4 ways to relieve stress and sleep well

Mindfulness meditation

The essence of mindfulness meditation is observing the mind and body and accepting without judgment of all thoughts and sensations. This process has a positive effect on well-being and improves sleep. A 2015 study found David S. Black, Gillian A. O'Reilly, Richard Olmstead, Elizabeth C. Breen, Michael R. Irwin. … that mindfulness meditation is good for fighting insomnia, depression and fatigue.

And this technique is simpler than it seems:

sit in a comfortable position;
focus on breathing;
if thoughts begin to wander, think again about inhaling and exhaling.

Deep breathing

The depth and rate of breathing affect blood pressure and heart rate. These techniques will help you breathe deeper and more calmly:

Diaphragmatic breathing. Sit or lie down. Inhale through your nose for a count of ten. In this case, the muscles of the abdomen should move more, and not the chest. Then, still counting to ten, release all the air from your abdomen. Repeat the cycle 5-10 times.
Breathing 4-7-8 … This technique was developed by Andrew Weil specifically for patients suffering from insomnia and anxiety. Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth. Exhale all the air through your mouth with a whooshing sound. Close your mouth and inhale through your nose for a count of four. Hold your breath, count to seven Exhale again with a sibilant sound for a count of eight. Repeat the cycle three times.

Listening to music

Music is soothing, helps fight stress, anxiety and insomnia. And it does it even better than Harmat L., Takács J., Bódizs R. than audiobooks or silence.

A good choice is calm instrumental compositions, classics, light jazz, nature sounds, or whatever you love. For example, for me this is microfunk from St. Petersburg:

Lie down, turn off the lights, and focus on the rhythm and melody.

Meditative movements

There are similar movements in yoga and tai chi. Their positive effects on sleep have been confirmed by Wu W. W., Kwong E., Lan X. Y., Jiang X. Y. scientists. It doesn't matter which one you choose, but you need to practice regularly, at least three times a week.

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese gymnastics that combines fluid movement and deep breathing. The exercises are simple, do not require additional equipment and can be performed both alone and in a group.

Yoga is known to help cope with various diseases, improve well-being during pregnancy and relieve insomnia. So we suggest you try one of these options:

Yogic sleep from stress.
Yoga for sound and restful sleep.
A relaxing stretch that can be done in bed.

Try different techniques to find the one that works for you. But remember, the result will not be instantaneous. So don't give up if you don't notice it after the first try.

Do it regularly, and then you can overcome any difficulties in life without undue stress.