30 days of meditation improved my sleep

Meditation is to the mind what exercise is to the body — it warms and invigorates. I am a person who loves Yoga and meditation. Before this year, whenever I used to practice Yoga, I meditated for less than 5 minutes. I practiced it consistently without understanding how influential meditation can be in our lives.

Later on, during this pandemic year, I had trouble falling asleep due to increased stress and anxiety. Does that mean my sleep at night was great before? No! 😊 But it began to worsen during the pandemic. I sought help from books, articles, and videos, anticipating a night of better sleep.

In March, a video featuring the benefits of meditating consistently caught my eye. I was fascinated to start a routine to have consistency in my meditation practice and was thrilled to see the results. I thought about starting this new practice for 15 minutes a day for the next 30 days. Remember, it’s the time of year when we were sheltering-in-place and not meeting friends or family. I decided to make this practice a part of my daily routine.

From March 16th, every single day, I meditated religiously from 9:00 am to 9:15 am. A study says that about 70,000 thoughts can pass through our minds a day. So, undoubtedly, unguided meditation would be arduous. Thus, I intended to use guided meditation. I used the meditation app Calm (no promotion through this article). Let me be honest; it was so hard on my first day of meditation where I was restless for the 15min. As a person who loves new challenges as much as I love chocolates, I spent an additional 15 mins for the next three days to find focus while meditating. The soothing background music of the app and mind-blowing guidance by the narrator helped me regain awareness whenever I lost track.

After seven days, I noticed a difference in my character and how I foresee my day ahead (at least until noon 😊). I thought, “Why to stop?”, and continued it for another 21 days. I intended to do an additional 15 minutes before I hit the bed. I used to get sleep only in an hour or two after I hit the bed. By next week, I was falling asleep within half an hour. Yes, you heard me right! I still don’t know what magic meditation did to me, but it was working. Out of curiosity, I started being more serious about meditation and continued it until I hit 30 days. Guess what? I began to fall asleep in less than 10 minutes after I went to bed.

What do I want to convey from my experience here?

Consistency is the real foundation of trust. Keep your promises to yourself. In March 2020, I thought to keep my promise to myself for just 30 days, which resulted in exceptional results.

Please take it as a challenge and start meditating now without evaluating how, when, or why. You will be astonished by the outcomes, which will be the fruits of your consistency and discipline. Please share your experience with me in 30 days. Happy Meditation 🧘‍♀️