Natural Ways to Promote Better Sleep

Insomnia is a common problem that affects many people.  Fortunately it can be helped with many natural remedies that are readily available.  First and foremost, however, there are many practices you can incorporate yourself to promote better sleep.
 

Easy Lifestyle Changes

A ‘winding down’ period for about an hour before you go to bed is essential and that includes avoiding the use of electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones.  Make sure you have good curtains that block out the light and try to keep the temperature in the room so that it is neither too warm nor too cold.  Avoid heavy meals at least three hours before bedtime to give your body time to digest food properly.  Reducing caffeine and other stimulants is also advisable after tea time and these can be replaced with a herbal tea such as valerian, rooibos or chamomile.  Practising yoga or meditation just before bedtime may also help you to relax and unwind.  Another idea is to have a warm bath just before bedtime with aromatherapy bath oils containing lavender, valerian or hops.  A bath with Epsom salts or magnesium sulphate can also help to relax the muscles and promote sleep.

 

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

Insomnia and sleep problems can be linked to not having enough magnesium in the diet.  Magnesium is a relaxant and can be obtained through eating green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli, as well as being available in supplement form.  Vitamin B6 is also useful for helping to promote sleep.  5-HTP is another useful supplement which converts directly into serotonin in the brain.  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which helps with the regulation of sleep.  It is a precursor to melatonin which is involved in setting your circadian rhythm (the sleep-wake cycle).  Valerian root is a useful herb for helping with insomnia and mild anxiety which can be taken in supplement form or as a herbal tea.

Complementary Therapies

Lavender essential oil can aid relaxation and help people to get a better night’s sleep.  Try adding a few drops to your pillow or burning some in an oil burner in the evening (remember to extinguish the candle before you go to bed!).  You can also get roller balls containing essential oils which you apply to your pulse points.

Massage treatments are particularly beneficial for reducing tension and anxiety and promoting relaxation.  Try a Back Massage with a relaxing oil blend, a Foot Massage or an Indian Head Massage to ease tension in the neck, shoulders and scalp.  Reiki healing (a form of hands-on healing) is also a wonderful way to relieve stress and anxiety and restore equilibrium.  In my ten years’ experience as a therapist I have found that clients usually report a better night’s sleep after receiving a complementary therapy treatment!

 

Notes:

 

1.     All supplements mentioned in this article are available from Little London Herbal Stores, 9 Kings Walk, Nottingham, NG1 2AE or visit website www.all-ages-vitamins.co.uk

2.    All complementary therapy treatments mentioned in this article are available with Helen

Shortland.

  

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at Little London Herbal Stores on Kings Walk in Nottingham city centre. Please ring her on 07748 591690 to book a treatment or visit her website http://helenshortland.com for further information.

The Power of the Subconscious Mind

Can you remember a time when you’ve completely over-reacted to something somebody said?  It could have been an innocent remark but something about it pushed your buttons and led you to react in a way you know was unacceptable, even embarrassing?  Yes, we’ve all been there, but why does it happen?

The conscious mind thinks it is in control of our everyday lives but this is far from the case.  Events and activity in the external world dominate our conscious mind.  However most of our motivations, beliefs and emotions are unconscious, meaning that we are constantly being driven by unknown forces within us.  So where do these emotions, beliefs and motivations come from?

When we get upset as an adult, the real reason you are upset is nothing to do with the current situation.  Present circumstances have triggered a painful memory; they are not the cause of the pain.  As a child a lot of painful things happen to us that we do not have the words or emotional maturity to deal with.  When emotions cannot be expressed, they are bottled up and suppressed.  The unconscious mind is the receiving ground for this painful emotion.  The adult may display anger, frustration, sadness or anxiety, but the initial encounter has been suppressed and buried so deeply that, in most cases, our conscious mind no longer even remembers it.

The Effect on your Behaviour Today

Those painful emotions of not being good enough, being blamed for something you didn’t do, feeling responsible for something that wasn’t your fault etc are so important to identify because they condition your behaviour today.  These emotions are what drive you to act the way you do.  So if, for example, you have an unconscious belief that you are a failure, then even if you do well at something and succeed in reaching a goal, instead of feeling happy about it, you will probably have a sense of disappointment that nothing seems to be really rewarding, but not know why that is.  If people tell you that you are successful and you try to believe it, there are no positive beliefs to anchor it, only self-doubt and distrust.  Instead of feeling pleased, you become self-critical and focus on the parts that could have been done better.  The unconscious mind can always find evidence to support the negative beliefs it has acquired over the years!

The Process of Change

The way to move forward is to try and break the habit as soon as it starts to kick in.  as soon as you go into self-criticizing mode, stop that thought.  Ask yourself where that emotion, belief or thought came from.  Usually it can be traced back to a series of humiliating and painful experiences that have undermined your faith in yourself.  Ok, so you were told that you were stupid – but that is only one person’s opinion and why is their opinion more valid than yours?  After all, everyone has something to offer, regardless of ability.  I think a large part of the problem is that a lot of these experiences come from parents, teachers, even older children at school, in other words the people we are taught to think of as our ‘elders and betters’ … but that doesn’t mean they are always right, often far from it.

This self-analysis is best done sitting quietly and meditating on the belief/emotion/thought and see what comes up from your subconscious mind when you allow it to do so.

Eventually, over time, on an occasion when you find yourself thinking “Don’t get your hopes up, that was just a fluke, it won’t happen again”, you will be able to realise that you are dealing with some past negative conditioning.  First, acknowledge and feel that pain.  Then say to yourself, “No, that critical statement was not true then and it is not true now.  I did well and I deserve credit for it. I no longer want that old belief that I cannot succeed and I am letting it go now.”

I wish you well on your journey of change, self-discovery and transformation.

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at Little London Herbal Stores on Kings Walk in Nottingham city centre. For further information about her courses, workshops and therapies, please visit her website at http://helenshortland.com.