sleep guided meditation

Pītā Guided Meditation

for Relaxation, Sleep, & Feeling Good The Benefits of Sleep A good night’s sleep nourishes our body, increases our memory power, knowledge, vitality and longevity, it’s essential to our overall health and happiness. And we look better overall when we sleep well. Most of us need about 6 – 7 hours of sleep every night. But we don’t always get a good night’s sleep and for different reasons. We may lose sleep because we have a lot on our mind or feel emotionally upset for some reason. Or we may suffer from migraine or have a bad back or some other health problem that keeps us awake. Overall it’s stress the keeps us awake at night. A few simple changes in our sleeping habits or routine may help us get a better night’s sleep. If we have a medical condition we need to consult our health care practitioner before we make any changes. Getting a Good Night’s Sleep Sunlight One of the most powerful ways I’ve found to promote good quality sleep is to get sufficient sun exposure every day. The daylight/sunlight exposure balances the wake/sleep pattern in the body-clock. If we spend even a half hour in the sunshine each day it can be beneficial. If we wear sunglasses, contact lenses, or eye glasses we will block the beneficial rays of the sun reaching our pineal gland. So make sure you let some of the suns reflected rays enter your eyes. You don’t look directly at the sun to achieve this, just go for a walk, sweep the yard or do some gardening. Wearing sunscreen will greatly reduce or eliminate the sun’s benefits because it blocks out the beneficial rays. So a good time for us to expose our skin to the sun (without sunscreen) is in the early morning or late evening for a half hour (unless we’re living in extremely hot climates). How much time we spend in the sun will depend on our skin type and the part of the world you live in. We’ll either know what length of time is safe for us or we’ll get professional advice. Daily Exercise If we take a brisk walk or cycle for about 30-40 minutes every day we will not only exercise our body but release feel-good hormones and that will help us sleep better. Stimulants If we drink black tea, coffee, or alcohol are after 6pm we’ll probably find it hard to settle into sleep or get any sleep at all. Better alternatives for us are herbal teas, juice, water, or a glass of milk with a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon. Ayurveda recommend boiling the milk (then let it cool) because it’s easier to digest. Food & Chemical Sensitivities If we have food or chemical sensitivities they can affect the quality of our sleep. We could be sensitive to any number of foods, food additives, medicines, make-up, body lotions, hair care products, herbal remedies, over the counter remedies, solvents, and other products or environmental toxins. Evening Time Activities The evening is a time to relax and prepare our body for sleep. If we want to use our evenings productively the best activities are reading, listening to relaxing music, massage, gentle quiet activities, and enjoyable light-hearted movies. We should avoid the news, violent movies, serious documentaries and anything that will over stimulate our mind or emotions. If we want to unwind and prepare for restful sleep we might listen to a guided meditation or a guided relaxation. According to Ayurveda (the health system from India) the best time to go to sleep is 9.30 - 10pm and the best time to rise is between 5- 6am. We may find this a difficult routine to put in place, but the results are noticeable and we’ll probably feel fresher in the morning and have better energy during the day. To get a relaxed feeling before going to bed it’s hard to beat a soak in the tub. A few drops of lavender oil on the pillow can also be helpful. If you have difficulty getting to sleep try listening to one of the sleep guided meditations such as Pītā’s Deep Sleep, to listen to preview click here. This can help you drift off relaxed and calm into a deep sleep. Bedroom Keep the bedroom cool and ventilated. Foam mattresses and toppers are popular but the off-gassing of the chemicals can have a negative effect on the body-mind. Electrics To improve the quality of our sleep we need to keep clock radios, lamps, computers, mobile phones, and electrical appliances away from where we sleep. All of these electrical goods emit a measurable electrical magnetic current. If we have any of these electrical/electronic items close to our heads we may suffer from migraine, a cloudy brain in the morning or have disturbed sleep. Before we go to sleep we switch off electric blankets. To listen to a preview of Pītā’s guided meditation Deep Sleep CD click here