Recently I’ve been using some excellent mantras for sleep and oh my goodness have they helped me to get a good night’s rest.
The best sleep mantras can help you to relax and unwind before bed, to stop insomnia, and to get those all-important Zzzzzzs that you might have been missing. Ive also used some English affirmations as well as spiritual sounds and phrases.
Affirmations are similar. Affirmations are basically short sentences that we say to ourselves to create certain thoughts and feelings. For instance, “I am calming, resting, and drifting off” is one good affirmation for sleep.
Mantras are technically a little different. Spiritually speaking, they are sounds or phrases with special powers that create certain psychological or physical changes in us. There are sleep mantras in kundalini yoga, Hinduism, and other spiritual belief systems. I’ve written a flipping massive guide to meditation mantras for beginners.
Let me share with you the very best mantras for sleep, and you might also like to read my guide to using meditation for insomnia and sleep.
What are sleep-mantras?
Sleep mantras are sacred words and sounds that is used to help you to get to sleep at night. [READ: beginners mantra meditation guide].
There are two different kinds: affirmations and spiritual phrases and sounds.
In the West it is more common to use affirmations for sleep, such as “I feel my body and mind relaxing and letting go”. Reciting these affirmations will help you to drift off.
Spiritual mantras are sacred phrases from yoga and Hindusim that have special powers. We use these when performing Japa (meditating on recitations), which helps to create the restful state of mind we get from meditation, plus the specific benefits of the specific one.
Benefits
Sleep mantras originated in Ayurveda.
The Ayurveda, a 5000-year-old healing system, contains many different techniques for sleeping.
The Ayurveda states that rest is the “nursemaid to humanity”. A good night’s rest enables the body to restore itself to its natural, energised, pure form.
But sometimes it’s a nightmare trying to get to doze off. If you have insomnia, one excellent solution is to practice Japa before bedtime. This will help your mind to unwind and relax so you are ready to doze off.
Using meditation and mantras before bed
My number one insomnia tip is actually to get to doze off by meditating. I always recommend trying meditation for rest as the first step. However, a very close second is to do some chanting of spiritual phrases and sacred sounds before bed.
I used to suffer from chronic insomnia (mostly thanks to the lads above my room in University who insisted on playing a particularly violent video game at a billion decibels every night). You know that feeling when you want to slam your head into the wall so hard that you pass out, because you just can’t take insomnia anymore? I was at that spot for a good few months.
It was only thanks to sleep-mantras that I was able to solve the problem and start catching those Zzzz’s. By practising Japa before bed, I was able to silence my mind and get some good rest at night. Sacred sounds worked for me, and I am confident they will work for you too.
How it helps you sleep well at night
The science of these sacred sounds is based on Ayurveda.
Ayurveda states that insomnia is caused by the imbalance of Vata dosha [1], the movement of energy inside the body. If you are suffering from an imbalance of Vata dosha, you will feel cluttered, your mind full of noise.
If you want to get good rest at night, you need to balance your Vata dosha.
To balance Vata dosha, Ayurvedic tradition advocates a lifestyle that is conducive to holistic health and wellbeing, incorporating nutrition, exercise, and relaxation. You can start to heal yourself and get to sleep using meditation. Sacred sounds can help too. So let me show you the best mantras to sleep well at night.
The Best Mantras For Sleep
English affirmations
First of all, let’s take a look at a few English mantras for good sleep and insomnia.
Recite these 20 times before bed.
- “I am calm and still.”
- “The world is sleeping, and all is well.”
- “I welcome rest into my being.”
- “I am breathing deeply and calmly, becoming more and more relaxed with each breath.”
- “I feel my mind and body drifting off.”
- “Mind and body are letting go.”
These are fundamental affirmations for sleeping. They work by the power of suggestion. They will quiet your mind and help you to drift off.
As mentioned above, this is the first type: affirmations. Now let’s look at some Kundalini yoga and Hindu mantras for sleeping well.
1: Sa Ta Na Ma
Sa Ta Na Ma is a kundalini yoga mantra for sleeping. Recite this one before bed, and you will get a good night’s rest. It has five sounds (it is a panj shabad mantra). It balances the brain’s hemispheres. Poor rest and insomnia are often caused by a lack of balance in the chemicals of the brain. Sa Ta Na Ma promotes balance and returns us to our natural, healthy mental state.
2: Har Har Mukunday
Har Har Mukunday is another powerful mantra for sleep. This will relax your mind so you can get some rest.
Often, insomnia is caused by a mental block. To overcome these blocks, we need to enter a state of flow. This is where Har Har Mukunday can help. It removes fears and other kinds of mental blocks so we can relax.
3: Ang Sang Waheguru
Ang Sang Waheguru will balance your mind and body, helping you to get rest.
Instructions
There is a specific way of using mantras for sleep. Simply follow these guidelines:
Lie down comfortably with good posture
Close your eyes and take ten deep breaths. Breath in for four. Hold for four. Breathe out for four. Hold for four Repeat. This technique is called “box breathing” and will activate your parasympathetic nervous system so you start to relax.
Begin to recite one of the mantras above. Meditate on the sound. Place your conscious awareness inside the sound.
Recite the mantra 108 times.
Enjoy your sleep.
By sleeping well, you will help return your mind and body to a healthy, rested state. I recommend combining the above with some meditations. You can find all the different meditations via our main menu.
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When you recite an affirmation, any affirmation, always the “time” word Now in them.