While life may be hard and the world can be a tough place, we currently live in the best era in human history up until this point. Infant mortality rates are a fraction of what they’ve been throughout human history, and we have a relative abundance of resources compared to a mere 100 years ago.
That being said, the modern world isn’t perfect, and it’s taking a toll on our bodies, which were designed for a much simpler lifestyle. Meditation is one of the best ways to reduce the daily stress we put up with, but many of our readers have asked us whether they should meditate in the morning or at night. As an answer, we put together this helpful guide.
Meditating in the Morning
The main advantage of meditating in the morning is that you get it out of the way early on in the day, which means that you’re more likely to do it in the first place. When you get out of bed, you usually have more energy than during the night, so you’ll have less of a chance of neglecting your meditation.
Of course, this is only true for people who have a relatively relaxed morning routine, so if you always wake up late, then you may want to choose a different time. However, if you have a bit of free time before you need to go to work, you’ll find that meditating can help immensely for the rest of the day.
Enjoying your morning meditation’s effects for the duration of your workday is another huge advantage of meditating in the morning. If you complete your daily meditations early on, then you’ll be far more centered throughout your workday, resulting in improved performance and a better mood.
If you often struggle during work and find yourself growing bored or running out of energy, we recommend trying out some early morning meditation plans. Beyond work, you’ll benefit from additional energy and improved happiness over the course of the whole day.
Studies have also shown that we usually have high cortisol levels in the morning, right after we wake up. If you make sure that you meditate before you do anything else in the morning, then your meditation schedule will help reduce the levels of naturally-occurring cortisol in your blood right after you wake up.
Mornings also tend to be one of the quieter times around the home, which can be a huge factor if you have a family. If you don’t have to deal with kids running around or your partner potentially needing to interrupt you, then your meditation session is far more likely to be productive.
At the beginning of the day, then your mind will be far more likely to be clear and empty of the previous day’s concerns. When you have something nagging at your mind, then you’ll find it hard to stay focused on your meditation, and it’s hard to prevent this from happening near the end of the day.
Your body will also be relatively empty during the morning, so you won’t have your body devoting resources to digesting food, detracting from your meditation. As long as you can adequately manage your time, then meditating during the morning comes with a host of advantages.
Meditating at Night
While morning meditation has its benefits, the same rings true for meditation during the night, especially if you are more of a night person. If you have more energy during the night than you do in the morning, then you will be far more likely to follow through on your plans to meditate in the evening.
Night meditation is also an excellent choice for people who work night shifts, as they’ll likely have enough time to perform their daily meditation before they need to leave for work. Night meditation will also help keep you centered throughout your shift if you work late, improving performance.
Even if you work regular hours, then you’ll find that night meditation can give you a range of benefits that carry through to the next day. For example, night meditation has been proven to improve the quality of your sleep, making you more rested for the coming day.
Many people underestimate the importance of rest, as the amount of sleep can massively affect your waking life. Being better rested has the advantage of improving your life expectancy, attention span, and happiness levels, which will go hand-in-hand with the goals of your meditation routine.
Another advantage of night meditation is that it won’t make your morning routine any more hectic. Many people find themselves scrambling when they get out of bed, which may lead to them rushing their meditation or having to perform it with a distraction on their minds.
If you can’t take the time to enjoy your meditation, then it won’t have much of an effect on you. You’re better off meditating at night when you get home after a long workday instead of trying to squeeze it into a packed morning routine and stressing yourself out even more.
Of course, if you have insomnia or other troubles sleeping, then meditation at night comes highly recommended. Night meditation will help calm you down, and this will reduce your heart rate, making it easier to drift away into sleep.
Many people choose to meditate at night after particularly stressful days when they need to center themselves once more. Even if you’ve already meditated in the morning, an extra session at night can help you digest the day’s challenges and feel revitalized instead of annoyed by the experience.
Conclusion
When choosing if meditating in the morning or evening is best, you have to take a look at your daily routine and your preferences. Everyone is different, and there is no best time to meditate, as that will depend on a wide range of factors that only you know.
