Sleep is super important to health and wellbeing on so many levels. Besides all of the documented health benefits to getting enough sleep, I think sleep is very important on a spiritual level as well. Just my opinion, but I think we all have a spirit (or energy body, or whatever you want to call it), and that spirit needs to get away from the limitations of our physical bodies on a regular basis or stagnation and depression are sure to follow.
Having trouble sleeping at night? Maybe some of these tips can help.
- Don't take your cellphone to bed with you. So many people screw around on their smartphones before bed, providing the mind with a load of useless distractions when it should be winding down. Not to mention the wakeful effects of so much blue light going directly into the eyes. After a few days to a week of breaking this habit, many folks report getting to sleep much easier.
- Try to stick to the same sleep schedule. While many people love to sleep in on their days off work or school, this may be counterproductive for insomniacs. If you are having problems getting to sleep at night, try going to bed and waking up on the weekends at the same time you normally would. Many find it much easier to wake up on work days by giving this a try.
- Another option that works quite well for some is to get up an hour earlier than you normally would, and use this extra hour for exercise. Try going for a 30 minute run or aerobic workout, followed by 15 minutes or so of yoga before showering and getting ready for work. Many report feeling much fresher and having significantly more energy during the day by following this method.
- If you're trying to fall asleep but your mind is racing , try one of the following exercises:
Pick a letter of the alphabet, count to 10, and think of a word that starts with that letter. Count to 10 again, think of a new word. Repeat.
Or pick a subject and think up with an example for every letter:
Counties: Algeria, Bahrain, Columbia, Denmark, Eritrea, France, Guyana etc.
Fruits: apricot, blueberry, cantaloupe, durian, elderberry, fig, grape etc.
Fish: anchovy, bluefin, carp, damselfish, flounder, grouper etc.
For something less banal, you could try going over your day in your mind. Start at the beginning and try to remember each action, conversation or thought process you experienced in chronological order. Besides putting you to sleep, this may also generally improve your day-to-day levels of personal awareness as well.
- Some of the most powerful sleeping tools make use of neuroscience discoveries. If you look on YouTube, you can find a variety of videos that use delta waves to put you to sleep. The frequencies mimic the brainwave output of a sleeping person, and can entrain your brain to follow suit. Some of the best ones work through binaural beat technology, with the drawback that you need to be wearing headphones as you fall asleep. However there are plenty that seem to be effective through normal speakers.
