16 Meditations to Help You Sleep

"Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day." — Matthew Walker, author of "Why We Sleep"

Sleep is one of the most important pillars of our well-being, yet it's often the first thing we sacrifice in our busy lives. Whether it’s racing thoughts, stress from the day, or an inability to wind down, many of us struggle with achieving the deep, restorative rest we need. But did you know that meditation is one of the most effective tools for calming the mind and body, easing you into sleep naturally?

Meditation has been shown to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, and promote a state of relaxation conducive to sleep. Studies have found that regular meditation can improve sleep quality, helping you fall asleep faster and enjoy more restful, uninterrupted slumber. By quieting your mind and releasing tension from your body, meditation creates the perfect environment for sleep to occur effortlessly.

Incorporating a meditation practice before bed can help you let go of the day’s stresses and invite peace and calm into your evening routine. Whether you're looking to slow down your thoughts, relax your body, or simply create a mindful transition to sleep, the following meditations can guide you toward a more restful night.

Here are 15 meditations specifically designed to help you fall asleep more easily and improve the overall quality of your sleep.  

1. Rhythmic Pulse of Healing Deep Sleep Meditation

This guided meditation is designed to lead you into a deep, restorative sleep. Sara Raymond will be your guide, accompanying you on a journey of relaxation, healing, and self-discovery. Tonight, you can gently release the stresses of the day and enjoy the peaceful embrace of the night.

2. Deep Sleep Meditation to Calm an Overactive Mind

Let go of the overthinking, overactive mind and enjoy a healing, restful, deep sleep tonight. Whether your thoughts are in the past or the future, an overthinking mind can bring turmoil to your world and even in sleep. Tonight, release these feelings, calm the overactive mind and experience peace in this present moment. I will guide you to focus on the present moment, let go of worries about the past and anxieties about the future, and then relax your mind and body for a powerfully deep night’s sleep.

3. Fall Asleep Fast Deep Sleep Meditation for Insomnia

Whether you experience difficulty falling asleep or you have awakened in the night, this relaxing guided meditation will help you get to sleep. By slowing down with your breath, you will be able to slow down your body and send a message of comfort and safety to your nervous system. There is a powerful connection between your breath and your nervous system. By using your breath as a tool, you can interact with your autonomic nervous system. Tonight, you can use this tool to settle your body into a deep state of relaxation, where your nervous system is calm and you can experience the feeling of safety and peace. As this calmness expands through your entire body and mind, your nervous system will receive the signal that it is time for rest.

4. Heal Your Body While You Sleep | Deep Sleep Meditation with Delta Waves

This meditation will begin by assisting you to relax and prepare for sleep. Once relaxed there will be a series of affirmations that you will hear until you are asleep. You can simply listen to the affirmations, or if you would like to in your mind, feel free to repeat them. This is designed to help you drift off to sleep while the affirmations are continuing. You do not need to be awake to benefit from them. Your subconscious will hear them as your own words.

5. Find Inner Peace through Acceptance and Surrender While You Sleep

Getting upset about pain doesn’t take it away. Thinking about and replaying the past doesn’t give you the ability to change what has already occurred. Worrying, wishing and hoping things were different doesn’t make anything actually change. Let go of the events of the day and surrender into a deep, tranquil sleep. Give yourself permission to simply let go into your own inner peace and self-healing through acceptance and surrender.

6. Stress Reducing and Self Healing

Your body has the ability to heal itself. This guided sleep meditation and relaxation is designed to help you prepare for a deep and healing nights sleep. The positive messages in this meditation will help you build your own innate healing ability. The guided meditation is about 30 minutes followed by 30 minutes of very relaxing music.

7. Let Go of Thoughts of Worry to Relax

Clear the clutter of your mind, slow down the momentum of your day, and sleep peacefully. The practice of meditation is about returning your attention to the present moment with acceptance and kindness for what you find. It is about coming back to the present when you find yourself following the train of worrying thoughts. The more you practice, the more skilled you will become both in the practice as well as in everyday life.

8. Evening Ritual to Close Your Day

This is a powerful practice to set the tone for a peaceful night’s sleep. This meditation is a ritual to be practiced daily, as the final step you take before going to sleep. You can use my soothing voice as your guide or choose to practice on your own after you are comfortable with the ritual. It is ok if you fall asleep during this meditation as your subconscious mind is still listening.

9. Sleep Meditation for New Beginnings and Habit Change

This deep sleep meditation is designed to guide you into a new beginning, a new chapter in your life where you have the confidence to let go of old habits and begin new habits that align with what you really want in life.

10. Accept Yourself and Release Resistance / Sleep Meditation with Delta Waves

Ease into a deep sleep quickly with this soothing guided meditation. Unwind after a long, busy day. Disconnect from worry and let your mental activity naturally begin to slow. And practice acceptance to let go of resistance while you sleep.

11. Emotional and Physical Healing with Self-Love

All emotional and physical healing is supported by love, acceptance, and forgiveness of yourself. You are energy. Your thoughts are energy, and your self-talk is energy. To give yourself the opportunity to use your energy for healing, it’s important to release the negative energy of shame, guild, and anger towards yourself.

12. Cultivate Self-Love While You Sleep / Sleep Meditation with Delta Waves

Welcome to this guided sleep meditation with a body scan especially for deep relaxation. As you prepare for a deep and relaxing night's sleep, you will be cultivating a sense of unconditional love for yourself.

13. Release Fear and Worry to Experience Peace

Tonight, release all your worry and fears, develop a calm and peaceful state with this guided deep sleep meditation. Allow Sara Raymond's soothing voice to be your guide to connect with the ease of your body, your mind, your spirit, and your heart for a tranquil night sleep. When you wake many hours later, you will experience a life of peace, free of worry.

14. Guided Deep Sleep Meditation for Developing a Positive Perspective and Gratitude

This deep sleep meditation is designed to help you develop and strengthen a positive perspective as well as cultivate gratitude for what you have and your present moment. If you are feeling stressed, or having difficulty getting out of a negative mindset, this practice can be just what you need to experience inner peace and shift to seeing the positive. Get ready to heal and restore your body, relieve stress, and bring compassion and love into your heart.

15. Fall Asleep Fast, Clear the Clutter of Your Mind, and Release Thoughts and Worry 

Tonight, release any worries, let go of the days events, and allow sleep to quickly and easily come to you, by inviting relaxation into your body and mind. Allow Sara's soothing voice to be your guide to effortlessly slow down the momentum from your day.

16. Sleep Meditation to Calm Your Nervous System and Release Stress

When your nervous system is wound up, in overdrive, or you feel stressed, this deep sleep meditation will help you prepare yourself for sleep by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and bringing you back to the rest and digest state. In this state, you can sleep deeply and give your body and mind the opportunity to heal and recover from the day. This immensely relaxing practice will send the signals of safety to your nervous system so you can easily drift to sleep with a calm and clear mind.

Remember, if you're having trouble sleeping, we're here to help. If you didn't find the sleep meditation you're looking for, visit our YouTube channel for other meditations and deep sleep hypnosis. For exclusive, ad-free meditations and other content, consider becoming an Oasis member. Have a good night's sleep!