During sleep, our bodies work to maintain healthy brain function and preserve physical health.

Studies in adults have shown that sleep quality has a direct impact on our physical health. Sleeping less than 7 hours a day on a regular basis harm our quality of life, increasing the likelihood of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, weight gain, stroke, and depression.

Guided meditation is an effective strategy for calming the mind before bed and is especially beneficial for those dealing with anxiety or insomnia through a set of instructions or narratives.

This practice combines mental and physical work, focusing on breathing and awareness of the present moment.

In the long term, incorporating meditation into your sleep routine promotes higher quality rest, allowing the body to regenerate and recover energy for the next day.

Applying meditation methods before bed has several benefits, including:


1. Helps the body to leave a state of alert: it helps to transition to the parasympathetic (rest) mode of our brain, responsible for the feeling of calm and relaxation.

2. Helps fight insomnia: Stress and anxiety are the main contributors to insomnia. Meditation can help manage insomnia symptoms in the long term.

3. It can help calm the thoughts that keep us from falling asleep: sometimes, especially in the world we live in today, it's challenging to simply "turn off" our mind. In these moments, meditation can be a useful tool to relieve the mind of some of these thoughts.

4. May improve brain health: sleep quality affects brain health. The lymphatic system in our brain helps cleanse this organ of toxins while we sleep.


Guided breathing meditation is a technique that uses breathing to focus the mind and can be done every night at bedtime. Inhale through your nose and focus on a word that is a positive representation of how you feel. That word could be “peaceful,” “comfortable,” “happy,” or even “grateful.” Think about something you achieved in your day and set that intention!

As you exhale through your mouth, let all negative feelings opposing this positive feeling go away.

Leave behind any stress, anger, or frustration as you repeat this calming breathing and word association pattern.

Practice breathing until you fall asleep or feel more relaxed.

Although meditation can be helpful, it is not always enough to combat insomnia and other sleep disorders. In these situations, it is advisable to ask for specialised help.

In addition to bringing benefits to sleep, meditation also helps:

  • Controlling appetite (as sleep is essential for regulating hormones, when we sleep poorly or little, we are more likely to feel like eating high-calorie and fatty foods).
  • Improving metabolic performance.
  • Increasing melatonin levels (an essential hormone for us to fall asleep and wake up in a good mood, as well as being a powerful antioxidant).
  • Promoting the immune system, combating hypertension and cardiovascular problems.
  • Promoting the synthesis of the hormone GH (which contributes to physical performance, prevents osteoporosis, and inhibits the accumulation of fat).
  • Improving the ability to concentrate, clarity of reasoning, focus, and memory.


For more information please contact Grupo HPA Saude on (+351) 282 420 400.