Practicing meditation techniques for achieving restful sleep may help you drift off faster. Mindfulness meditation in particular has shown promising results for improving sleep. The core tenets of mindfulness meditation include bringing about relaxation by focusing on the present and letting go of judgment. When practiced at bedtime, mindfulness may help reduce rumination and make it easier to let go of negative emotions in preparation for sleep. Mindfulness meditation may help calm sleep-related anxiety and reduce time awake in bed for people with chronic insomnia. When initially beginning meditation methods, you may find it takes longer to reach a state of relaxation. As you become more familiar with the process, you can begin to relax more quickly and fall asleep. Talk to your doctor before starting meditation if you have a history of trauma, or if you find that meditation brings up painful or difficult thoughts. Along with these relaxation techniques, methods to improve sleep onset latency may include getting regular exercise, taking a warm bath before bedtime, essential oil aromatherapy, or writing down thoughts and worries.