Guided sleep meditation is a meditation led by a soothing, calm voice. These meditations include numerous tools to help with falling asleep, finding deep blissful relaxation, and getting a quality night’s sleep. These are just some of the best-guided sleep meditations available.

The Benefits of Guided Sleep Meditations

Meditation has many benefits: stress relief, emotional regulation, lower blood pressure, lower heart rate, new perspectives, and more. Among the many proven benefits is better sleep.

If you struggle to sleep, meditation can help. If you are new to meditation, a guided session is a great way to learn how to do it. Practice is essential because calming and focusing the mind doesn’t come naturally for most people. Keep at it to start to fall asleep faster, sleep more deeply, and feel more rejuvenated in the morning.

The best-guided sleep meditation works for you. Try these for specific sleep needs or find your perfect sleep meditation.

Short and Sweet Meditations

A guided meditation for sleep doesn’t have to be long and involved. Establishing a regular practice for the best results is a good idea. For those nights when you don’t have much time, try a quick fix to release stress and clear your mind before bed. Just five to ten minutes is all you need to create the mind-body connection that will put you to sleep. Try a meditation from this list:

• The Military Method for Sleep. The military knows how to get things done efficiently. Soldiers need to be able to grab a few Zs wherever and whenever they can, which means trying to sleep at odd hours and in uncomfortable places. The military swears by this seven-minute meditation to do just that.
• Fast Asleep Technique. Spend ten minutes on this sleep meditation to fall asleep tonight. It will also train you to fall asleep faster every night, whether you have access to your guided meditations.
• Surrender to Sleep. This meditation is just 11 minutes long. It uses several quick techniques—visualization and body scanning—to help you fall asleep faster.

Diving into a Longer Meditation Practice

Short meditation is excellent for sleeping late at night or when you need that extra hour for other tasks. Try a more extended practice to get the most out of guided sleep meditations. Commit as much time as is reasonable to nightly meditations and try some that are longer than just ten minutes. Some of these are single long sessions, while others are series that you can use all week:

• 5 Nights of Stress and Anxiety Relief. Try this series if worry and stress plague you at night. Stress from the day and anxiety over the coming days ahead are significant reasons people can’t sleep at night. This series does what a single session can’t do. It helps you create a stress relief habit and builds greater resilience to stress that will serve you later.
• Playlist: Destress and Deep Sleep. This one isn’t a series, although it also focuses on combatting stress. It’s a playlist of stress-busting meditations you can use for as long as you need. The sessions go on for nearly two hours so that you won’t run out, even on a stormy night.
• Deep Sleep Yoga Nidra. This 50-minute session uses an ancient technique known as yogic sleep. It isn’t designed to put you to sleep. It is a restful practice of deep relaxation, but many people find it helps them sleep better at night. Use it when you need a long, restful session after a tough day.

Mindfulness Meditations for Sleep

Mindfulness is a buzzword in wellness, and for a good reason. It is an ancient practice receiving renewed attention for its many benefits. Mindfulness is a simple concept. It means focusing on what you sense, feel, and think in the present moment. It sounds easy, but most people find it challenging to avoid thinking about the past or future. Most people have trouble focusing o the present.

If you practice mindfulness meditations regularly, you’ll find it helps you relax, cope with stress, lower high blood pressure, and reduce mental health symptoms. Studies also indicate that mindfulness can improve sleep and help manage insomnia. If you have difficulty falling asleep, this kind of meditation will help.

A meditation guide can be like a mindfulness teacher, helping you learn how to be present at the moment, leave your stress behind, and drift into sleep:

• Mindfulness Meditation for Sleep. This simple, 15-minute meditation is a great introduction to mindfulness. Being a beginner at mindful thinking will ease you into a restful state of mind.
• The Mindful Breath. Breathwork is great for mindfulness. It’s not easy to focus solely on the present moment because we are not used to thinking that way. Breathing exercises give you something concrete to focus on. The deep breathing exercises in this meditation will also improve your ability to relax before bed.
• 7-Day Journey into Mindfulness. To dive deeper into mindfulness, try this week-long series. Guided by an expert meditation teacher, it will help you relax into the present moment and become more mindful in every aspect of your life.
• Your Mindful True Nature. Finding mindfulness is difficult in a busy, multi-tasking world. For those days when you feel lost in the shuffle and uncertain of who you are, try this mindful meditation before bed.

Meditations for Deep Sleep

Deep sleep-guided meditations prepare you not just to sleep but to get high-quality sleep. The best sleep occurs when you have enough time to complete several sleep cycles. There are two main stages:

• Non-REM Sleep. During this part of the sleep cycle, you fall asleep lightly and progress to deeper sleep. The third stage is called deep sleep, when our heart rate, breathing, and brain activity slow down.
• REM Sleep. From deep sleep, you transition to rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep. All activity picks back up again, and you’re more likely to dream. From REM, you start the whole cycle over again.

Although it doesn’t make up much of your time spent asleep, deep sleep is essential. This is when your brain files away memories and consolidates learning. It is also associated with the release of growth hormone, which helps heal the body.

If you struggle with insomnia and frequently awaken during the night, you probably don’t spend enough time in deep sleep. Try these deep sleep-guided meditations:

• Rejuvenating Sleep Meditation. Deep sleep is the restorative portion of the night. It doesn’t take up much time, but it is essential for feeling rejuvenated. This meditation will coax your mind into a deeper sleep state each night.
• 61-Point Deep Flow Relaxation. Relaxing both the body and the mind is key to being able to sleep more deeply. With this 30-minute meditation, you’ll spend time relaxing and removing tension from each body part. This will give you a more quality night’s rest.
• 5 Nights into Deep Sleep. When you’re ready to give all your effort to improve the quality of your sleep, try this series. For five nights in a row, you’ll learn how to use meditation and other practices to spend more time in deep sleep.

Hypnotize Yourself to Sleep

Hypnosis is not just a parlor trick. Also known as hypnotherapy, it is a recognized therapeutic tool. Trained therapists and clinical psychologists use it to guide patients into a suggestive state and to treat addictive behaviors, chronic pain, insomnia, and more.

It can be helpful to work with a therapist, but you can also practice self-hypnosis to get results. The soothing voice of a guide will help you do it.

There aren’t many studies that have investigated self-hypnosis for sleep, but a few showed promising results. In a study of 90 women with sleep difficulties due to menopausal symptoms, self-hypnosis improved sleep duration and quality in most participants.

It takes some practice, but with effort comes results. Try these meditations that use a soft voice and the principles of self-hypnosis to sleep better:

• Hypnotherapy for Better Sleep. This eight-session series is a great tool to improve sleep if you’re serious about self-hypnosis. One session might not do it, but continuing to practice hypnosis night after night can significantly impact insomnia.
• Hypnosis for Pleasant Dreams. Once you have begun to get the benefits of self-hypnosis, try guided sessions with different goals. This one will help you have more pleasant dreams, which is useful for anyone who struggles with nightmares or anxiety dreams.
• Mysteries of Stonehenge Hypnosis. If you enjoy a good story, a mystery, and an adventure, listen to this interesting hypnosis meditation to send you off to sleep.
• Under the Sea Hypnosis. Another type of adventure awaits as your meditation teacher guides you through an underwater visualization complete with dolphins, turtles, and other sea creatures.
• Journey into Peaceful Sleep Hypnosis. When you don’t have much time but want the benefits of self-hypnosis, this 15-minute guided session will do the trick.

Educate Yourself About Sleep

Sleep is a science, literally. People study it to learn how it works, why we sleep, and how to do it better. They research sleep problems and have a lot of knowledge to share about what prevents people from sleeping well and how they can make real improvements.

Some of the best-guided meditations are delivered by sleep experts, who help you relax into sleep while also teaching you more about the process:

• Train Your Brain to Sleep Better. This is a guided meditation and a lesson on preparing your brain for sleep. Expert Dr. Liz Slonena explains sleep science and gives you practical ways to sleep better every night.
• Become Your Sleep Expert. Dr. Ryan C. Warner spends just over an hour with you in this guided session. As a clinical psychologist and sleep expert, he understands what you’re going through and has the secrets to getting your body and mind ready for a good night’s sleep.
• 7 Nights to Transform Your Bedtime for Better Sleep. Spend an entire week learning more about how sleep works and how to improve it. This series will teach you how to relieve the anxiety that accompanies you every night when you live with insomnia.

Meditations for Children

Adults aren’t the only ones who struggle with sleep. When bedtime stories aren’t enough, and your little one is anxious about school and other responsibilities, meditation can help.

In addition to good sleep hygiene and a regular bedtime routine, meditation can help them learn to relax and manage their emotions. It serves as a tool for a calm sleep and staying asleep all night.

Children benefit just as much from meditation as adults. Beginning an early practice gives them a useful tool they can use for the rest of their lives. Not every meditation is appropriate for a child, but these are designed just for them:

• Your First Bedtime Meditation. This is a great place to start. In just six minutes, practice stillness and make a routine of winding down before bed.
• Sweet Dreams. Just seven minutes long, you can do this together. The Sweet Dreams meditation focuses on happy thoughts and the five senses to tap into mindfulness and better, more restful sleep.
• Afraid of the Dark No More. Sleep time can be a real struggle if your child has a particular fear. Use this short meditation to de-mystify darkness and turn it into a restful, relaxing friend.
• Muscle Relaxation. Over eight minutes, this soothing guided sleep meditation will help your child relax the tension out of their body.

Meditation quiets racing thoughts. It eases stress and tension in the mind and body. It brings relief from a busy day and provides much-needed relaxation time. Guided sleep meditations are great for starting a new practice. The soothing voice will help you learn how to focus and re-focus as your mind wanders.

You should see your doctor if you continue to struggle with sleep, even after trying meditation and other strategies. You could have a medical condition causing insomnia. Your doctor can rule out or diagnose and treat conditions.

Deep sleep-guided meditation is a powerful tool for insomnia. Try meditations tonight and keep up the practice. The more you do it, the more restful sleep you’ll experience.