“Oh, sleep, oh gentle sleep, nature’s soft nurse! How have I frighted thee, that thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down, and steep my sense in forgetfulness?”- William Shakespeare
Pensive Disregulation
Every night we arrive at the threshold of wakefulness and sleep, a liminal space between consciousness and oblivion. An easy leap of faith for some, yet others hover on the edge of alertness, yearning for gentle despatch. Yet still, a mind full of pensive riddles and conundrums makes surrender impotent. Why? You might ask; the answer, though, is subtle, unconsciously trapped in the illusion of a world animated by illuminated screens and projected realities that overwork the brain.
Sounds scary, doesn't it? But honestly, our sleep hygiene isn’t great. Did you know insomnia has reached global proportions? So what's driving this lack of restorative sleep? Primarily, our modern lifestyle has slowly eroded many positive aspects of what we might call traditional life patterns.
Life Choices
Work demands and changes in where and how we work create huge expectations, so you are always on call and working late into the night. Sometimes decompressing means scrolling TikTok, Instagram or playing games. All this blue-screen action fools your brain into thinking it’s still daytime; these activities stop melatonin production, vital for signalling sleep.
Eating too late and choosing the wrong foods and beverages, such as alcohol, can disrupt our schedules. These include caffeine-rich options like energy drinks, hot chocolate, tea, and coffee, as well as high-fat foods like pizza and spicy dishes. These late-night favourites can cause indigestion and acid reflux. High-sugar foods can spike your blood sugar and disrupt sleep.
Its true to say that, if left in deficit, it is one of the key sources that compounds the current mental health crisis. It is vital that we pay attention to our sleep hygiene. And start addressing how we go to sleep and potential daily transitions that signal a shift from work to relaxation and re-creation. Not simply recreation.
Sleep Cycles
We all need some stress to get things done, but overwork and overstimulation push us into a state of high beta; this hyper-alert state becomes a silent addiction. We aren't meant to stay stuck in high beta (fight-or-flight) all the time.
Beta is a useful state for cognitive processing. We also need to regulate ourselves and return to alpha, the state of daydreaming, relaxation, and creativity. Alpha is a precursor to sleep. Theta is a deep relaxation state, a threshold between wakefulness and sleep and the gateway to the subconscious and dreaming.
Often, people go to sleep in a low-grade fight-or-flight state and never drop into the restorative Delta or REM sleep vital for deep repair. Depending on when you go to sleep and wake up, you may go through three or four of these cycles. To access Gamma, you need a coherent state.
Transistions
Transitions signal a change of tempo, the end of something and the beginning of something new, in which you discard the mantle of your daily travail: a warm bath, changing into more relaxed clothing, a 10-minute colouring session, a simple mindfulness meditation, lying on the floor and listening to some gentle music, or some gentle shaking to music releasing the stresses of the day.
Sleep Prep
Before you begin, relinquish control and place any devices outside the bedroom; having your phone by your bedside is like having a powerful antenna by your head. This disruptive energy can disrupt your electromagnetic balance. Take a gentle, scented bath 40 minutes before you sleep, do some gentle yoga stretching, and then practice box breathing before you settle into sleep; use a gentle pillow mist before you sleep.
Quantum Alchemy
Living plants are far more than their visible shapes; they pulse with some of the highest vibrational frequencies found on Earth. Our formulas harness this subtle energy, radiating gentle waves that resonate with your unique biofield. These harmonious frequencies help calm a restless mind and weary body, guiding them back into balance.
For Good sleep, try Nirvana Sleep Soak and Dream Moon Mist; see below.