Meditation for falling asleep: 7-minute gratitude session, in the hour before sleep

About this practice

When falling asleep shows up in the hour before sleep, this 7-minute gratitude session gives you somewhere to put it down. A guided session of about 7 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 before bed

• Do it in bed or somewhere you can move straight to bed after
• Lower the light, and do not check anything afterwards
• If you fall asleep before the end, it worked

Falling asleep mid-session is a success, not a failure to complete it.

How gratitude works

Gratitude here is an attention practice, not a demand for a positive mood. Attention defaults to threats because they are urgent, so pleasant and ordinary things get skipped simply for being safe.

• Pick one ordinary thing rather than something impressive
• Stay with it for two breaths — depth beats length of list
• Do not aim at feeling grateful; aim at noticing

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Put both feet flat on the floor and let them take some of the weight.
2. 0:14We are not forcing positivity. We are just noticing what went right, however small.
3. 0:28Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
4. 0:41Let your attention settle on the space between your nose and your upper lip, where the air passes.
5. 0:57Notice how many breaths you take in a minute. Don't change the number, just check.
6. 1:11Feel the slight stretch at the very bottom of the exhale.
7. 1:23Notice the weight of your thighs, all the way down.
8. 1:35Now feel both feet at once. That's a lot of contact with the world.
9. 1:49Feel your forearms, from the elbow down to the wrist.
10. 2:01There is a part of you that has handled hard moments before. That part is here now, even if it is quiet.
11. 2:19There is no correct amount of the slow drift toward sleep to be feeling right now. Whatever is here is the honest amount.
12. 2:37Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
13. 2:47Take the next breath slowly.
14. 2:56Notice the breath you're taking right now. That's the only one that exists.
15. 3:09If your mind has wandered, that's not a mistake. Noticing is the practice.
16. 3:22Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
17. 3:34There is no need to feel grateful. Just look, and see what is actually there.
18. 3:48If you're thinking about the next thing on your list, that list will still be there.
19. 4:03Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
20. 4:14Let's rest here in silence. It's short.
21. 4:24Imagine the thoughts that keep the light on as a room you can walk out of for a minute. The room will still be there.
22. 4:43If the surrender at the end of the day has been with you all day, it is probably tired too. Let it rest alongside you.
23. 5:02Let the breath be slow enough that you can hear it, just barely.
24. 5:15If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
25. 5:28Notice if you're being hard on yourself about any of this.
26. 5:40Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
27. 5:51Pick one ordinary thing from today — a warm drink, a dry walk, a message — and let it count.
28. 6:08Let the quiet end on its own rather than cutting it off.
29. 6:21Let the last of the stillness stay with you for a few more seconds.
30. 6:35Let this one be unhurried.

Questions people ask

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