Trouble Sleeping? Try These Nourishing, Effective Strategies
Nov 05, 2023
Having trouble sleeping?
Whether it's anxiety, anger, or anguish over the environment, global armed conflicts (Middle East, Ukraine, and 50 others), a painful relationship, or the reactivity of an as-yet unhealed "broken toe" ...
an anxious mind can make sleeping desperately difficult.
And because our brains really don't work well when we're anxious, angry, anguished ... OR seriously depleted from lack of sleep, it gets very hard to connect with and make nourishing, effective changes without good sleep.
It can be a terrible, vicious cycle.
Here are a few lovely resources that make the difference for me, when I struggle with my sleep:
- 8 Great Body-Based Ways to Calm Your Nervous System (Brain Calming Toolkit). In this video I walk you through 8 proven methods for resetting our brains and calming alarm. Use coupon code SLEEP to get free access now through Wednesday (11/8)!
- Quantum Heart Attuning Meditation. Resting my attention on my heart and filling myself with the felt sense of love and gratitude remains my #1 practice just before sleep, and upon waking. It's not only helped transform my sleep, it's also helped restore and sustain my sense of wonder and joy ... even during this challenging, evolutionary time on our little blue planet. ($7)
- Health Journeys meditations. These folks have some very impressive partners (including Johns Hopkins Medicine) and their super-affordable (~$13) meditations made a huge difference for me, when my nervous system melted down in January 2017 and it was at first impossible for me to sleep. You can play them before sleep, or even fall asleep to them. I recommend checking out meditations related to whatever is particularly challenging for you at the time, and not just meditations to help with sleep. It'll make the most difference if you can peer below the sleep trouble symptom and begin to better meet the underlying unmet life-needs.
- EFT Tapping. I mention this in the 8 Great Body-Based Ways to Calm Your Nervous System video, but in case you didn't check that out, I don't want you to miss this valuable method that has tons of research behind it. You can tap directly on the sleep issue or the underlying unmet needs, either during the day or just before bed. This plus the Health Journeys meditations really soothed my shocked nervous system. For great "live" help, I really like Brad Yates and all his resources. Here's one of his popular YouTube videos for insomnia. You might also enjoy one of his free or affordable programs.
- Well-researched supplements like Kava (which I have personally used) or Valerian Root (which some of our community members use) or a combination of both. Be sure to do your own research, and only purchase from GMP or USP certified companies.
- Exercise. Yup, if you're not exercising at least 6-12 minutes a day, your sleep isn't the only thing that's going to take a hit. (You really DO have 6 to 12 minutes to give yourself this truly alchemical thing your body-mind-spirit really needs!)
- Fix Your Circadian Rhythm. I'll address this extremely powerful method in an upcoming blog; it deserves its own space. For now just let me say, I've been a "night owl" my whole life. Then in September a casual research moment turned into a deep dive into the very real, wide-spectrum health dangers of a disrupted circadian rhythm. (Turns out, most "night owls" actually suffer from this. I definitely did.) In just a few weeks I went from taking more than an hour to finally fall asleep between 3 and 4am, and waking at 9 or 10am, to falling asleep in minutes before midnight, with a delicious drowsiness, and waking up ready for the day at 7 or 8am. (Yes, I'm getting a lot more sleep, too.) It's heaven. Stay tuned for how I did it.
We all need to know we're held, cared for, and secure as we move into sleep. I hope these resources support you in getting the safety, reassurance, and "sleep reset" you need.
with tender care for you,
www.thriving-life.org