Sleep

How did you sleep last night?

As we continue to adjust to daylight savings, many people are finding that sleep eludes them.  I, for one, am finding myself up past my normal bedtime and then not wanting to get out of bed in the morning.  I like living by my circadian rhythms and do not appreciate the government interfering with that.

When we are working towards transformation and achieving goals, sleep becomes very important.  If your health quadrant is out of balance, nothing seems to go right, you feel more tense and irritable, and it is just plain hard to focus.

So, what’s to be done?  Try some teas, tinctures or technology.

Teas

One of my favorite evening teas is chamomile.  First, I just love the fragrance.  Second, chamomile has a wonderful calming effect.  It is a great pacifier for all ages.  I believe it tastes better as a fresh tea, but you get pretty much the same effect from the dried flowers.

Coming in a close second is Passion Flower. I think part of my joy in passion flower comes from the gorgeous flower itself. Whereas chamomile calms tension and anxiety, passionflower promotes restful sleep.

Tinctures

If you don’t have time for a cup of tea, a tincture could be just the thing.  Tinctures usually have more potent active ingredients and are a great way to take herbs that aren’t too tasty.  Valerian is one that comes to mind.  It has a bitter, earthy taste that, to me, is better taken in a quick dose.  Many people who were around in the 1960’s might know this herb better as it’s prescription drug counterpart, Valium.  There are a great many sleep promoting tinctures on the market nowadays, many include CBD oil, so take your time and find one that works best for you.

Technology

What about technology?  There are many apps out there that claim to promote sleep.  I have used Insight Timers meditations a few times.  Other people swear by the Calm app.

A newer technology that I was just introduced to is the LifeWave sleep patch, Silent Night.  According to the company website:

                Free of drugs, chemicals or stimulants, Silent Nights is clinically proven to improve quality and length of sleep without causing that groggy feeling the next day. You’ll wake up feeling well rested, more energetic and better prepared to make the most out of life. Silent Nights is clinically proven to increase length of sleep by 66%, and since its release has helped people all over the world achieve better rest. Subsequent to its release, a pilot study conducted by Dr. Norm Shealy concluded, “The safety and results obtained in the study of Silent Nights suggests that these patches may be one of the preferred potential approaches to significant improvement in sleep.”

I have some on order so I will keep you posted.  If you would like to join me in the experiment, click here.