Getting a Good Night's Sleep Part I: Preparing Your Sleeping Space
One of the worst consequences of stress and anxiety is poor sleep. Either you can’t fall asleep, you can’t stay asleep, or sleep completely escapes you because your brain won’t turn off.
What’s worse is that not getting a good night’s sleep has far reaching effects on your energy and overall well-being. When you aren’t getting restorative sleep, peace, calm and healing are next to impossible which is why it’s so important to talk about it and find healthy ways to resolve it.
Sleeplessness is no joke! I understand, I’ve been there too. After years of being dependent on over the counter sleeping pills, I realized that while I was getting sleep, I had not resolved any of the causes that got me to sleeplessness to begin with. Read more about my personal story at the end of this article.
SO WHAT’S A BODY TO DO?
Over the next 4 weeks I’ll be sharing some creative ideas and suggestions for you to try. These ideas cover setting up your space, natural remedies, pre-bedtime practices, and good habits all of which help resolve and heal root causes. Some I have tried myself and some are newfound practices. Personally, I found a combination of things works best for me. It’s important to find what works best for your lifestyle and situation, so as not to influence you, I’ll share my personal practices at the end of the series.
PREPARE YOUR SLEEPING SPACE
First things first, you must prepare the space where you sleep. It’s amazing to me how little importance we give to the most important room in the house! We spend a third of our life in the bedroom yet it’s usually the last one that gets unpacked, the last one that gets decorated, the last one that gets any love. No wonder we aren’t feeling peace and love in there.
EVERYTHING has energy including your pile of clothes, the dusty surfaces and the electronics in your room. If your sleeping space isn’t a restful sanctuary, how can you possibly expect to rest? Having a clean, clear, peaceful space is key to restoring your body, mind and spirit.
Below are four ideas to try. Do one or do them all, there is no downside to any of them.
Cleanse and clean your space.
Like people, places and objects hold energy. Cleansing your space both literally and energetically can make a big difference in the feeling of your sleep space. If you share your bedroom with someone have them participate! When you share a space with another person their energy is as much a part of the space as yours. Participation creates harmony and puts everyone on the same wavelength of intention.
First, do a thorough clean from baseboards to ceiling including ceiling fans and lights. Put everything away, straighten and declutter. If you inherited a vase from Aunt Mabel that you hate, get it out of the bedroom. Surround yourself with objects, art and bedding you love and that induces serenity. Make sure your bedroom feels like the calm, relaxing and inviting sanctuary that it’s meant to be.
Once everything is clean, do an energetic cleansing by smudging with sage, Palo Santo, or a smokeless smudge spray like Purify Smudge Spray Essential Oil Water which are all available at the shop. Begin at the doorway and move clockwise around the room, smoking or spraying, around and under everything; making sure to get into the corners. Go around each doorway and window clockwise as you come to them and end where you began going clockwise around the entry doorway.
Maintain your clean and cleansed space by keeping everything put away, dusted and with a quick smudge on a regular basis.
Apply some basic Feng Shui principles to your bedroom.
Feng Shui is a Chinese system to create energetic harmony and balance within a space. This system can be quite complicated and laborious but Ariana, author of House Magic breaks it into doable changes. If you absolutely can’t do something about a beam over the bed, for instance, there are ways to counter the energy using sacred objects, stones and good luck charms. There is a lot of information available on the web and in books if this system really appeals to you.
o Make sure your room is calm, inviting and relaxing.
o Remove all office/work type equipment and accessories if possible. If not, hide it when not in use.
o Remove the TV or cover it when not in use with a scarf or placed in a cabinet.
o Clear corners and any clutter including piles of clothes or shoes.
o Avoid placing your bed under a window, facing a door or mirror, under a ceiling beam or on the same wall as the toilet.
o Do not store anything under the bed.
o Keep electronics such as alarm clocks and cell phones well away from the bed to avoid sleep patterns being effected by electromagnetic waves.
o Only use artificial plants in the bedroom as live plants drain the energy and keep you from sleeping.
o Keep books in living or other rooms of the house. Books in the bedroom can be stimulating to the brain.
o Remove any exercise equipment.
o If you have an adjacent bathroom, keep the toilet lid shut and the door closed.
Add the healing energy of gemstones and crystals.
Stones can be placed around your room and under your bed to encourage sound sleep according to Margaret Ann Lembo in The Essential Guide to Crystals, Minerals and Stones.
o Place Hematite in the corners and on each window ledge. Visualize and energetic thread connecting the Hematite creating a shield of protection and deflecting negativity.
o Place Rose Quartz between the mattress and box springs at each corner of the bed and on the right end of your dresser. Visualize the Rose Quartz creating an orb of love and goodness.
o Place Amethyst on each nightstand and in your pillowcases. The Amethyst wards off nightmares and encourage pleasant dreams.
o Place Selenite on the inside left of the bedroom door and on the left end of the dresser. Selenite aligns the spiritual, physical and mental and keeps your emotions in balance.
Make your bed.
Remember when your mother told you to make your bed every day? Though many of us grew up and decided that was a chore we were never going to do again, she was unknowingly onto something. A messy bed is not conducive to calm and peace. However, turning down the covers and crawling into neat, cool sheets is like an “ah” at the end of the day sending a subconscious signal to the brain that the day is done. Try to shift your thinking about bed making from chore or obligation to a choice to treat yourself because you deserve it.
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MY STORY
About 15 years ago, I was in a bad place emotionally and physically. I was put on a lot of medication; my anxiety was getting worse and a good night’s sleep was a thing of the past. In a relatively short period of time I got myself off all the medication and began pursuing my love of art which did a lot for my emotional state of mind. However, I still struggled with anxiety and sleep. I was adamant about not taking pharmaceuticals, so I started taking diphenhydramine. For years this helped me fall asleep and kept my ruminating brain quiet. As I started working on my energetic health, my anxiety abated, I was getting calmer and happier, but I still struggled with sleep. Even though I was in a good place mentally, emotionally and physically, a poor sleep pattern had been established. A few years ago, I began my journey into living a non-toxic chemical free life and the first thing that had to go was sleeping pills. I’ve tried many of the ideas that I will be sharing with you and I’m happy to say that I found my perfect combo of all natural remedies.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with these practices! Come visit me in the shop or contact me at Marnie@PeaceInTheForest.com. If you have some other ideas about preparing your space for a good night’s sleep come share them on Facebook.
NEXT MONTH - PART II: NATURAL REMEDIES
The information and suggestions provided in this article are opinions and in no way constitute medical or psychological advice.
In peace and love and light,
Marnie
