Better Sleep–something we all need right now. Insomnia is a product of our uncertain and changing times. We can cope with it. Here are some tips for getting the rest you deserve.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia, according to WebMD, is a trouble falling or staying asleep. It can happen to many of us at times (short term), or plague some over the long term. Doctors classify insomnia as either primary (no underlying health-related causes) or secondary (caused by physical issues like depression, asthma, arthritis, heartburn, etc.). In other words, sometimes your body keeps you awake because it doesn’t feel well, and sometimes your mind is unable to rest.
Insomnia causes
Photo by Mat Brown from Pexels
Causes of primary insomnia include things like stress (hello 2020!), environment (light in the room, noise), and temporary physical issues (jetlag). Depression and anxiety (oh, hello again, 2020!) are considered causes of secondary insomnia. If you are trying desperately to sleep, looking up this article at dark-thirty, I can offer some tips, and you can talk to your medical provider later. The Sleep Foundation also points out that things like irregular sleep schedule or poor nutrition can be causes of insomnia as well. If you haven’t figured it out yet, our unpredictable lives during the pandemic of 2020, and the uncertainty now is a ripe environment for losing sleep. If you’re tired…you aren’t alone. Also, if you’re trying hard to cope, lack of sleep is just making that harder. So let’s get back to sleep.
Here are some recommendations suggested by both WebMD and the Sleep Foundation on how to deal with your insomnia:
Get a consistent sleep schedule–wake up at the same time.
Get some exercise–physical activity helps you rest better.
Disconnect from electronics at least an hour before bedtime.
Get comfortable: emphasize relaxation (lavender essential oil, vetiver balls/mats, and hops pillows can help).
Avoid foods that create distress in your body. You may wish to limit or avoid caffeine or alcohol.
Wind down gently before bedtime (read a paper book, meditation, a warm bath, sex).
If insomnia continues, keep a sleep diary and talk to your doctor.
As a Reiki practitioner, who also has Autism/ADHD/PTSD, I regularly use my Reiki to curtail stress, anxiety, depression and all the sleeplessness these things can cause.
Reiki Can Help
The Sleep Foundation has published information on relaxation, and how to put yourself into an environment designed to aid falling and staying asleep–including meditation, mindfulness, and consciously breathing.
Practitioners and teachers have offered testimonials to the International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT) about how their students began to sleep better right after taking an initial Reiki class. Another student of William Rand wrote an article for Psychology Today about how her Reiki practice helped her sleep more soundly. That’s all well and good, and I hope those of you reading this in the middle of the night will consider us for an online Reiki class when you are ready. If you aren’t ready to learn Reiki, maybe it is time to attend a Reiki Share and try a little Reiki or learn more about it. We have regular Reiki Shares on Tuesdays, 5-6:30pm pacific time. Reach out to a Reiki practitioner to receive a session. We do have practitioners available for online services, and Reiki works very well this way. If you live where personal services are safe to receive, feel free to reach out and book with a local practitioner–but know that distance services will be just as effective.
This meditation is infused with Reiki, by me (Amy). Just click here, and let the meditation play.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
Relax.
Sleep well.
Do you feel like mindfulness is the next Big Thing? You hear about it on TV, there are apps about it and in tons of articles. But is this just a phase or it is something real?
Honestly, I can’t answer that question for you. I can only answer it for me.
My mindfulness practice started almost 6 years ago. Well, I’m not sure I would even have called it a practice. It was just a little awareness around an idea that might be helpful to someone someday but probably not me. Or at least that what I thought of mindfulness at the time.
I was in kind of a desperate place, I needed something, but I really did not know what it was, and the idea of mindfulness had been in and out of my life several times, each time I thought it was a great idea for someone else.
I’d love to say it was bolt of lightning moment and it all changed, but that is not my story. I started to read about mindfulness, and meditation; these two concepts seemed to go hand in hand. I needed the data to tell me that X% of people that practice mindfulness each day are X% more likely to be happier. While that data exists, I still did not believe it, there was a feeling or emotional aspect to this mindfulness stuff that I just could not wrap my head around. I was a facts and figures kind of person but still doubted the facts and figures I found. But I thought what could it hurt to just sit and do nothing for a few minutes every day?
So, I tried it in my master bedroom closet so no one would know what I was doing. It was awkward and strange. I made the commitment to sit in the dark every morning before anyone else was awake and just focus on my breathing (that’s what the articles said). I set a timer for 10 minutes. I could do 10 minutes, right? WRONG!! I checked the timer with 9 minutes 30 seconds to go (that’s right I sat for 30 seconds!) and then again at 8 minutes 55 seconds to go. You get the idea. I could not make the whole 10 minutes.
I felt completely unsuccessful and thought I’m not trying that again what a waste of time. Well, the next day I forgot to turn off the alarm I had set to meditate, so the next morning the alarm went off reminding me to do my 10 minutes of mindfulness in the closet. I decide to try again but this time only 5 minutes. I got a full 2 minutes in without having the check the timer! HUGH CELEBRATION. Yes, I’m celebrating that I was able to just focus on my breath for 2 minutes.
I’m not 100% sure if the 2 minutes of mindfulness or if it was my excitement for being able to do 2 minutes of mindfulness; but that day was one of the best days I had had in months. From that day on I have tried and failed to include mindfulness or mediation in my daily life.
Several times over these 6 years, I have redefined what mindfulness means to me. I know that my concept of mindfulness has worked its way into my cells and is now a practice long before it is even a thought.
To answer the question, does mindfulness matters to me YES more that I could ever put words to it. But each person’s mindfulness practice is different. Are you practicing mindfulness each day? Would you like to be? No time like the present to jump in!
Cranio Sacral and Polarity Therapy specialist, empowering people in their wellness process. Co-founder of Whole Self Unity.
Let me share a body scan technique that has worked for me to get my life back on track and feeling happy and relaxed again.
The uncertain times we are living in right now are likely to cause anyone to feel confused and unsure which is a great cause for stress and anxiety. The whiplash effect of ever changing news are truly a pain in the neck.
Maybe your body has become tense and tight? Are you feeling stressed or depressed? Maybe you have reached the point of feeling trapped by anxiety and pain. When overwhelming stress, pain and anxiety seem to rob you of your health, you’re not alone. At some point everyone realizes they have stress in their lives that’s causing physical pain and anxieties. With this realization comes the power to transform your life.
Research has found that when relaxation takes place, the parasympathetic nervous system switches on a particular gene that enhances your digestion, memory and immune system. When you practice relaxation techniques you can:
Boost your immunity
Lessen irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and improve digestion
Quiet your mind for relaxing sleep patterns
Lower blood pressure
Prevent inflammation linked to heart disease, asthma and joint pain
This technique can be used for relaxation and self awareness and will help reduce your stress, anxiety, and pain. The more regularly you practice this technique, the deeper it will become rooted to the benefits.
I suggest you set a timer for 15 minutes once or twice a day and practice.
To start, find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. Most people prefer to lie down for this exercise. Your eyes can be open or closed, uncross your arms and legs and let them be supported by the ground or the chair.
Take a few deep breaths and tune into your body, starting with the head and work your way down.
Scan your head and neck and simply notice if you feel tense, relaxed, calm or anxious. Just notice how you feel in your body, do not judge the body.
When you notice tension take a deep breath and see how much you can spread any sensation of softness and relaxation to soothe the tense areas of your body. Take a few deep breaths here.
Take your time and scan all the way to your feet, noticing how you feel. A few more breaths here and then open your eyes slowly.
The times we live in, Friends, they are enough to make a Saint throw tantrums. Sheltering in place, business closures, unemployment, virus, politics, climate change…oh, now I have you all stressed out. Oops. Sorry. At least you know you have come to the right place? Take a breath; I can help.
Reiki is a way to smooth the energy that runs through you and around you. It is a Japanese technique that has been around for about hundred years–longer if you look into ways that “laying on of hands” has been used throughout history. Stress reduction and relaxation are the hallmarks of any Reiki session. Some people get much needed rest from the troubles of daily life; some experience far greater healing.
Stress reduction and relaxation are very healing for the body and the mind. Taking a little break allows the body to reset the immune system, dropping respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, brain waves, and altering hormonal levels in the body. The body gets a much needed break, and returns to the world refreshed. This allows the mind, emotions, and spirit to also come more fully (and mindfully) into wholeness. The result is that Reiki can bring you into better resonance with yourself, and allow all the parts of you to work more effectively on living a good life or solving problems.
Really, you are the healer. I’m honored to witness your transformation when I facilitate this energetic shift for you.
I know, I know, it sounds like I am describing a nap. A good Reiki session often works like a power nap, but it is a little different:
1) Reiki usually takes you deeper than a nap, with greater healing,
2) Reiki usually works faster than a nap–a 20 min session can feel like a full night’s sleep and
3) Reiki usually works even when you are super keyed up and stressed out. I’ve given sample sessions to people in the middle of bustling, chaotic tents, heard them say they won’t be able to relax there, and heard them snore within 30 seconds. (Although, I call it Reiki purring, not snoring–because going deep enough to fall asleep in a Reiki session just means the Reiki can go deeper).
Okay, so I hope I have convinced you that Reiki sounds nice. That the benefits sound like something you need. That you can grasp how it could help both your body and your mind right now. BUT…you say you don’t want to go into a room with someone new right now? No worries!
Remember when I said that Reiki works with the energy flowing in and around your physical body? The thing about that energy, it isn’t bound by time or space. I can work on you from three time zones away, tomorrow, and you will still experience the effects. I promise. But we can start a little easier–I can give you Reiki over the phone, over zoom, over Facebook Live. We don’t need to share air or swap microbes during global pandemic for Reiki to help you restore balance and harmony in your life right now.
I know that is a lot to process. And it sounds too good to be true. Believe me, I get it. I and many other Reiki practitioners had loads of inner tantrums as the pandemic closed our businesses, and curtailed our community activities. We wanted to keep doing business face to face as we had been. From our study and practice, we know that Reiki is very effective on distance healings, but just like the rest of the world, we wanted our world to move forward without changing. That’s pretty normal. We’re all moving through the loss of our old communities and ways of life right now. Wanting to throw a tantrum and needing time to grieve is SUPER normal right now.
Recently, I held a Distance Reiki Share. That means several Reiki practitioners gathered via Zoom and gave each other Reiki. That evening I heard, “wow! that really works!” and “I could feel it just like I was in the room with you!” several times. I even found myself saying similar things. I think, in our grief, we had forgotten how effective Distance Reiki can be (even though we KNEW better). We were all feeling a little guilty that we had needed to send to one another, and had been too wrapped up in the tantrum to just get to work via Distance. What can I say? We’re all human. And the unwelcome interruption of the virus has effected us all.
Still, if I had to have this experience to really remember how potent, and present Distance Reiki is and can be–my guess is there are many others out there who also need a reminder. Or even others who have never experienced Distance Reiki, and are very skeptical. Tell you what, let’s just give it a try. Be bold enough to come experiment with me online.
Follow this link, and like my Reiki Nomad Facebook page or the Whole Self Unity Facebook page. I offer Live meditations and Reiki regularly. In fact, here is a link to a recent Reiki Share . Let’s just see if it helps you. What have you got to gain? Reset. Health. Wholeness. A calmer outlook. And much more.
In light of the pandemic, I am moving my business primarily online. That means I will be teaching Reiki and Self-Healing Classes online. There will be weekly Reiki Shares for practitioners/students and for all community members (no need to know anything about Reiki). I will also be offering Distance Reiki Sessions: 30, 60, and 90 minutes via Skype, Zoom, or Messenger. Let me know when you are ready to help yourself, and I will be honored to witness your transformation. Yes. It really works.
So, I tried it in my master bedroom closet so no one would know what I was doing. It was awkward and strange. I made the commitment to sit in the dark every morning before anyone else was awake and just focus on my breathing (that’s what the articles said). I set a timer for 10 minutes. I could do 10 minutes, right? WRONG!! I checked the timer with 9 minutes 30 seconds to go (that’s right I sat for 30 seconds!) and then again at 8 minutes 55 seconds to go. You get the idea. I could not make the whole 10 minutes.
I felt completely unsuccessful and thought I’m not trying that again what a waste of time. Well, the next day I forgot to turn off the alarm I had set to meditate, so the next morning the alarm went off reminding me to do my 10 minutes of mindfulness in the closet. I decide to try again but this time only 5 minutes. I got a full 2 minutes in without having the check the timer! HUGH CELEBRATION. Yes, I’m celebrating that I was able to just focus on my breath for 2 minutes.
