“Mindfulness and Sleep: How to improve your sleep quality through practicing mindfulness” is a British book packed with good ideas for a good night’s sleep.

Author Anna Black believes that mindfulness meditation helps us to become accept wakefulness in the night. By reducing anxiety, we can sleep … or not … with a quiet mind. A Harvard study backs up this idea because mindfulness helps to invoke the relaxation response.

The book contains about 25 exercises to improve sleep quality. For example, “Checking Your Posture” is a practice done during the day to establish the relaxed posture that helps sleep. You can stand or sit while you check your posture with eyes open or shut. Put both feet on the floor. Place your hands in a cupped position in your lap. Slowly run your attention from the soles of your feet through your ankles, calves, knees, thighs and pelvis. Then go to the base of the spine and run your attention up to the head. Keep adjusting your posture as needed.

The author has many good suggestions, including doing a body scan on only your hand and doing a slow, steady body outline while you are lying down.

I would add a Jesus prayer or a breath prayer while doing these small moves to deepen the relaxation and build your rest in Jesus.

This book has 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Other resources for Christian mindfulness are found here.