About Us

We're the creators of BetterSleep, a leading wellness app helping over 60 million people around the globe sleep better.

We’re on a mission to help people around the world live a happier, healthier life, through expert-led meditations, sleep stories, brainwaves and more.

Share article
Meditate to Curb Cravings
wellness
Meditate to Curb Cravings
by BetterSleep
4 min read
Share article

A craving is an intense longing or overwhelming desire for something that produces a unique behavior. Cravings can happen after being exposed to a place where something has been used before, such as an illicit drug, alcohol, or smoking a cigarette.

According to recent studies, 100% of young women and 70% of young men experienced food cravings in the last year. With so many people struggling with cravings, it makes sense to look at ways to curb them.

Mindfulness meditation is a way to learn how to manage cravings. It can help liberate you from destructive patterns that don’t have a positive effect on your wellbeing. Whether you have occasional cravings or intense daily urges, meditation for cravings is a way to break the cycle.

Why Does Meditation Help Cravings?

During meditation, you are taught to watch your thoughts and let them go without judgment. You can acknowledge and tell yourself they will eventually pass. Other ways meditation helps cravings include:

  • Calm stress and reduce anxiety. Food cravings often arise from an emotional need, like when we are sad or stressed. Carbohydrates boost serotonin, which has a calming effect and is why we often crave fat and sugar. Meditation helps to reduce stress, therefore will help to minimize cravings.
  • Increase positive thinking. Meditation is known to enhance the feelings of positivity and happiness. When feeling optimistic, gives you more strength to change addictive patterns.
  • Improve the mind-body connection. During meditation, you learn how to focus, listen to the body and relax which helps increase body awareness.
  • Greater mental clarity. Meditation teaches you to calm racing thoughts which allows greater mental clarity and makes you more present.
  • Boost metabolic function and well-being. Because meditation regulates blood pressure and boosts metabolic function, this can reduce sugar cravings.

How to Mindfully Manage Your Cravings with Meditation?

Meditation makes your mind aware of cravings and starts to see them for what they really are – emotionally charged thoughts. Meditate to curb cravings by following these steps:

  • Sit comfortably on a cushion or chair.
  • Close your eyes and start to notice your breaths. Pay attention to how your body feels on the floor and how your arms fall in your lap.
  • Bring attention to your breath. Start to count each inhalation and exhalation until you reach 10. Then start over.
  • When your mind starts to wander, notice any thoughts or cravings that arrive.
  • Acknowledge and let these pass without judgment.
  • Return your attention to your breathing.
  • Each time you become distracted, be mindful, but don’t let yourself worry about how often your thoughts wander.
  • After reaching the end of your meditation, gently open your eyes and start to notice the sights and sounds around you.

Start using the BetterSleep app for free, to access guided meditations that calm the mind, improve sleep health and manage cravings.

Share article

Related posts

The Importance of Sleep
sleep / wellness
The Importance of Sleep
by BetterSleep
8 min read
Benefits of Meditating in the Morning
wellness
Benefits of Meditating in the Morning
by BetterSleep
10 min read
Best Teas for Sleep
sleep / wellness
Best Teas for Sleep
by BetterSleep
10 min read
Why We Like Background Noise
wellness
Why We Like Background Noise
by BetterSleep
11 min read
What is Box Breathing?
wellness / mental health
What is Box Breathing?
by BetterSleep
6 min read
What Are Soundscapes?
wellness / mental health
What Are Soundscapes?
by BetterSleep
5 min read
Walking Meditation: How to Meditate While Walking
wellness
Walking Meditation: How to Meditate While Walking
by BetterSleep
8 min read
Coffee Naps: What Are They and Do They Work?
sleep / wellness
Coffee Naps: What Are They and Do They Work?
by BetterSleep
5 min read
Relaxing Nature Music
wellness
Relaxing Nature Music
by BetterSleep
4 min read
Music Is Good for the Brain
wellness / mental health
Music Is Good for the Brain
by BetterSleep
8 min read

Top 10 posts

From Stress to Success: How to Manage Back-to-School Anxiety
wellness / mental health
From Stress to Success: How to Manage Back-to-School Anxiety
by BetterSleep
5 min read
Behind the Scenes: Pride 2024 at BetterSleep with Collin Martin
lifestyle / news
Behind the Scenes: Pride 2024 at BetterSleep with Collin Martin
by Scott Yim
4 min read
Waking Up to Injustice: The Intersection of Racism, Sleep Deprivation, and Black History
news / mental health
Waking Up to Injustice: The Intersection of Racism, Sleep Deprivation, and Black History
by BetterSleep
8 min read
Sleep Paralysis Explained
sleep
Sleep Paralysis Explained
by BetterSleep
10 min read
How to Cope with Holiday Depression and Stress
mental health / wellness
How to Cope with Holiday Depression and Stress
by BetterSleep
5 min read
Have a Healthy Holiday Season
news / wellness
Have a Healthy Holiday Season
by BetterSleep
5 min read
Mindful Listening
lifestyle / mental health
Mindful Listening
by BetterSleep
6 min read
Sleep Hypnosis Apps: A Guide to Self-Hypnosis
sleep
Sleep Hypnosis Apps: A Guide to Self-Hypnosis
by BetterSleep
7 min read
Calming Foods for Anxiety
wellness / mental health
Calming Foods for Anxiety
by BetterSleep
8 min read
Brown Noise
sleep / wellness
Brown Noise
by BetterSleep
4 min read