3 Keys to Better Sleep: Love to get more sleep hours? Energy got you wired?

 Are you waking up in the wee hours with energy flowing through you and have difficulty falling back into slumberland? 

Many people have issues clocking enough deep sleep hours to be at the best functioning during the day. There may be many causes such as trauma, stress, hormonal imbalance, sensitive to planetary energy shifts, working too late, eating too much or too heavy foods close to bedtime, not releasing the day's activity and staying connected too many hours to the internet and messages. 

Here's what I've found over the years that might help you with this puzzle. 

#1 Tune into what the core sources of your issue are. Are there causes which you'd rather not own up to and blame it on something else. Many of us have a tough time stepping away from the computer, tablet and phone to allow some down time before bed. Then when we doze off into sleep easily and are wondering why we wake up between 2-3 a.m. So first banish denial and face the elements you can take action on to support your sleep. If you do wake up, just observe the mind and the thoughts rather than adding fuel through worry about getting back to sleep. Remember your thoughts are just "puffs of stuff" passing through--not who you are, just part of what comes with having a human body. 

Acknowledge and take steps to relieve the more obvious sources of sleep challenges, be it poor food choices, cyber connections, working too late, etc. If you've done your part for future good nights' sleep, if it's simply energy moving through, check out solutions below that may help relax.

#2 Have your sleeping area tidy and as dark as possible and establish a ritual that you enjoy. This might include some amount of downtime between last activity and going to sleep. In whatever time you pick as your relax time, add in things like meditation or contemplation, reading, journaling, doing a gratitude practice for what you experienced that day, and breathing that you find relaxing. Include in your gratitude practice thanking all the parts of your body that function for you daily--marveling at the amazing design of the body and give your body some hugs and love. ​

I find breathing in to a count of 4, holding for 7, breathing out to a count of 8 is relaxing for my body. (Exhale through the mouth or nose whichever you prefer.) With your breath you can imagine drawing in a golden ball of light from above the crown of your head down to your heart area. Feel the golden light turning to liquid and filling all of your body. As you breathe out, see the golden light expanding and sending a blessing you want for yourself and extending it out to the planet and all life. Example: May all beings be blessed with compassion and love. May all children be cared, nourished and protected. In this way you're taking the opportunity of awake and quiet time to send blessings to the planet. 

Also doing a few cycles of rapid breathing (fire breath often used in yoga) with regular breaths in between can relax your body. 

#3 My favorite nutrient solutions and oils/essences to support better sleep. You can use these before sleep or if you wake up in the middle of the night: 

- Magnesium in the evening (could be topical, bathing in Epsom salts, or using a magnesium pill or powder. I enjoy using Aussie Minerals from www.SeaMineral.com and Ease topical magnesium from www.EaseMagnesium.com. Most people tend to be deficient in magnesium. Common symptoms are feeling on edge, tight muscles, muscle spasms, and irregular heart beats.

- One of my favorite supplements for supporting endocrine balance (my #1 all-time-feel-good go to) is "Plus" from Mannatech at my site: www.mannamotion.com/nonikaufman. Have used this for over 2 decades. Have more and even energy through the day, calms the body and makes stress less impactful and good focus AND for me helps with sleeping more hours at night. (I used to fall asleep as a passenger in the car after 10 minutes of driving--Plus changed my world!)

- Other sleep go-tos I recommend for my clients beyond herbal tea blends for sleep, tryptophan, and  the commonly used Melatonin (for some will make them drowsy or down the following day)

 * Theanine-Serene from Source Naturals which is simply amino acids that help calm the body.
 * Also, Sleep Soundly from Banyon Botanicals is an effective combination of ayurvedic herbs. 

Essential Oils for sleep are many! You can make a mix in 3 Tab of carrier oil like Jojoba and 3 drops of Lavender. Other oils you can combine or use instead of lavender are Chamomile, Sweet Marjoram, Frankencense, and Clary Sage. You can apply topically or make a hydrosol spray and add oils of your choice to spray on your body or pillow. Here's a link for making your own hydrosols. http://www.sustaincreateandflow.com/how-to-make-rosewater-and-other-hydrosols/Also, great to diffuse oils of choice for 20-30 minutes at bedtime. 
 


You can also massage the mastoid area -- bony area behind your ears. And...if you want more tips,  set up a session with me and we'll customize for you and teach you how to do some easy lymph drainage lying down before sleep and progressive body relaxation.. 

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