Useful Sleep Tips

"Sleep"-That wonderful but sometimes elusive state of bliss and rejuvenation! It is most important to go to sleep with a "quiet mind". Sometimes this is difficult to do. We all have trouble now and then. Sometimes, we are even afraid of knowing that we have to go to sleep.Here are a few ways of getting a good night's sleep:

1.Destress yourself completely.This is extremely important because a disturbed mind can never go to sleep.

2. Fear can be an underlining problem in many cases. There are many ways to quiet the mind. Doing 15 to 30 minutes of meditation or yoga can be very helpful. You must not allow yourself to be distracted, to get into your meditation or yoga and "let go" of the day's thoughts...

3. Try tiring yourself out during the day, so that by the time you are ready for bed you are yearning for that pillow! Try exercise during the day to exhaust the muscles and mind. The movement is good when we are depressed too! It gets the blood flowing and makes us move past many issues. Pack your day with lots to do. Errands, classes, shopping...whatever you can find to keep you busy.

4.Valerian Root is a wonderful, natural sleep assistanting herb. Herbal Tea, half hour before bed, is wonderful for relaxing the digestive system if you are nervous or upset. Chamomile is great for this as well as Kava and Hops. Try brewing these herbs seperate or even together for a wonderful prescription for sleep!

5. Reading a book before bed is also good. This can direct your mind to a different place.

6. Diffusing essential oils of Lavender, Chamomile, or Clary Sage are all wonderful to induce a relaxed state and the soothing scents will calm your senses.

7. If you are taking a pain killer, be careful for many pain relievers actually have caffiene in them. Perhaps you may want to consider Willow Bark for pain.

8. Remember, we choose our thoughts, our thoughts do not choose us. Believe that this is so. To Believe is a powerful thing. The Universe supports all that we choose to Believe. So do not torture your mind with troubled thoughts which will not allow you to sleep and are only destructive in the long run.

9. Block out light. To increase the quality of your sleep, research has shown that by blocking out light in your bedroom, you can improve your sleep pattern. If you can see your hand in front of your face, after the lights are off, then it is light enough to affect melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone secreted at night by the pineal gland. The pineal gland is a small organ in the brain sensitive to light levels.

10. Eat Earlier. Eat at least three hours before bedtime. The further away you eat from the time you go to sleep, the better it is for you to have a better night's sleep.