Sleeping is an extremely vital part of our lives. Roughly the 1/3 of our lives is ‘spent’ on sleeping and that’s not something we should regret. Night sleep is considered extremely vital for our body as the Circadian Circle – our biological clock – resets. But our modern way of living has affected the way we go to bed. Hence, a modern alchemist has to (re)discover tricks to sleep. We need to find ways to induce the sleep mode easily.
7 Tricks to Sleep in less than 5 minutes
Lack of Sleep can cause accidents, effect our iQ and reflexes, or even decay our immune system. Moreover, it’s quite necessary to have a restful sleep, as this is extremely important in many magical procedures.
Sleep (Hypnos) is a very handsome God, brother to Dream (Oniros) and Death (Thanatos)
According to the amazing ancient greek literature, the personification of Sleep is god Hypnos who is brother to god of Dreams (Oniros – Oneiros) and god of Death (Thanatos). Legend has it, that these brothers are so intoxicating handsome, that no mortal, man or woman, can ever resist to their charms. This is why, eventually, we all sleep (at some point), dream and die.
Disclaimer: Consult with your doctor if you suffer from chronic insomnia because you may need proper medication.
So let’s begin with our tips for a better and more rejoicing sleep.
1. Dark Room is the home of a good sleep
You may not realise this but even a small source of light can disturb your sleep in ways you cannot even imagine. From waking up a lot, having difficulties to fall asleep or even having bad dreams.
The presence of light activates certain hormonal procedures in our body which tries to keep it awakened. This progressively exhausts your biological functions.
Antidote: Switch off all the light, remove anything that produces light and put some thick curtains to block out sunlight. Some curtains can also protect your room against the heat and cold, saving you money & energy. No light in your room. One of the most important tricks to sleep.
2. Cleanse your Temple of god Hypnos – your room
A chaotic room produces chaotic energies. Have you been neglecting to clean up this mess? Are piles of clothes and/or shoes or whatever filling the space of your room?
Moreover, do you by any chance use bright colour for decorating your room? Red, Orange and Yellow can activate and boost anxiety and lead to lack of sleep.
Antidote: Organise the chaos, and clean your room. If able, replace the colours of you room with more greyish or green/blue colours. Pink is also good. Colours are my favourite tricks to sleep better.
3. Get a sleep Ritual – Routine
This might seem kinda stupid but trust me it’s not. It’s actually one of the simplest procedures one can follow. If you do thousands of stuff on your bed you may ‘link’ you bed with work in your brain. Moreover, if you love to watch TV before going to sleep, do it before going to bed also. Do it on your sofa.
Make some new sleep mannerisms, like you take off your watch when you are ready to sleep. You can even set an Alarm to Remind you to go to sleep. Going to bed at certain hours produce a sleep ‘reflex’. Repeat and you got it !
Antidote: Keep it clear. ‘When I’m on bed, I can sleep easily’. This is also a simple mantra you can repeat every time you lay on your bed.
4. Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine or Big Meals prior bed
Do you like to get a big mac menu with some coke and then try to fall asleep? Well, that’s not a good idea.
Alcohol can disturb your sleep. It seems odd, as alcohol make as pretty sleepy but that’s not how it works. Alcohol will not induce us to a deep sleep state. On the contrary, it will direct us to a non relaxing sleep. Same applies to caffeine, sugar and big meals.
Antidote: Avoid eating at least 2 hours before sleep. Last intake of caffeine should be many more hours before going to sleep. Same applies to alcohol.
5. Eat a Yogurt before sleep
In alchemy, Yogurt is a food associated with Saturn and the Moon. Both planets and energies are linked with resting, sleep and meditation.
Moreover, yogurt is a food empowered with probiotics and tryptophan. This is is an amino-acid, extremely valuable to your body as it is used to produce serotonin and melatonin. Both substances act as neurotransmitters and hormonal signals to help us sleep better and more easily. Moreover, they regulate our mood and the way we anticipate pain – phisical or emotional.
Milk also has tryptophan but yogurt is much easier to digest. Avoid if you are lactose intolerant.
6. Exercise in daytime
When we exercise, certain types of chemical substances are produced (serotonin – opioids) which help us sleep better and deeper. It goes without saying that prior exercise you should be checked by your medical doctor to see what kind of exercise is suitable for you.
However, if you exercise during the night – or prior to sleep it can disturb your sleeping circle. Why? Because exercise also produces catecholamines, the hormones which keep us awakened and energised.
Antidote: Exercise during daylight or at least 5-6 hours before going to bed.
7. Enjoy a bath prior bed
Spoil yourself with a rich, lavender scented bath before going to bed. While active our body temperature increases making it difficult for us to fall asleep.
However you can have a bath before going to sleep. Both cool or warm bath can help. Weird? Not that much. A cool bath rapidly reduces our body temperature making us ready for bedtime. A warm bath can increase the body temperature for a while, but as you get prepared to go to bed, the rapid cooling of your skin ‘hacks’ your body into thinking it is bedtime. Cool right?
These tricks to sleep can help you achieve a better and more relaxing bedtime. Do you use any of these tricks to sleep?
Maybe you have something else to propose? Tell us!
