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Insomnia is often related to stress and anxiety. When we stay busy during the day, it’s often only at night, when we’re trying to sleep, that these worries come to the front of our minds.

The yoga and meditation teacher, nutritionist and author Madeleine Shaw recommends daily meditation as a way to combat night-time panic. "A lot of the time people say when they meditate: ‘Oh, I sleep a lot better,’ and a huge part of that is because if we move the stress through our body during the day, then we don’t have to process it at night," she says.

Getting into the habit of meditating during the day is a great preventative measure against worries pinging into our heads when we should be sleeping.

2. Wind down after a busy day

When we’ve had a hectic day, it’s important to signal to our bodies that the fight or flight period is over and that we can move into rest and digest mode. Dimming the lights and playing relaxing classical music can help us transition from the stimulation of the day.

Pauli Lovejoy is a drummer, composer, producer, musical director and founder of Flybrations (a radio show on AMP, a wellness day festival and more). After coming off stage, he says, it's important to "take a moment to just be still and be with yourself - and that’s where meditation comes in." For Pauli, meditation helps him let go of the things that have happened during the day and ground himself before going to bed.

Taking a hot bath before bed relaxes your body on a number of levels, especially when coupled with magnesium bath salts, which studies suggest can help to improve sleep and aid muscle recovery.

(clockwise from left) Madeleine Shaw, Izzy Judd, Rod Stryker, Pauli Lovejoy, Charlotte Parr

Mindfulness meditation expert, violinist, author and mum of three Izzy Judd explains that "one of the quickest ways to be mindful is to tap in with your senses". Bathtime is a good time for this, as there are lots of senses involved. "You’ve got the bubbles from the bath, you can smell whatever shampoo you’re using, you can feel the temperature of the water," says Izzy. And of course, adding classical music to the mix will create an even more relaxing experience.

4. Settle down for the night

Once you’re in bed, meditative techniques can help you slow down before falling asleep. Rod Stryker, a yoga and meditation expert, recommends "working with the breath and working with relaxation to facilitate deep sleep". We all know that our sleep suffers when we have a lot on our mind. Worries tend to be around things in the outside world like work, money worries and family issues - so to get better sleep, we can try to look inwards.

Rod’s top breathing technique for sleep is a slow inhale and exhale, with an "attentive" pause after the inhale - "because if you hold your breath and you’re thinking about work, it’s actually going to take you more power to work," he says. "On the other hand, if you hold your breath and stay inside, it actually starts to train awareness to move inwards and anchor it there, and prepare you for sleep."

5. Recover quickly from wake-ups

Do you ever wake at 3am and struggle to get back to sleep? Instead of counting sheep, try listening to a guided meditation. This is a tried and tested method for Izzy Judd. "Often with small children you get woken up and then it’s really hard to fall back to sleep," she explains. "That’s when I find listening to a guided meditation with music (like on this podcast) really soothing, and it helps me get back to sleep." Think of it as an extended lullaby crossed with a bedtime story.

Find out more about meditation and get started straight away with The Music & Meditation Podcast on 大象传媒 Sounds. Hosted by singer-songwriter Nao, and inspired by her own journey, the podcast is designed to help you find stillness and meet the challenges of daily life.

In every episode Nao is joined by a meditation expert to address issues around mental health and wellbeing - from imposter syndrome to shaping your inner voice, starting the day right to sleeping better at night. It's all soundtracked with original music from some of the UK's most talented young composers, exclusively recorded by the 大象传媒 Concert Orchestra and 大象传媒 Singers.