Finding time for meditation let alone sleep can be a challenge. Auto circadian meditation attempts to solve both issues together. While meditation is becoming more common, many of its benefits are being lost because people are not practicing this form of relaxation enough. Auto circadian meditation utilizes the natural rhythms of the body with three ways to synchronize brain activity with our natural cycles.
The circadian rhythm is the term for our sleeping and waking patterns. Our brain needs time to decompress, which is why there are circadian rhythms that follow the natural changes of day and night. However, with technology taking over, we as humans are staying up later than ever before. There has been research done on how artificial light can interfere with the production of melatonin in the brain, which can cause mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.
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Auto circadian meditation helps to solve this problem by adjusting your body to three different things: with light, sound, and rotating your head from side to side as you meditate. This technique can help those who have trouble falling asleep during the night, as well as those who suffer from depression and anxiety. Auto circadian meditation is a simple and natural way to receive these benefits and promote restorative sleep.
Circadian rhythms operate in cycles, and you should start seeing a pattern. Maybe you’re a morning person by nature, or maybe you’re a night owl who prefers to be active in the evenings. You can begin customizing your lifestyle based on your own circadian rhythm after learning more about it.
It is common knowledge that the body experiences heightened natural rhythms during the day and night, but many of us do not realize how it affects our brain activity as well as our thought processes. People suffering from mood disorders like depression or anxiety often have severe disruptions in their daily lives, causing them to lose important routines.
When a circadian rhythm is disturbed, your mood also suffers as a result. In some cases, it can even cause serious health problems. Auto circadian meditation is a way to work on restoring the natural order of relaxation and sleep so that you can be back on track with your mood and have better sleeping routines again.
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Auto Circadian Meditation Benefits
Auto circadian meditation takes into account what time of day you are most active or feel the most tired. This technique uses three different ways to interrupt that cycle, forcing your body to change its rhythm. The goal is simply to bring your brain activity back in line with the natural cycles of the day and night.
- Increase in quality and length of sleep. For those who have trouble falling asleep during the night, this is an essential benefit. Not only will it help them to fall asleep more naturally, but they may also experience deeper levels of sleep and even REM cycles that promote a healthy brain and body.
- Greater concentration. Meditation is well known for improving focus and concentration. However, many people struggle with finding the right way to meditate. With this technique, your mind will automatically adjust to the necessary patterns that contribute to increased focus, making it easier for you to practice meditation at any time during the day or night.
- Decreased feeling from jet lag. While you might not have control over being on a plane, you do have the ability to change your thinking patterns after arriving at your destination. This technique can help decrease any feelings of fatigue or disorientation so that you are back to normal as soon as possible.
- Reduction in anxiety and depression. When a circadian rhythm is disrupted, it can affect your mood drastically. This form of meditation helps to regulate processes in the brain that control emotions, making it easier for you to better manage these mood swings and improve your relationship with yourself and others.
- Mood regulation. You may have noticed how mood disorders such as anxiety and depression can cause disruptions within the normal circadian rhythms of sleep and activity. Auto circadian meditation can help to regulate these mood disorders, promoting better energy levels and mental focus.
- Stress relief. It is common to feel stressed when your circadian rhythms are disrupted, but it can be difficult to find time for meditation in your day-to-day life. Auto circadian meditation requires only a few minutes of your time each day, giving you the benefits of stress management without needing any extra time.
- Weight loss. Meditation has long been known to be beneficial for weight loss. But how do you fit it into your day-to-day routine? With this technique, there is no need to find extra time for meditation because it will happen naturally during the course of your day.
- Improved cardiovascular health. Many studies have shown that meditation can improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of heart disease. However, you may not be able to devote as much time to meditation as you would like without taking away from other daily tasks. Auto circadian meditation allows your body to naturally adjust to these necessary relaxation processes, promoting better cardiovascular health without increasing the need for extra time in your day.
- Greater emotional awareness. Meditation helps to expand your awareness and understanding of who you are and how your emotions affect you and those around you. Auto circadian meditation ensures that these necessary changes in the brain will happen automatically, promoting a better ability to connect with yourself and others.
- Promotes better decision-making. When you are maintaining constant brain activity through meditation, it helps to improve your overall thought processing and ability to make decisions in stressful situations. It also helps with learning new skills because of the enhancement of memory. And when you are less stressed out about everyday life, you’ll have a greater sense of confidence and better mental focus.
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How to Practice Auto Circadian Meditation
It is important to find out what time of day you are most active or at your peak energy level. This information will be useful in helping you practice auto circadian meditation, as it will determine how you rotate your head and use your light source each day. You will also want to consider whether you sleep better with sounds or in silence, which is another important factor to consider when it comes time for auto circadian meditation.
Prep
You will want to start by finding the best time of day that you can practice this form of meditation, keeping in mind your mood and activity level at different times throughout the day. It helps if you have a flexible schedule that allows you to sleep, but you will also want to consider how your moods change depending on the time of day.
People who are night owls may have a problem with waking up early for auto circadian meditation, but it is possible to wake yourself up during this time so long as your body clock has not changed too drastically. You can do this by setting your light source to a specific color and brightness during the time that you intend to practice meditation.
For those who enjoy using sounds with their meditation, you can also choose a noise machine or other method of keeping yourself awake. Make sure that whatever method you choose is loud enough to make it through your headphones as well as able to keep you from falling asleep.
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The first step in the process is to avoid screen time for at least an hour before bedtime so that you may prepare for sleep without distractions. Next, use light therapy to ensure your body will start producing melatonin, which helps with sleep regulation.
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For the next step, you will need a clock with a light, as well as an alarm that will go off every twenty minutes. Sit or lie down in your bed and keep your eyes fixated on the light until it goes off. If done correctly, this process should induce restorative sleep at night.
If you do not have such equipment, you can also focus on sound. This process is similar to the one described above, but rather than having your eyes focused on a light, you should instead listen to white or pink noise for twenty minutes while lying down.
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The final step in auto circadian meditation is the rotation of the head. Begin by finding a comfortable position to sit in with your eyes closed. Then, visualize a clock behind your eyelids and rotate your head from side to side as if you were glancing at the numbers on the face of the clock.
Light Therapy Effects
Using light therapy is one of the first things you should do to adjust to the natural rhythms of your body. Incorporating light into your daily routine can really help with adjusting to changes in time and energy levels. It is important to use bright light early in the morning, as it will promote a more active circadian rhythm. You should make sure that you are starting your day off right by getting out of bed and being active in the morning when you wake up.
You can begin this process by setting your alarm to go off a little earlier each day, allowing light into your room right when you wake up. If you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, try using bright lights in your room to improve your mood and boost natural energy levels so that you can get on with your day right away.
If you have a hard time falling asleep during the night, employing a more active form of relaxation can be helpful. You can use sound therapy to help you relax and focus on sleeping at night, as well as being more active during the day. This type of meditation/relaxation technique has been shown to be effective in reducing stress, depression, and anxiety.
The more activity you engage in during the day, the higher quality of sleep you will experience at night. After starting light therapy first thing in the morning for a few weeks, you can move on to sound therapy right before bed every night. Meditation is an important part of both processes, and you should make sure to spend some time each day focusing on calming your mind and getting ready for sleep.
You can start this process by setting a few alarms throughout the day, allowing you to take a break and relax with sound therapy. Save the auto circadian meditation/relaxation part for right before bedtime so that you wind down from your day and get yourself ready for a peaceful night’s sleep.
Like the other steps, this process should induce restorative sleep and promote mood regulation and anxiety relief. While light therapy is considered to be the most effective method for the most part, you should consider trying all three steps to find what works best for you.
Completing these simple and natural steps every day will allow you to take advantage of your body’s daily reflexes and promote a healthier lifestyle with more restorative sleep that can lead to mood regulation and anxiety relief.