Meditation for insomnia: 10-minute letting go session, in the hour before an exam

About this practice

10 minutes to meet insomnia with less of a fight. A letting go practice, in the hour before an exam. A guided session of about 10 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: insomnia

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night.

It tends to show up as:

Dreading bedtime
Hours awake with a busy mind
Sleeping worse as the week goes on

Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

Doing this before an exam

Do it outside the hall, before you go in
Do not revise during it — that raises the noise
Aim to arrive early and steady rather than late and reading

Last-minute revision mostly raises arousal without adding recall. Arriving settled is worth more.

How letting go works

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

Pick one thing you are gripping and loosen a single finger
Release the effort with the exhale, not the issue
Set down temporarily; you can pick it up again after

What happens, minute by minute

0:00Rest your hands somewhere they don't have to do anything.
0:12With each exhale, let a little of the effort go. Not the problem — just the effort.
0:27Let your breathing find its own pace. We're only going to watch it.
0:40We're going to move through the body in order, roughly from top to bottom.
0:54Let your breathing be boring. Boring is good here.
1:05Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
1:19Notice where your body is still holding something. Leave it alone.
1:31Notice your whole body as one shape, sitting or lying here.
1:43Notice the backs of your knees, which you feel more than you think.
1:56Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
2:07If the wide-awake mind at 2am starts telling you a story, let the story finish without you adding to it.
2:24Let the exhale carry a little of the counting of hours until morning with it. Not all of it. Just a little, one breath at a time.
2:44If a song is stuck in your head, let it play in the background.
2:58You have been carrying this competently for a while. A few minutes off will not undo that.
3:13Nothing to follow for a moment except your own breathing.
3:25You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
3:37Ask yourself what you could stop holding for the next sixty seconds. That one is a good start.
3:53No words for a moment. Only the next breath.
4:04Notice the moment you realise you've drifted. That moment is the whole skill.
4:17Pick one thing you are gripping — a plan, a worry, a grudge — and loosen a single finger.
4:33I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
4:45If you're distracted by a sound, let the sound be the object for a moment.
4:59Feel the last part of the exhale, where it turns into nothing.
5:12Stay here a little longer.
5:21Let your whole body be as heavy as it wants to be.
5:34Let your breathing get quieter rather than deeper.
5:45A few seconds more.
5:54Notice the space between your shoulder blades.
6:04Let the breath move at the speed of a sleeping person.
6:16Remain here for a few more breaths.
6:26Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
6:38Notice the first breath of the day versus this one. They're the same mechanism.
6:52Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
7:04When the frustration of not sleeping presses in, put a hand on your chest or your belly. Warmth and pressure are anchors your body already trusts.
7:23If the wide-awake mind at 2am is loud right now, make your attention smaller. Just the next breath. Nothing beyond it.
7:40Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
7:51Picture the counting of hours until morning as a weather front passing over. You are not the weather. You are the sky it moves through.
8:10Notice any urge to check something. You can wait two more minutes.
8:23Notice if you're waiting for something to happen. Nothing is scheduled.
8:35Let me stop talking. Follow the breath instead.
8:46Setting something down is not the same as giving up. You can pick it up again after.
9:01Stay with it.
9:09Before you open your eyes, notice how you feel compared to the start. It might be small.
9:24When you stand up, do it slowly. There's no reason to hurry.

Questions people ask

What does this session help with?

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night. Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

Where and when should I do this one?

Do it outside the hall, before you go in. Last-minute revision mostly raises arousal without adding recall. Arriving settled is worth more.

What actually happens during the 10 minutes?

Letting go is about loosening grip rather than dropping things. It works on the effort attached to a problem — the holding, rehearsing and bracing — which is separable from the problem itself.

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