To the Me Who’s Been Struggling to Sleep More Often Lately

Nights when I crawl into bed but sleep just won’t come.
My mind spins with thoughts of the next day, growing strangely alert.

What finally helped me break out of those restless nights was an app called GASSHO, which delivers the calming sounds of sutras and meditation.

When I was younger, I’d fall asleep within minutes. But now, my mind often stays too active—
“Did I reply to that email?”
“Is everything ready for tomorrow?”
One thought triggers another, and suddenly my head is full. I can’t shut it off.

The more I think “I have to sleep”, the more sleep escapes me.
That contradiction has haunted me lately.

Night Meditation as Sleep Practice

Sleep is supposed to be natural.
But somewhere along the way, I found myself trying too hard to fall asleep.

Too much screen time
A brain overworked by deadlines
An overload of information

Modern life may be silently robbing us of the mental stillness we need.

That’s why I began to wonder:
Maybe what we truly need is to prepare for sleep—
to slow down before we shut our eyes.

That’s when I discovered the GASSHO meditation app.

Meeting GASSHO: Choosing a Sutra Over Silence

GASSHO offers a variety of audio content rooted in Buddhism and meditation.
Among them, one piece quietly drew me in: a track called “Sacred Sutra.”

Sutras? I hesitated at first.

But when I actually listened, I realized—
even without understanding the meaning,
the voice, the rhythm, and the resonance slowly soaked into my heart.

It felt like drifting at the bottom of a quiet sea.

I decided to let this sound hold my mind before bed.
And so began a simple 7-day “sleep-prep” routine paired with short meditations.

Subtle Shifts Over 7 Days

The method was simple:

My Nightly GASSHO Routine

• Turn off notifications
  
• Play the sutra
  
• Listen softly via headphones or speaker
  
• Close my eyes and breathe deeply for 5–10 minutes
  
• Focus only on the sound
  

At first, I wasn’t sure if it would work.
I even found myself opening social media a few nights.

But by Day 4, something shifted.
The waves of sound began to push away distractions.

I felt the mental noise start to fade.

The moment I thought, “There’s no point in overthinking. Just listen,”
was the moment something started to change.

What It Feels Like to Surrender to Sound

When we hear “meditation,” we tend to think:
I have to focus.
I must clear my mind.

But the GASSHO experience was the opposite.

When I thought, “I don’t have to try so hard anymore,” and simply gave in to the sound,
it began to sink into me, naturally, with each breath.

From thinking to feeling—
That gentle shift was what quietly guided me toward sleep.

Isn't Using a Smartphone for Meditation a Bad Idea?

That’s what I thought, too.

But GASSHO is made only for sleep.

Turn off notifications.
Don’t open other apps. Just press play.

When your intention is clear, even your phone can become a sleep aid.

In fact, a 2024 meta-analysis found that sleep-support apps with audio guidance led to moderate improvements in insomnia and sleep quality.

→ [ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945724003964?utm_source=chatgpt.com ]

How Is It Different from Aromatherapy or a Bath?

When we think of winding down, we often think of baths or essential oils.
I love those too.

But what I felt with GASSHO was a different kind of peace—
a quietness from within.

• Aromatherapy relaxes the body
  
• A warm bath eases tension
  
• Sutra + meditation calms the mind’s deepest layers
  

It felt like someone gently reaching into the quietest part of me.
That’s the unique comfort I found through GASSHO.

It's Okay Not to Be Perfect—What Matters Is Being Ready for Sleep

Thanks to GASSHO, I no longer lie in bed thinking, “I have to sleep right now.”

Instead, I can tell myself,
“It’s okay to stop trying. You’ve done enough for today.”

That shift has been my biggest change.

Sure, I still have nights when I can’t sleep.
But now, just having a quiet moment before bed makes tomorrow feel lighter.

Especially for Busy Minds—We Need Sound and Stillness

We all feel restless at night sometimes.
But maybe the answer isn’t to do more—but to let go.

The “Sacred Sutra” in GASSHO helped me do just that.

By focusing on sound and letting thoughts fade,
I created space in my heart.

And in that space, sleep began to gently arrive.

GASSHO Night Meditation Q&A

Q1. Can I really sleep using my phone?

A. Yes—if you turn off notifications and focus only on the sound, it may actually help.
As noted earlier, a 2024 meta-analysis showed moderate sleep improvements with sleep apps.

Q2. Do I need to understand the sutra’s meaning?

A. Not at all. The intonation and rhythm help relax the brain, even without comprehension.

Q3. How long should I meditate?

A. Beginners can start with 5–10 minutes.
A study published in JAMA found that just 2 hours of meditation per week for 6 weeks improved sleep quality.

→ JAMAstudy [ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2110998?utm_source=chatgpt.com ]

Q4. Do I have to do it every night for it to work?

A. Not necessarily. What matters most is knowing you can return to it anytime.
Habits come and go—but knowing there’s always a quiet place to begin again brings deep comfort.

Q5. How is this different from other methods?

A. The sounds of sutras and meditation access the emotional and mental layers often untouched.
Sutras contain rhythmic patterns that naturally guide brainwaves toward a relaxed alpha state.
Even without understanding the words, surrendering to the sound is enough to bring peace.

If aromatherapy heals from the outside,
GASSHO helps us calm down from the inside.

In the End

Whether or not I fall asleep quickly no longer defines success.

What matters is whether I can create a little space in my heart to end the day.

That’s the shift GASSHO gave me.

In the middle of a sleepless night, it offers a soft, quiet moment—
one that might become your gateway to rest.

If you’d like to learn more, visit → https://gassho.info/

Give it a try—especially on the nights you can’t seem to fall asleep.

— Team GASSHO / Yuka