Everything you do throughout the day impacts how you sleep at night. For better quality sleep, start with a healthy morning routine. Meditation first thing sets the tone for the day, calms anxiety, and sets you up to manage stress. Whether you choose to do a 10-minute morning meditation or a 5-minute, it's a great way to prepare you for restful sleep later.

The Sleep Benefits of Early Meditation

Meditation is a proven stress-buster that also improves sleep, according to studies. Meditating in the morning, or generally regularly, can be hard. However, there are many reasons to fit it in as soon as you wake up each morning:

Create a habit

Meditating at any time of day is better than not doing it at all. If you leave it until later in the day, it’s easier to justify skipping it. By starting each day with five to ten minutes of meditation, you’re more likely to turn it into a daily habit.

Start the day off right

A morning routine that includes focusing on relaxation and good mental health sets you up for success all day. It will help you cope with the coming stressors of the day. Like a physical workout in the morning, a little meditation gets your brain prepped for the day ahead.

Break the anxiety-insomnia cycle

Difficulty sleeping can be triggered by anxiety, but it also creates anxiety. Meditating in the morning is an immediate way to target and eliminate anxiety in your day. It will prepare you to manage anxiety that comes on as bedtime approaches.

Improve energy and focus

Meditating in the morning focuses and energizes the mind. You’ll be more productive during the day, which means fewer things to worry about when it’s time to sleep.

Continue to Beat Stress All Day

With morning meditations, you have set yourself up for a more energized, focused, and relaxed day. You’ve taken the first step to minimize the impact of stress on your mental health and sleep. But it's also important to take steps to continue the mindfulness of your morning practice throughout the day:

• Spend just a minute or two meditating or deep breathing when you can. Lunch or work breaks are great times for this.
• Make time for exercise. It’s good for the body and mind and reduces stress and anxiety.
• Keep relaxing scents around you while you work.
• Keep a journal with you and write down what causes stress as it happens.
• Eat lunch with friends and co-workers for some social time.
• Switch out caffeinated drinks for water or herbal tea.
• Face challenges head on, taking control of difficult situations instead of being passive.

The more you can minimize stress from morning to night, the better you will sleep. Start the day with meditation, make it a habit, and you’ll soon feel the difference in how you feel and sleep.

How to Do a Morning Meditation

It’s great to know the benefits of early meditation, but how do you actually do one? There are many techniques you can use. Here are three examples:

A breathing morning meditation

• Step one: Get into a comfortable position, either laying down or sitting upright.
• Step two: Inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth
• Step three: As you inhale through your nose, notice your belly expanding, and when you exhale be aware of your belly moving inward.

You can follow the breathwork for however long you like, just make sure to focus on your breath. When your mind begins to wander, do your best to bring your attention away from those thoughts, and back to your breath.

You can also choose to do a guided meditation to help you with learning the techniques and best second counts to follow.

Mindful morning shower meditation

• Step one: Get into your shower, and turn it to a comfortable enough temperature
• Step two: Begin to become aware of all 5 of your senses. What do you smell? Hear? Feel? Taste? And see?
• Step three: When you’re mind begins to wander, or when you get distracted, bring your attention back to the present by using any one of the 5 senses.

A mindful morning shower meditation can help you to remain more present throughout your day. And just like doing a guided meditation for morning clarity, a mindful morning shower can work the same way.

Morning walk meditation

• Step one: As you walk, make sure to move slowly, and mindfully. Become aware of each step. Notice the birds chirping and the smell of the trees around you.
• Step two: Take a slow inhale through your nose, and count the number of steps you’re taking.
• Step three: As you exhale, continue to count the number of steps you take.
• Step four: Continue to count the steps during your walk as you inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth.
• Step five: Do your best to maintain your steps, even while you focus your attention on your breath and senses.

A morning walk meditation is a great way to get some exercise and practice meditation at the same time. Just be sure to bundle up if it’s during the colder months!

Why a Morning Meditation May Be Best

There are a ton of benefits of morning meditation. You can go into it with a fresh and relaxed mind, and the quietness of the morning can make it more enjoyable.

Going into it with a clear head can help you get the most out of it! Meditation can help you to focus on the present, reduce negative emotions, and increase your self-awareness. And that’s just the start of the many benefits of meditating.

Conclusion

Meditations in the morning are not only a great practice to help you sleep better at night, but they can also act as a powerful way to start your day.

Whether you do your own meditation for clarity, or you follow a 10-minute morning guided meditation, there are a variety of ways you can make it part of your routine.

If you’re looking for some assistance with your meditation journey, you can try BetterSleep for free today! We offer a variety of meditations for beginners, breathing techniques, and so much more.