Sleep Health

Hi, and welcome to session one of your Headspace sleep course. Now, during this sleep course we're going to be taking time out each day for our minds. I should just point out that this exercise is not meant to send you to sleep. We have lots of stuff in our library for that. It's actually designed to be done during the day. And it's by practicing these techniques during the day that we can really change our attitude to sleep at night. There are 14 meditation sessions like this one and it is best if you do one a day. And if you miss a day, don't worry, just pick up where you left off. Of course, you're thinking, how is this going to help me sleep? Well, in meditation we're training our awareness. And by being aware, we can better identify that sleepy feeling, which is the best indicator that the body and mind are ready for sleep. Meditation also helps us relate to stress in a new way which can help us sleep more restfully at night, just being at ease with the mind as it is. Don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. This is a really straightforward technique and I'll talk you through every step of the way. All you need to do is to sit back, relax and allow your body and mind to unwind. So I'd just like you to take a moment to get comfortable. It doesn't matter whether you're sitting on a chair or on the floor, whatever suits you best. And I'd just like you to begin with your eyes open. So not looking at one particular thing. Just taking in the space around you, a nice, soft focus with the eyes. And just keeping the eyes open for a moment. Just taking a couple of big, deep breaths. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. As you breathe in, just noticing how the chest expands as the lungs fill with air and noticing how the body softens each time you exhale. And just with these first few breaths, doing it loud enough so you can actually hear the breath. And breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. And with the next out breath, just gently closing the eyes and feeling the weight of the body as it presses down against the chair or against the floor beneath you. And just notice how the weight falls. Whether it falls directly through the middle of the body or perhaps a little more to the left or the right. Starting to notice the sensation of the soles of the feet on the floor. And just feeling the weight of the hands and the arms resting on your legs or in your lap. Just bringing the mind into the body. Starting to become more aware of the physical senses. Perhaps starting to notice any sounds around you. So it's really tempting to see or...