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How to get a good nights sleep!

How to get a good nights sleep!

A regular meditation practice will help you reduce stress resulting in a night of more restful sleep. But, that is not the only thing that can help us get a sound night of sleep. There are a lot of things you can try. We will cover the basics and then dig deeper.

Just before bedtime...preparing for sleep

Wear loose comfortable clothing.
As a prelude to sleep, drink a cup of lavender or chamomile tea.
Try to go to sleep and wake around the same time each day. Your body has a natural cycle. Find your rhythm and tune into your body.
Eliminate distractions by turning off your phone, television, computer and other electronic devices. If you feel like you need your phone near you, set it to Do Not Disturb.
Close your windows and doors to minimize distractions and eliminate breezes and drafts.
Your room should not be too cold or too hot. Moderate temperatures are the rule for the day and, for sleep, dark & cool is the rule. If you can, program your thermostat to 65F or 18C one hour before you plan to sleep. You can program an increase in temperature for 30 minutes before you wake.
Lie down in the yoga pose known as corpse pose or Shavasana (shah-VAHS-uh-nuh). To get into shavasana lie on your back and adjust your arms. Place them alongside your body, yet slightly away from your body. Relax and face your palms upward. Your legs are a hips-width distance apart, and your feet should fall to their sides in a comfortable position. Adjust everything until you are completely comfortable.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and out.
Normally in Yoga Nidra, a type of meditation, you would make a statement to not fall asleep. However, in this case, you will make a declaration to sleep well. Affirm your desire to sleep restfully.
You can listen to a meditation or one of the sleep podcasts in the recommended section or simply focus on your breath until you have fallen into your slumber.

Optional things you can do to help you get a good nights sleep

Use an eye mask.
Place a lavender sachet in your pillowcase or spray your pillow with natural lavender spray. Here is how to make a lavender spray: In a small spray bottle mix ten drops of lavender oil with distilled water, shake and spray.
Take a hot shower before going to bed. A warm or a hot shower before bed will start your body’s cooling process.
If you observe a lot of tension in your body, do a body scan. Find a starting point and begin to observe each part of your body. As you scan your body, any muscular tension you become aware of is then consciously released. You can tighten and release each part of your body or simply acknowledge it and let go.

More things you can do to get a good nights sleep

Alcohol and caffeine:

Alcohol and Caffeine: Limit your caffeine intake to the mornings or early afternoons, and try not to drink caffeinated beverages for several hours before bedtime. Alcohol is a sedative and a depressant. It does not enhance sleep but blocks ‘natural’ sleep. You might fall asleep quicker but. In fact, it inhibits REM sleep which is a necessary part of our sleep cycle.

Bedding:

Bedding: Change your bedding regularly and invest in natural fibres. Cotton, wool, down and other materials breathe. Our bodies go through a cooling period as we sleep, releasing heat. Synthetic fibres can trap heat and create discomfort. Use materials that breathe.

Movement:

Movement: Many of us have become more sedentary. A daily movement practice will give you extra energy during the day and help you to rest at night. Try for the mornings, but if evenings or daytime works better, be sure to end your practice two hours before going to bed.

Pranayama and meditation:

Practice Pranayama (breathing exercises) or Meditation: You can learn pranayama techniques from a qualified yoga instructor.

Journal:

Journal: Giving your problems over to the universe for at least a few hours each night. Before you go to bed each night, write down anything unresolved in your mind. Is there a problem that you haven’t solved yet? Write down a particular problem(s) that has been on your mind on a sheet of paper and consciously allow yourself to give it over to your subconscious mind to be solved, allowing your conscious mind to rest. Look at it in the morning. You can even do a ‘morning pages’ practice taught in The Artist’s Way.

Sleep Aids

Delta Wave Sleep Meditation

This issue's mp3 meditation is set against music with restful sounds that utilize binaural beats in a particular range to bring you into a deep restful state. It is a delta wave sleep meditation available to subscribers. Subscribers can visit this link or click on the image below to listen to and download the MP3 to keep forever.

The first portion is guided and gently moves into a sound only experential meditation. This sleep meditation aims to synchronize the hemispheres of your brain and bring you into the Delta state. The Delta state is brain state that humans enter into and that state allows for deep dreamless sleep, non-REM sleep, trance, and is the unconscious state. Deep sleep (non-REM or the Delta state) happens in the first hours of sleep and is very important for our mental and physical health.You can read the article on binaural beats and brain states in this issue to understand more about them.

Deltawave Sleep Guided Meditation Mindful Soul Center Magazine

Sleep Podcasts

There are some unique programs aimed at helping people sleep. In fact, there is a whole world of podcasts. There are a few that read public domain works in a monotone voice. Today we're sharing our fav, it is a podcast hosted by Drew Ackerman (AKA Scooter), Sleep with Me. The tagline is Bedtime stories to help grown ups fall asleep in the deep, dark night. Some people love it and it works well for them immediately, others need to listen one or two times to see if its right for them. Personally I enjoy it and find it easy to fall asleep to, but sometimes it is so funny that I don't want to fall asleep! Check out the website here for all the details.