved. According to The Lancet, which references several studies, COVID-19-related sleep disorders are on the rise globally.

Recent research points to the health repercussions of a lack of sleep to be severe. According to a Nature study that tracked people for 25-years, found a 30% increase in dementia in people in their 50s and 60s amongst those getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night.

The good news is that there are things we can do about bad sleep habits. Charles Francis, Founder + Director of the Mindfulness Meditation Institute, breaks down his suggestions of best meditation practices to help you fall asleep into four categories: deep relaxation, binaural beats, hypnosis, and unguided meditation. If you are having trouble falling or staying asleep, being guided in a very slow and deliberate body scan can help you wind down and ease into sleep. Give it a try with this short body scan practice.

Chill Anywhere has a whole section of on-demand practices all designed to help you rest. If you find that having subtle background noises are calming, we’ve got you covered with our Timer that includes sounds from nature.