If you are like most people, you have probably been suffering from bouts of insomnia over the past year. This is likely due to the economic, mental, and emotional consequences of living through our current chaotic times. The profound changes to our daily lives are a huge part of this growing sleep problem and they include things like:
- Having to work or attend school from home makes it harder to keep track of the time, or even what day it is.
- Being stuck inside with a lack of exposure to sunlight messes up your circadian rhythms, which will cause insomnia.
- Watching way more TV than normal and spending all of our workdays in front of digital devices is causing an overdose on detrimental blue light, which also makes it harder to sleep.
- Financial worries, canceled trips, job losses or changes, homeschooling, working from home, not being able to see friends and family all greatly increase our levels of stress. And stress is the root of all evil when it comes to health.
All of these factors are just building up to create a recipe for disaster when it comes to your health. When you don’t sleep, your immune system suffers, your mental health suffers, your ability to make decisions suffers, your memory suffers, and the list goes on. It’s so important to take your sleep seriously and do whatever you can to try to get a good night’s sleep to recharge your energy system. Here are some suggestions that may help.
Tips for Improving Your Sleep
Here are some ideas that don’t cost a thing:
- Limit screen time before bed.
- Get outside to soak up the natural sunlight as much as possible and exercise while you’re out there.
- MEDITATION!! I can not emphasize enough the power of meditation. It is doing things to your overall health that I can’t even begin to explain without writing a full dissertation. Please trust me. It’s the most powerful thing you can do to improve all aspects of your health. There are hundreds of free guided meditations on the market specifically targeted to improve sleep. Find one that you like and do it either before or in bed every night.
Here are a couple of small investment ideas:
- Diffusing essential oils can be extremely helpful. Get yourself a nice diffuser for your nightstand and drop 6-8 drops of lavender into the water. Set the diffuser to stay on as long as your model will allow. For added stress relieving benefits also add about 4 drops of Bergamont to the water. I do this just about every night and I am sold. It really does work!
- Magnesium powder before bed. Studies have shown that higher magnesium levels can help induce deeper sleep. I personally stir some Calm powder (just google it) into a full glass of water and drink it one hour before bed every night. Dosage recommendations are on the container.
A larger investment but my favorite tool:
- Run one of the Sleep programs in the Healy device either before bed, or clip it to your PJs and take it to bed with you. For me, this is a sure bet for a solid, uninterrupted night’s sleep. Click here for more info on the Healy.
Energy Medicine Tricks for Better Sleep
Here are a couple of easy energy medicine tricks you can try in bed. Try a different one each night and see if any work for you.
- Rub & then hold the backs of your knees. This stimulates the pineal gland to produce melatonin, a hormone that is vital for sleep.
- Place one hand on your forehead and lay your other hand flat across your second chakra (just below your belly button). This dissipates stress, allowing your body to relax. Try to fall asleep in this position.
- Make a 3-finger cluster with your thumb, 2nd, and third fingers, and place it in the indent at the bottom of the front of your neck. Place your other hand beneath your belly. Inhale slowly and deeply and you may find that you drift to sleep.
- Make a 3-finger cluster with your thumb, 2nd, and third fingers, and place it in the indent at the bottom of the front of your neck. Place your other along the side of your face being sure to completely cover your temple. If you lay on your side, just place this hand between the side of your head and the pillow. This will help to calm your nervous system and help you get to sleep.
