Creating a Nourishing Space for Tranquil Sleep

The need for sleep is a crucial truth of life on Earth. A quick Google search will tell you that coffee is the #1 drug in the world, all of us filling up another cup of Joe to wake up from this never-ending fatigue.

To be well-rested is to be of good health, or whatever it is they say.

Is coffee the only liquid energy that we need? Or can we curate our own space that is solely dedicated to our sleep and dreaming self-care, providing us with not only a place to lay our weary head but a space that opens up our sleep state to a place of true relaxation and rest?

• Taking Out Anything Not Related to Sleep in the Bedroom

The step to creating a more nourishing space for sleep begins with the simple question: What is in the room that is keeping you awake? Television, Excessive lights, WiFi modems, cellphones, and almost all electronics keep us awake because we tend to stay on these devices longer when they are nearby.

Artificial light in our face after the sun sets disrupts the circadian rhythms that our body relies on to regulate our sleep and hormones.

Removing these distractions is essential to establishing a space that CARES about your sleep well-being. By catering to your circadian rhythm, not your wants.

• Find Music that Makes You Feel Relaxed

The key to getting a goodnight's sleep is setting the mood. The goal is restful sleep, not just close your eyes and wake up sleep - if that makes any sense - music supports this. A beautiful app, Insight, is a free guided meditation & music library app that has thousands of meditations and playlists created just for you to relax.

Utilize it! With no distractions and music that helps guide you into a restful space, Mr.Sandman is sending you a dream.

• Nourish Your Space with Comforting Items

Your space is all your own, so own it! Set the mood for peaceful sleep by putting things in the bedroom that make you feel comfortable, soft, and relaxed. Are you a weight blanket type of person, or need to be surrounded by fluffy pillows? Do you like a small amount of dim light in the room while you drift off to sleep, or completely black? Knowing the elements in yourself that set the tone for relaxation will help you even when you aren't there - AKA fully in dream mode.

Here are some of my favorite bedtime essentials:

• Nightime Bonnet - resting with a hair wrap just makes me feel secure, and the satin-lining feels like even my hair is getting a goodnight's rest.

• Dream Night Light Lamp - I'm the girl who needs a small sliver of light on so that the demon under my bed is too scared to rise from underneath and grab me.

• Warming Blanket - the ability to turn the heating control OFF/ON helps me regulate the temperature of my blankets throughout the night.

• Cooling Blanket - because you'll need a nice, cooling bamboo blanket that keeps you from those nighttime sweats.

• Humidifier - Purified, hydrating air helps you sleep soundly and deeply. The humidifier also helps keep your throat and nasal passages from drying out overnight.

• Rice Bag of Essential Oils - the vast array of essential oils that you can place a few drops in is endless, but my favorites right now are Rosemary & Lavender. I'm pretty old-fashioned.

• Memory Foam Pillow - I need to know that my spine and back are properly aligned even while I rest my head, pillows are the key to aligning this correctly at night. Choose wisely.

• Copper Mug of Water - keeping a copper mug of Springwater on my nightstand helps keep me hydrated, and avoids the awkward early morning walk from the bedroom to the kitchen at 3 AM. The copper mug infuses the water with Iron, which the blood needs to fuel itself.

• Devices Out! - all electronic devices in my home find themselves in the living room overnight, never homing themselves in my bedroom. Why? Besides the temptation to stay up just to double-check the views on my Stories, the EMF exposure is REAL, and avoiding these frequencies keeps your own vibration high, alert, and exposure-free.

• If you suffer from Insomnia - the following tips can assist in a truly tranquil sleep:

1. Follow my Guided Meditation: Yoga Nidra Series on YouTube

2. Download the Insight app

The following herbs & CBD strains are curated specifically for handling Insomnia:

• Bubba Kush

• Special Sauce

• Remedy

CBD can bring about sleep by influencing the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which regulates myriad functions in the body, like the immune system and appetite. Adding CBD flower + a dreamy herb, like, Passionflower, can help assist the body to aid in falling and staying asleep.

Herbs for Sleep:

• Passionflower

• Chamomile (of course she had to make an appearance)

• Lavender

• Mugwort (also acts as a lucid dream aid)

• Valerian Root

These practical herbs help the body relax to a point of true rest, which allows Mr. Sandman to take over, and our organs to begin the much-needed cleaning work that they can't do while we are awake, active, and moving non-stop.

Once you start crafting the perfect nighttime space for yourself, you will see the benefits of using herbs and essential oils to help guide you into a deeper sleep, a more relaxed environment to stay asleep, and maybe, just maybe, gratitude for the plants that help that.

Charenee Hamilton, CAPM, 200-RYT

Follow me on Instagram and Youtube for more healthy tips, and yoga sessions, and look into the magical world of New Moon Wellness!

Charenee is a yoga teacher, budding herbalist, and spiritual intuitive that is passionate about Yoga Nidra, dream interpretation, and holistic healing through homegrown food.