Best meditation technique to fall asleep fast?

[purple planet]

What is the best meditation technique to fall asleep fast ?

[appicchato]

A very misdirected line of thought here...it's not what meditation is even remotely about...

[purple planet]

I know - i just need to fall asleep faster

I was told that if you do vipasana you would fall asleep as much as needed - but sometimes i need to sleep good now for a later no-sleep period - all for worldly purposes

for instance i was told that if i notice the rising and falling i would fall much faster than if i do a "body scan"

and for instance sometimes it seems i fall asleep much faster just lying down moving and thinking - in comparison to lying down and being mindful of stuff because that way i can stay awake much longer


so instead of just lying there would be nice to do some meditation - the one which will help me fall asleep the fastest - maybe samtha ? metta (but i think metta helps sleep faster in general not specifly faster if done before sleep?) ? counting breaths ? ect

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

There's nothing wrong with this train of thought: even meditators need to get some sleep so that they can wake up refreshed and ready for the next day's work.

If you're suffering from insomnia due to thinking too much, focus awareness on the body. Sweep the entire body from head to foot, noting all of the sensations of touching, and contemplating the abdominal movements of rising and falling, or the touch of the breath at the nostrils if mindfulness of respiration is your usual practice.

Don't keep changing your body posture, and don't worry too much about not sleeping. If you rest the body and mind thoroughly with Satipaṭṭhāna meditation, that is all the rest it needs.

[purple planet]

bhante i was told that if i add touching points to the "rising" and "falling" it will keep me awake - you dont think its true ?

[Zom]

That's easy. Just forget everything and sleep as much as you want

[Anagarika]

When I have difficulty falling asleep, such as when a busy day keeps my mind swimming at night, I have literally parked my laptop next to my sleeping pad, and put on a youtube dhamma talk. Tis seems to place my mind in a place, where, after enjoying the first minutes of a dhamma talk, my next memory is of waking up. Kind of like reading a good book at night, but reading at night just never did it for me. The mindful audio did. Give it a try, and see if it works for you if you're not getting enough sleep or have insomnia.

[Jetavan]

Just read the latest issue of the Journal of Transport Economics and Policy. You'll be asleep in seconds.

[appicchato]

That's easy. Just forget everything...

Too right...

[waterchan]

What is the best meditation technique to fall asleep fast ?

Reading the Digha Nikaya.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

bhante i was told that if i add touching points to the "rising" and "falling" it will keep me awake - you dont think its true ?

Never mind what others tell you. Everyone is different. Try different techniques yourself and see what works for you. Metta works for some.

Sweeping slowly, noting a few points, or many, or focussing more on abdominal movements. Whatever works is fine. Excess of energy leads to restlessness, excess of concentration leads to sloth. It's all about getting the energies back into balanced by applying mindfulness. If you spend the entire night noting mindfully without a break, as long as the restless thoughts cease and you're not just tossing and turning all night, you will be rested in the morning.

After noting for a long while, if the pain of staying in one posture becomes unbearable, then mindfully turn over to the other side. Do it slowly, so that you don't lose mindfulness, then resume sweeping as before.

[m0rl0ck]

I have had some luck with the method of counting ones exhales starting from 99 and going backward.

OTOH there is always the "running around the block a few times" meditation. Best done about 2 hours before your target bedtime

[Ben]

It's important to not forget lifestyle factors which impacts on the quality of sleep.
A few minor changes to one's habits can have a profound impact.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv ... ep_hygiene

[pilgrim]

As bhante said, everyone is different. But what works for me very well is to focus very gently on the sensation of the body against the bed. Sends me off in less than a minute.

[Spiny Norman]

What is the best meditation technique to fall asleep fast ?

Reading the Digha Nikaya.