Ironically as I write this I'm probably sleeping a max of 5 hours and waking multiple times during the evening - but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to sleep well - it’s evidence of the presence of an unwell baby in my house. To the parents out there experiencing awful sleep… stay tuned as there’s some support for all bedtime experiences.
Sleep is up there in ‘things we need to survive’ alongside water, oxygen and food. Whilst it holds such a high importance for our wellbeing, many of us just get ‘enough’ to survive and not adequate sleep to thrive, using caffeine and sugar to bump up the remaining energy for the day.
SLEEP WELL[BEING]
When we sleep well, we give our bodies the optimal opportunity to repair and heal, our mind to solve the day's problems and provide sharper focus and brain power. A tired brain and body can leave us experiencing sickness and mental health challenges. When we don’t sleep well we can wake up feeling lethargic, foggy-brained and in a low mood. It can cycle into poor food choices, too much caffeine leaving us unwell, anxious and perpetuate the cycle of poor sleep.
Signalling “it’s time for rest” at bedtime is a key aspect of the release of melatonin (the sleepy hormone) which governs our circadian rhythm and the switching on of neurotransmitters that shift the body’s nervous system into a state of relaxation (the opposite being fight-or-flight our stressed state). The goal of a bedtime routine is to calm the mind and body to allow this process to take place.
The thoughts and feelings we are holding onto at bedtime can predict the quality of sleep we will experience. Go to bed stressed and sleep poorly. Many people experience a wake-up around 3am - this is evidence of high cortisol levels (the stress hormone) bringing us out of sleep to be alert and, well… stressed.
Relaxation is important for the mind as much as the body and there’s particular emotions we can tune into to assist with shifting our energy and rewiring the brain for happy thoughts, deep restful sleep and a clear and positive mind when we wake up. A bedtime ritual provides an opportunity to release, relax and rest.
A potent and powerful feeling we can experience that guarantees to reduce anxiety and catapult us into a state of love, gratitude and wonderment is awe. It is what we experience when a wave of love, gratitude, astonishment and great appreciation for life fills our soul. It anchors us into the present moment, releasing worry of the past and fear of the future, it connects to our subconscious mind to signal safety and comfort, allowing stress to melt away.
BENEFITS OF EXPERIENCING AWE AND GRATITUDE BEFORE SLEEP
- Promotes feelings of happiness and wonder, reducing stress and anxiety that often disrupt sleep.
- Helps quiet racing thoughts, encouraging relaxation and a smoother transition into restful sleep.
- Improves sleep quality by cultivating a peaceful state of mind that leads to a deeper, more restorative sleep.
- Sets a positive emotional tone, leading to waking up feeling refreshed and happy.
- By shifting your emotional state and switching off your stress response you can heal your body and enhance your health and overall well-being.
Scent is an important tool for ritual, you can read more about rituals here and olfaction here.
For now, pick up a crystal, close your eyes and ponder the following before drifting off to sleep.
Aside from the beauty and intrigue of crystals, rocks and fossils - they give us an opportunity to experience awe as our mind grasps the astonishing history of formation spanning millions (and billions) of years.
It’s not just the series of geological events that had to take place for a pocket of crystals to form or the biological evolution spanning eons for an ammonite to exist and then the other cataclysmic event that was needed to wipe them out and perfectly fossilise them - It’s that the atoms, energy and mass that exists within us have always existed - in some form or another.
That crystal in your hand is part of a cycle, just as you are. The only part of this life that we can’t hold onto is the present moment. If a crystal is your way of anchoring yourself in the now, then there is no denying their great power to heal pain of the past and fear of the future.
Awe is what we experience when a wave of love, gratitude, astonishment and great appreciation for life fills our soul. Crystals help us experience that.
Join our 4 week/ 28 day experience to challenge yourself with a nightly bedtime ritual to sleep more, rest deeper and wake feeling happier.
This experience brings together rituals to wind down, relax and shift subconscious programming to allow your mind and body to experience deep, restorative slumber.
Find community, inspiration and accountability within the challenge. Feel a sense of achievement and work your way towards better sleep hygiene and better mornings after a good rest.
