SLEEP Like a Baby!

Six Steps to Sound Sleep!

Get ready to turn the clocks forward on March 12th…and lose an hour of precious sleep! It’s that wonderful time of year, spring is coming, the sun is shining brighter, the days are getting longer… and it’s time to reset the clocks to daylight savings time! Many of us cannot afford to lose that extra hour of sleep. We have a hard enough time getting a good night’s sleep as it is.

One of the most prevalent complaints from my clients is insomnia, or lack of sleep. People seek hypnosis for many issues; however, the complaint that causes the most concern is the lack of sound, restful sleep. Many people have trouble falling asleep, others wake in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep. Yet, other people suffer with bad dreams, nightmares, or night-terrors. Some benefit from a sleep disorder assessment to determine if sleep apnea is part of their problem. Since sleep apnea often relates to physical issues, a C-PAP machine may be indicated.

In reality, the problem most of us have is a crazy, busy mind that tends to run amok. The mind is on auto-pilot… out of control! As we drift off to sleep ruminating over our problems—the woulda-shoulda-coulda’s of the day—we tend to engage our subconscious mind. Then it starts to correct the issues at hand. Our “monkey mind” is so busy trying to solve the problem that we end up  sleep deprived, which affects almost every other part of our life!

What if you had a few good tips to control that run-away monkey mind… to train your mind to get a good, restful sleep? If you could sleep like a baby, how much better would your life be?

Six Steps to Sound Sleep:

1. Environment– Be sure your bedroom is sleep friendly. Make your room as dark as possible. Darkness sends a message to your mind that it is time to sleep. Place night-lights in bathrooms to avoid turning on bright lights if you get up in the middle of the night. Certain plants, like aloe, lavender or the snake plant, release oxygen at night, which helps induce sound sleep. Move electronic devices away from your sleep area, especially away from the head of the bed.
2. Evening Habits– Limit caffeine, alcohol, and excess eating several hours before retiring. Also limit the use of electronic devices which stimulate the retina, causing wakefulness. Avoid watching scary or exciting shows that stimulate the mind. Read a good book to make your eyes tired so that you easily drift into sleep. Sip on some chamomile, Sleepy Time tea, or hot cocoa before bedtime.
3. Bedtime Habits– Go to bed at a regular time. Avoid pre-bed naps (no sleeping on the couch!). If you are tired, go to bed. Add a few things to your bedtime routine as you brush your teeth: Rub an essential oil like lavender on the bottoms of your feet to induce deep relaxation. Splash some on your hands or pillow. Breathing the fragrance helps, too. If you have challenges falling asleep, take a natural supplement like Kava Kava, 5HTP, or other holistic remedy. Consult your Naturopathic Doctor for the best recommendations.
4. Sleepy Thoughts– Develop the habit of being grateful for the best thing that happened that day as you drift to sleep. Your subconscious mind will rest. Use self-hypnosis techniques to give yourself positive suggestions that will induce sleep. As you tell your subconscious mind that you intend to sleep, expect it to happen. Counting down from 100 does help. You just have to discipline yourself to watch the numbers fade away. You can even listen to relaxation music, mindfulness, or self-hypnosis audio programs to assist your dream-time journey.
5. Midnight Thoughts– If you need to get up at night, keep your eyes soft, in a semi-dream state, and avoid turning on bright lights. If you awaken with a mind that wanders to your do-list, use a pencil to write down the thoughts on a pad of paper by your bed. You will be the only one to decipher the notes in the morning! However, once the thought is captured on paper, your mind can relax. Continue to think about the best things of the day, activate your self-hypnosis programs, music, or exercises, and tell your mind it is time to sleep.
6. Seek assistance– Hypnosis is a wonderful way to re-program your mind to sleep. Many people have patterns of wakefulness that were established when they were very young. Intense dreams or nightmares cause disrupted sleep. Once the origin is discovered and understood, the mind can release the pattern, and can embrace sound, restful sleep. Schedule a consultation to discuss how we can help you break old patterns and sleep like a baby!

Take advantage of these six steps to sleep soundly. The better you sleep, the better you’ll feel about all areas of your life. When you are well rested, you make healthier choices, which makes you feel better. As you feel more positive, you draw more good into your life from all directions.

Keep thinking positive thoughts, despite any negative influence that may surround you. As you sleep soundly, send peaceful waves of positive energy to your loved ones, your community, our country, and the world.

I hope YOU sleep like a baby!

Many Blessings,

Lois Hermann