You must be wondering why I am asking this question, in a twenty-four-hour day 99% of the population will sleep for at least 5 to 6 hours. I asked you this question to bring your attention to a restorative deep sleep that leaves you energized when you wake up and not the one where you need a caffine stimulant to wake you up.
If like me you are also a sensitive sleeper, it is essential that you develop night time rituals or as experts call it 'Sleep hygiene Habits'.
Adopt the right sleep rituals
Have a two-hour gap between your dinner and bedtime.
Reduce exposure to Light by drawing the curtains and making the room dark.
Reduce blue light exposure an hour before bedtime which means put away those laptops, mobile phones and shut off the google wifi and televisions.
Switch on orange light and read a few pages of a book while sipping lavender/chamomile/tulsi tea. This sends calming signals to the brain to tell it is nighttime.
Take your supplements.
Ensure that the room is organized, dark, quiet, and at the right temperature ie 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lie on the bed. Say a prayer of gratitude.
Place your palm on your navel, close your eyes & take 10 deep abdominal breaths to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, and sleep now 💤
Try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, as close as possible to nature's circadian rhythm as our evolutionary pattern mimickes nature's rhythm. Sleeping by 10:30 pm is ideal because our cortisol levels naturally start declining with sunset and our serotonin levels are at the right levels to induce sleep around this time. As we get closer to morning hours cortisol production in our body starts to rise so those who go to bed very late do not end up getting restorative sleep.
Sleep remedies
If the struggle to sleep still continues, try these:
For restorative sleep try taking Magnesium glycinate as a supplement.
Epsom salt baths are another great remedy.
Using lavender essential oil in a diffuser.
If you have allergies try taking holy basil/tulsi tea which is calming as well as has -antihistamine properties.
L-theanine - an amino acid is very calming to the nervous system and helps with insomnia.
Skull cap, Passionflower as sleepy time teas.
Japanese herb called magnolia is also good for bringing down cortisol.
Looking at sunlight when you wake up helps to set the natural circadian rhythm.
Melatonin as Supplement to set circadian rhythm: Any good brand without additives, start with 1mg on weekend and then slowly add to the week till your sleep cycle regulates. You generally don’t get addicted to melatonin.
5 HTP(5-hydroxytryptophan): 100mg dose with little grape juice to boost serotonin levels
Note: It is very important that before taking any supplements like melatonin,5 HTP, or L-Theanine you consult and take the advice of your physician and you should understand its interactions with other medicinal drugs you are taking.
Mind-Body practices to reduce stress & enhance restorative sleep
Spend time in nature which helps in regulating our hormones.
Daily Gratitude practice for activating the vagus nerve. For inspiration on how to do it, you can go to my forum and look at the daily gratitude practice.
Yogic practices of Savasana & Childs Pose.
Practice deep breathing daily so that it becomes muscle memory. It is free, you can do it anytime anywhere and it is simple. Take 10 breaths with longer exhalation on waking up, before meals, and before sleeping regularly. It puts you in your parasympathetic nervous system zone, relaxing all the muscles.
Raga therapy - listening to soulful music.
Start simple and build up from there.
All this information is only useful if you put it into practice. So start with some of these protocols and see the benefits yourself. I look forward to hearing your success stories. Thank you.
Opmerkingen