Sleep
Create the inner and outer conditions you need for a truly restful night’s sleep. Designed for use along with our Sleeping single.
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Try 14 days freeWelcome to Headspace on sleep into day one of part one. Now these first 10 days we're gonna look at how you can change your relationship with sleep. How you can find a new approach to sleep. Now it's a little different from many of the other packs in the Headspace collection and this particular exercise isn't designed to send you to sleep. That's really important. Most of the science, most of the research has shown that when we're using mindfulness specifically to change our sleeping patterns, to improve the rest that we get at night, it's actually more effective if we do it during the day ahead of time. It seems to change the thinking process throughout the day so that when we do go to bed at night we find it easier to drop off. So that's the first thing to say, don't worry or don't expect to actually fall asleep during this exercise. It's fine if you do, but that's not the intention. Now the idea of this exercise as I say, is to change the relationship to sleep. The way that we think about sleep so that it doesn't become such an issue. There's a little exercise that you can use alongside this pack and you'll find it in the Headspace singles collection. And that exercise is specifically designed to actually help you get to sleep at night. So you can use these two things together. One where you're training your mind, sort of for a long-term sustainable change in approach to sleep. And the other one to actually help you go to sleep at night. So over the next 10 days or so we're gonna start to develop this skill and we'll build on that in part two and part three. Sort of changing the technique as we go. Now, these first 10 days is very much based on you already having done the Headspace foundation. So some of this will feel familiar, but some of it will feel a little new and I'll obviously talk you through that process. Right now, though all you need to do is to get yourself comfortable, make sure you're in a place where you're not gonna be disturbed and just set yourself up in the usual way, eyes open, nice soft focus. And when you're ready, you can just begin with some nice, big deep breaths. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And with the next out-breath, just gently closing the eyes, allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm. As you just settle down into the chair or on the floor you're starting to become more aware of the different physical sensations and even the different sounds as well as you just settle in to the space around you. Just bringing the attention back to the body now, just starting at the top of the head, just gently scanning down in the usual way. Not trying to change anything, but just becoming...
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About your teachers
- More about Andy
A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.
- More about Eve
Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.
- More about Dora
As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.
- More about Kessonga
Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.
- More about Rosie
Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.
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Frequently asked questions
The key to an effective sleep meditation lies in the approach; it’s no use rushing to bed, turning on a meditation, and expecting the mind to suddenly settle down. When meditating for sleep, you’re looking to ease into bedtime, taking a few minutes to relax, and then starting to meditate with some slow, calming breaths. You’re not trying to force sleep — that can create thoughts and tension in the mind — so simply kick back, unwind, and follow the guidance of your particular sleep meditation.
Meditation isn’t a replacement for sleep and cannot make up for sleep deprivation — body and mind still need the required six to eight hours a night to feel restored. That said, meditation can feel as refreshing as taking a nap because it is restorative for the mind. It’s a mental reset and recharge. Naturally, a healthy amount of sleep plus a healthy amount of meditation is the perfect combination. It’s why using a sleep meditation before bed is recommended.
Our meditation for sleep exercises are designed to create the inner and outer conditions needed for quality Zzz’s. Ideally, you are looking to experience a state of relaxation which leads to a settled mind and rested body which, in turn, improves the prospects of dreamy sleep. That’s because restful sleep largely depends on you having a rested mind — and that’s why people turn to sleep meditations as a sleep aid. It’s also why we curated a selection of meditations for sleep as part of our overall Guide to Sleep — the in-app collection of guided meditations, expert advice, wind down exercises, and sleep music, all designed to help put your mind to bed.
Meditation for sleep is a specific, guided experience that can be viewed as a natural sleep aid on its own. It teaches you to unwind physically and mentally, letting go of everything that has happened during the day, everything that’s been said, and everything on your mind. A sleep meditation gradually creates a state of relaxation that’s intended to foster sleepiness.
We’ve curated a choice of meditations for sleep to help you improve your prospects of a restful night’s sleep. Headspace’s Sleep course is designed to be done by day to better prepare the mind for sleep at night, and is best used alongside any single, sleep meditation or a choice of sleep sounds, sleep music, wind downs, sleepcasts, and breathing exercises that can be found in our Sleep library.
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