Sweet Slumber and Your Connection to Better Sleep

By April Martin

This is my dog Ivy in the picture above. She depicts the perfect image of sleep to me. In observing our dogs, I am always impressed with how quickly they can let go and drift off into sweet slumber. I think there may be a possibility that we can too with a little bit of adjustment.

Have you ever had a night (s) when you just couldn’t get to sleep? Your mind is racing. Going over the day’s events. Creating your next day’s activities and to-do lists. Free floating thoughts racing into the future and ping ponging into the past. A sense of anxiety creeps in as you look at the clock realizing it is getting late. Your mind is telling you that you just need to get to sleep. Rinse and repeat and you never quite really fall asleep. Or you finally drift off from exhaustion and toss and turn all night. Either way you find yourself frustrated and frequently saying out loud, “I just need to get a good night’s sleep.”

That is our innate sense of being sending a message. Our body knows how important it is to receive good rest. It is vital for our overall health and wellbeing. It is not surprising in today’s fast moving world riddled with anxiety and anything and everything to distract us, that a high percentage of people suffer from sleep disorders or at the very least sleep imbalances. According to the American Sleep Association approximately, “50-70 million people have a sleep disorder.”  Each age group requires a recommended night’s sleep for overall wellbeing. To achieve this as adults, 7 of hours of uninterrupted sleep is the goal. When I first read this I laughed. This seemed an impossible feat as one who is a very light sleeper. I mean I can hear a pin drop. This may be a good thing if I want to be on alert but terrible for my optimum daily functioning capacity.  Often I find myself becoming irritable by the afternoon due to my fragmented sleep patterns. My partner reminds me to have some compassion for myself around the 1:00pm time frame knowing that I will hit that wall.

The primary importance of sleep in connection to the quality of my life became glaring, shining a very bright spot light on the condition of my health. By health I am referring to my physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. It was then I made the decision to do the research and make the changes necessary as my body, mind and spirit became increasingly out of alignment to say the least.

The following recommendations have been documented amongst numerous studies known to support healthy sleep hygiene:

-For those of us that consume caffeine, stop drinking caffeinated beverages by high noon. There are many studies out there reflecting the positive results of decreasing caffeine intake to assist with sleep/insomnia issues.

-Be mindful of your screen time. It is no secret that our screen time has hit an all-time high. It is now considered to be addiction. Whether you find yourself on your phone, staring at the TV or a computer screen, they all emit light that has an effect on our circadian rhythm. The reality is that screen time is necessary to an extent in our world today. However we can make the choice to limit our device usage as we get closer to bed time. It is recommended to shut down our screen time 1-2 hours before getting some shut eye.

-Meditation is a great tool to utilize to start to quiet our mind and bodies. I love listening to relaxing meditation music or using guided meditations for sleep. Now I know what you are thinking. April, you just suggested we shut our phones down and that’s where all of my apps are for music and meditation. No problem. Just make sure you do not have that screen staring you in the face. Simply turn that guided meditation sesh on, place your phone by your bedside and lie down and let go. There is a plethora of scientific evidence that reflects the multitude of ways meditation can benefit your life.

-Exercise. No surprise here that exercise has always made it to any list of ways to improve the quality of your life. Sometimes this can be a challenge to fit this into a busy day. By the time you get home from the day’s responsibilities with more to add on in your home life, your energy level is nil and exercise can become nonexistent. Any little bit helps and does count. So, that dog walk after work counts. Maybe over time you add a little more here and there. You don’t need to be a pro cross fitter or marathon runner for it to count as getting your exercise sesh completed for the day. And who knows maybe one day you build up to that. But for now let’s just start by getting a little exercise in each day to support your new night time sweet slumber plan.

-Process stress. Talk about your stress and the things in life that are creating anxiety. “Don’t go to bed with this the crazy in your head” as I like to say. Empty it out. We were never meant to hold on to life’s burdens on our own. Somehow, especially in our western culture a state of independence has created the “I can do it on my own” syndrome. This idea that we shouldn’t ask for help or feel we can’t has been detrimental to our wellbeing. Reach out to a trusted confident, join a support group or connect with a therapist. You are not alone and we were never meant to be. We are truly all connected. So be kind to yourself, take that step and ask for help.

-Create a supportive space that is inviting for relaxation and sleep. Feng shui principles, a Chinese philosophy that focuses on your environment to achieve balance, suggest that the bedroom is for rest. No technology allowed or anything stimulating, even including bright colors. Suggested hues of blues, greys & soft violets are recommended enabling color therapy to affect the mind into a calming state. Make sure your mattress, pillows and blankets are supportive and comfy.

-Sweet Slumber tea ritual. Drinking sweet slumber tea will also assist in targeting our nervous system and the physiological effects to communicate to our brain that it is time to wind down. To fully benefit, brew a cup of Sweet Slumber tea. Sip your cup of tea a half an hour before your ready to seriously shut it down. It is important to partake in your tea ritual every evening to sense lasting effects.

Lastly, have self compassion and go easy on you. We drag our minds and our bodies around each day and it may take some time to find balance. It starts by just starting. A little bit at a time, day by day. Maybe you start with one recommendation on this list. Then add another. Before you know it you will have completely rearranged your nightly routine to include the gift of Sweet Slumber.

I hope you find yourself filled with many nights of blissful sleep and much needed rest for your soul. And I invite you to connect with me at any time. I’d love to hear how you are doing.