Meditation before sleep is the one kind of meditation where falling asleep halfway through is the point. Done lying down in the dark, it is three minutes of a long exhale, then a slow body scan from the feet up, and then nothing: you let the practice dissolve into sleep rather than finishing it. Ten minutes is plenty, and most people do not reach the end.

The ten minutes

  1. Lights off, phone across the room, lie on your back or side.
  2. Three minutes: breathe in for four and out for eight, slowly. The long exhale is what makes you drowsy; do not do box breathing here, its holds keep you awake.
  3. Five minutes or until you are gone: a body scan, slowly, from the feet up. Feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, belly, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, jaw, eyes, forehead. At each, notice, let it be heavy, move on. Slower than feels natural.
  4. If you are still awake at the forehead, go back to the feet. Nobody has ever finished the second pass.

If it makes you more awake

Some people get alert when they pay attention to the body. If that is you, skip the scan and stay with the breath, counting exhales down from twenty, or switch to a sleep story so the attention has something outside you to follow. Sleep sounds or sleep stories explains which suits which night.

What it is not

It is not a daytime practice done at night. Daytime meditation trains alertness; this trains letting go. Keep them separate, and do not judge the night version by whether you "stayed present". You are supposed to leave.

With Bliss

In CalmSpace.ai, Bliss leads the breath and the body scan in her voice with the screen dark, slowly, and goes quiet at the end so nothing wakes you; or she reads a sleep story, or runs a rain mix with a timer that fades. The sleep library has them. For the evening before the pillow, a wind-down routine that sticks; for the hour you wake in, what to do at 3 am. The CDC's sleep basics cover the habits around it.

Questions people ask

Is it OK to fall asleep during meditation?

At night, yes; it is the aim. In the daytime, it means you were tired, not that you did it wrong.

What is the best meditation to fall asleep to?

A long exhale (in four, out eight) for a few minutes, then a slow body scan from the feet up, lying down in the dark.

How long should I meditate before bed?

Ten minutes at most. Most people are asleep before the end; if you reach it, start the body scan again.

Why does meditation keep me awake at night?

Usually because it was a daytime practice (holds, alert attention) or because noticing the body makes you alert. Use a long exhale and a slow scan, or a story, instead.

CalmSpace.ai is a wellness app, not a medical service, and Bliss is not a therapist. If you are in crisis, contact the crisis line for your country; in the United States, call or text 988.