Many adults have trouble sleeping at night simply because they struggle with turning their mind off at the end of the day. Add stress to the mix and it can get increasingly complicated to come down and relax when it is time to sleep. A recent study has found a potential way around this however, by introducing mindful meditation as a habit.

Mindful meditation is basically the act of sitting calmly and quietly while focuses on deep breathing and clearing the mind. It has been found to be better at promoting restful sleep than other relaxation techniques, according to the study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

The research was done at UCLA and used 49 volunteers over the age of 55. Not only did those of the meditating group show greater sleep improvement than the people who used different relaxation methods, but meditating also seemed to work better than many sleep medications.

Dr. Herbert Benson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, explained how mediation can help.

“The essence of all types of meditation is they evoke the relaxation response. All of these techniques, including mindful meditation, yoga, tai chi, and even repetitive prayer break the train of everyday thinking,” he said.

Besides just being annoying, missing sleep over the long term can cause all kinds of different health issues. Insomnia has been shown to put people at risk for depression, substance abuse, cardiovascular issues, obesity, and a lowered immune system.

Mindful meditation is an easily taught practice with considerable benefits.

The study study author Dr. Michael Irwin went on about the importance of these findings.

“All of us have had sleepless nights and we’ve all experienced what that does to us the day after. Imagine if you were living with this day in and day; it can be exhausting, and certainly detrimental to your health, particularly for the elderly population. The practice of mindfulness appears to promote a good night’s sleep,” he said.