Can’t sleep? 12 things you can do to help
Sleep is important for the body’s regeneration process. We need this valuable down time to recuperate and recharge our system from the day’s physical, mental, and emotional challenges and activities. We know repeated nights of disrupted sleep or insomnia can play havoc with our health and mental concentration.
So how can we get back on track to a good night’s sleep?
You may want to take a minimalist view when it comes to decorating your bedroom. Quiet décor in a spacious room keeps the mind from stimuli overload. The bedroom should not be your library or your home office. Books and bills carry lots of invisible energy the subconscious still senses because they are filled with thoughts, words, and numbers.
Same goes for keeping knick-knacks and personal items to a minimum. Each item in your room carries an energetic signature. Your bedroom is not the dumping ground for stuff you don’t know what to do with. Less stuff equals more sleep.
Get rid of all electronic devices from the bedroom including TV, iPad, electronic readers, cell phones, computers, Alexa, and alarm clocks. If you need an alarm, replace with one run by a battery. Also turn off the home Wi-Fi before bed. Your brain works on an electrical current. Even when these electrical devices are turned off, they still produce an electrical pulse (EMF) that is not good for your brain.
If you wake during the night, do not turn on bright lights or check the clock. Light, especially even a few seconds of blue light from phone screens suppresses melatonin (your sleepy-time hormone) and signals your brain that it’s time to get up.
Refrain from looking at your clock at all. Checking time can fuel anxiety because your brain starts thinking about the day ahead or becomes worried that it only has a few more hours to sleep. Checking the time basically makes the mind more alert.
If you are tossing and turning for more than 20 minutes, get up and go somewhere else to sleep like the couch. I can personally vouch that this works for me. Continuing to toss around in bed creates anxiety. Your mind starts getting the notion that your bed is a place to worry and think.
If something is bothering you, write a short journal entry about it so your mind can dump it. I also do this if I have a cool idea I don’t want to forget. My mind wakes me all night until I write it down. Then off to sleep I go.
Eat wisely before bed so you’re not too hungry or too full. A cup or half cup of cottage cheese with lots of cinnamon sprinkled on top is loaded with protein, selenium, potassium, helps control blood sugar, contains probiotics good for your gut, helps your muscles recover, and cinnamon is a good anti-inflammatory.
Your body doesn’t keep you awake, your mind does. If you can’t shut off your mind, work with it. Focus on a calm image like a peaceful lake or a beautiful forest. If you can’t visualize, then silently repeat a key word like calm or stillness or try a loving mantra like my body is healing, or everything is okay. Repeat slowly and gently. When your mind is repeating something simple, it has no room for other thoughts.
Breathing properly is a way to reconnect to stillness and let go of worries. Box breathing is a simple technique that works. Inhale for the slow count of 4, hold your breath for the count of 4, exhale for the count of 4, then hold for the count of 4. Repeat until you feel calm and ready for sleep.
Maintain a consistent sleep/wake schedule so your body rhythm doesn’t get thrown off.
Keep your bedroom temperature between 64-72 degrees F. Use a light blanket and wear pjs made from a breathable fabric like cotton.
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