5 Sacred Night-time Rituals to Improve Your Sleep
I used to lie awake in
bed every night staring blankly into the dark blinding space surrounding me
with eyes wide open; my mind a battle zone. Pulling my bed covers closer to my
chin and wiggling around every-which-way (a million times over again) in
desperate attempts to make myself comfortable enough to fall asleep. No matter
how I positioned and re-positioned my body, one thing refused to settle and
relax… my racing thoughts. I was convinced no one else in the world could
possibly think as fast, or as many thoughts, as I did in those moments. One
thought interrupting the last thought mid-stream, over and over again, quickly
forming a cascading waterfall of ideas, rants, and endless hypotheses through my
entire being. I would eventually fall asleep, where I would toss around with
vivid dreams and wake several times throughout the night. Eventually, jolted
from my tortured slumber by my morning alarm clock, I would drag myself out of
bed still cloaked in exhaustion.
Does this sound
familiar?
Proper relaxation and sleep are essential needs and critical to overall brain
health; we crave that total
release of tension in both mind and body, which allows deeper levels of healing and restoration to
occur. And yet restful sleep eludes so many and very rarely
performs its function properly in modern society. In fact, fifty percent of
Americans are chronically sleep deprived or will have a difficult time falling
asleep tonight.
It’s true that there
will never be enough time in the day to accomplish everything on the to-do list
of a modern-day human. Most of us spend our days rushing hurriedly from one
task to another, and often splitting attention between numerous tasks at once.
This vicious cycle is often a direct path to feeling stressed, anxious or
overwhelmed on a consistent basis. When the mind is wound-up and agitated from
this daily grind and hustle, it may seem impossible to relax when it’s finally time
to wind-down at the end of the night.
It’s common to continue
to worry and attempt to solve problems well into your evening, sleep and even
dreams. Instead of getting the deep restoration so desperately needed, you may
wake-up and still feel fatigued, tense or disoriented – or all of the above. When you’re in a state of stress,
your muscles are also tense and ready for action. When no physical action actually
occurs, it can result in wasted energy and chronic fatigue. These chronic tensions, fatigue, and stress begin to
accumulate over time, which can quickly become a punishing cycle for your body
and brain. To keep your brain and
body strong and healthy and ready for action, it’s crucial to learn how to
release tension in healthy ways, conserve energy and recharge as needed.
Yes, this is your
permission to RELAX and discover what it means to treat yourself with genuine love
and compassion. Commit to taking small steps daily to improve your habits and
incorporate more time for activities in your life that promote an internal
state of calm. I often refer to these activities as putting on your “internal
coat of armor” and building that inner warrior that can remain peaceful through
the chaos.
Our brains love patterns
and making new memory of habits and rituals. Consistency with your nightly rituals and
creating a “bedtime buffer zone”is key. You can’t go-go-go all day long and then
expect your mind to shut-down at a moment’s notice, especially at varying times
every night of the week. Creating a buffer zone – 20 to 60 minutes before bed –
gives you the necessary time to slow down and prepare your mind and body for
sleep using some of these nightly rituals. These small shifts will help you train your brain to get a sound and rejuvenating
night’s sleep – every single night.
1)
Tune-In to How Much Sleep YouNeed
Though often treated as
a luxury, sleep is a necessity and primal need for our brains and bodies to thrive.It
should be a priority as you’re building your own personal health and wellness
routines and planning your daily schedules. Your brain will thank you! There
are many recommended standards available out there in terms of hours per night
(the range is 7-9 hours), but typically you are your own best guides use your
intuition. How do you feel when you get 8 hours of sleep versus when you get 7?
What about 6 hours? Less than 6? This amount will often vary based on your
current stress levels, illness, changes in the seasons, your workout intensity,
diet and other health factors. When you’re going through additional challenges
in your personal or professional life, be gentle and give yourself a little
extra time to snooze. As you incorporate more of these wellness habits into
your evening routines and improve the quality of your sleep, you may find you
eventually, need less total sleep time per night to maintain your ideal day-to-day
energy levels.
2) Implement
a Digital Curfew
One of the best ways to improve your sleep
quality is by implementing a digital curfew. The light emitted from digital
screens is not conducive to sleep and may increase cortisol levels, reduce
melatonin, delay our circadian rhythm and affect the amount of time it takes us
to fall asleep. Studies have shown that even our small electronic devices, such
as cell phones, emit sufficient light to miscue the brain and promote
wakefulness. Replace late evening screen-time with activities such as reading,
meditation, deep breathing, writing, gentle yoga or stretching and listening to
music without lyrics. You may also consider implementing a curfew for items
like caffeine, alcohol, cardio exercise, big meals and work – all additional
items that may contribute to keeping you awake at night.
3) Set
the Tone for Sleep
Make your room and your bed a sanctuary full of all the things that help you feel cozy, comfortable and
mellow. Try listening to soothing music with delta waves during the evening prior to bedtime to help
you relax and sleep deeply. If you’re accustomed to watching TV from bed, you
may consider playing this music as you fall asleep as an alternative. Sounds of gentle rainfall, ocean waves, waterfalls, birds or
other elements of nature can also be very beneficial in creating a peaceful
sleep environment. While playing your
calming tunes, sip one of these soothing and sleep-inducing bedtime teas, and your body will begin to respond to this ritual as a
signal to start winding down and preparing the body to sleep.
4)
State
Your Defining Purpose
Establish
a defining purpose for the next day, and begin to shift your mindset from the
evening-series to instead building excitement about the day to come and what
you could accomplish. This will create a sense of purpose and dedication to
caring for yourself that helps you let go of anything that doesn’t line-up with
that purpose. What inspires you to get up in the morning? Your reason for
getting up the following morning, your defining purpose, must be more meaningful than your desire to be
entertained (by TV, computer screen, phones, food, etc.) the night prior. As
you move through your evening routines, focus your thoughts on what you’re
grateful for, what motivates you, what inspires you to do the work you do in
the world and the people that are important to you. Keeping these priorities
top-of-mind will help you shift away from stressors and worries, and remain
focused on the good in your life.
5)
Practice Yoga Nidra Meditation
Comments