Meditation for falling asleep: 10-minute noting session, at 3pm

About this practice

10 minutes to meet falling asleep with less of a fight. A noting practice, at 3pm. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: falling asleep

Falling asleep is a passive process. The harder you aim at it, the further it moves, because the effort itself is arousal.

It tends to show up as:

• Watching the clock
• Getting frustrated at being awake
• Sleep only arriving after giving up

Attention on something boring and continuous is the oldest trick there is. That is all a sleep story is doing.

Doing this in the mid-afternoon

• Sit upright and open a window if you can
• Expect heaviness rather than fighting it
• A short session here beats a longer one that never happens

The dip is a normal circadian low. You are riding it out, not correcting a fault.

How noting works

Noting is a technique from insight practice: when something arises, you give it a single plain label — thinking, hearing, planning — and return to the anchor. The label creates a small distance between you and the content.

• Use one word, not a sentence — explaining means you have joined in
• Label and return; do not follow the thought to see where it goes
• Drop the labelling if it becomes effortful and just follow the breath

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00There is nothing to get right here. Nothing is being scored.
2. 0:12You are the one noticing, not the thing being noticed. Stay on that side of the line.
3. 0:27Let the breath get a little quieter, as if you were trying not to wake someone sleeping nearby.
4. 0:43Notice the weight of your arms without moving them.
5. 0:54Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
6. 1:06Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
7. 1:17Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
8. 1:31Notice the small movement in your belly when you breathe.
9. 1:43Notice your jaw again. Let your back teeth part slightly.
10. 1:55Notice your breathing, without changing it.
11. 2:05You have been carrying the slow drift toward sleep for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
12. 2:25You do not have to like the thoughts that keep the light on to breathe through it. Liking was never the requirement.
13. 2:43Notice whether you're breathing or holding. Start breathing again.
14. 2:54Notice the gap between the label and the next thought. That gap is what we are practising.
15. 3:09Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
16. 3:19If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
17. 3:34A label is enough. You do not need to follow the thought to see where it goes.
18. 3:49I'll leave a gap here. Use it however you like.
19. 4:01If your body wants to move, let it move, then come back.
20. 4:14Use one plain word, not a sentence. The moment you explain, you have joined in.
21. 4:28Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
22. 4:40Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
23. 4:52Breathe in for four, out for six, if you'd like something to count.
24. 5:05No rush to move on.
25. 5:14Feel the parts of you that have gone quiet.
26. 5:25Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
27. 5:36Keep following the air.
28. 5:45Feel the tops of your thighs.
29. 5:55Let your ribs widen on the in-breath instead of your shoulders lifting.
30. 6:08Let it be this simple.
31. 6:17Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
32. 6:28Follow three breaths and let the fourth one go unobserved.
33. 6:40Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
34. 6:51Each time your mind hands you the surrender at the end of the day, treat it like a leaf on a stream. Present for a moment, then carried on.
35. 7:12Whatever the slow drift toward sleep is doing right now, your breathing can keep going underneath it.
36. 7:27Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. Nose, chest, or belly — pick one and stay there.
37. 7:43Let the thoughts that keep the light on be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
38. 8:04If you feel emotional, you don't have to explain it to anyone, including yourself.
39. 8:18Notice how you're sitting. Adjust if you need to. Then settle again.
40. 8:31I'll stop for a moment. Take the pause at your own speed.
41. 8:44If noting feels like too much, drop it and just follow the breath. The label is optional.
42. 8:59Let the pause stretch out.
43. 9:08Let your breathing go back to whatever it does when nobody is watching.
44. 9:21Let your shoulders come back up to their usual place, if they want to.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.