Sleep Secrets
Sleep is a magical space that gives our bodies on all levels (physically, mentally, and emotionally) the opportunity to be stronger and healthier and to have more vitality. That all sounds great! But when you can’t seem to get to sleep or get back to sleep, what can you do?
Getting to Sleep
I pull my self-help acupressure tools out of my tool bag. One of the best is to:
- Hold your fingertips on the base of your skull,
right fingertips on the right side and left on the left side. - Then start jumper cabling — gently cup each thumb and finger, one at a time, beginning with the thumb on one hand and then moving to the next hand.
- Hold each for at least several good deep breaths.
And, if you’re not asleep by then, start your jumper cables over. It’s all about helping your body break the old energy pattern of “no sleep” and bringing on a new way of being.
Also, you can bring a dynamic change to your environment by bringing in the movement of water. Now, I just came from the waters off Belize. I was sleeping like a baby each night! In fact, for someone who never naps, I found myself taking snoozes during the day. Granted, I was on vacation, but this girl never takes naps. For me, water is the key — being around it and being in it.
Water is Nature’s Sleep Aide
The activity of swimming and snorkeling and hearing the surf while walking on the beach helps the whole body let go. Besides, floating down a river through caves and touring an ancient Mayan cave brought lots of adventure.
And holding the base of the skull and then doing your jumper cables brings your body immediately to that place of ease and openness. It connects with the “rivers of energy” that move vertically and diagonally through your body. When you hold your acupressure points, you are connecting with those meridians and channels that bring your body into balance.
For those of us who live near the ocean or the sea or a river, we are hopefully taking time to enjoy the beautiful blue space that mother nature gives to us. The sound of the blue space brings happiness, and it’s beneficial for the energy body to discover balance, harmony, and easy movement.
Bring Water to Your Sleep Routine
If you’re not near the water or don’t have enough opportunities to be there, bring water TO you. The sound of water moving in fountains, both outside and inside, can quickly help your mind let go, create space, and allow you to drift off as if you’re walking along the beach. It truly has restorative effects.
Studies have found that people who (at least occasionally) walk along the coast or along rivers experience a “significantly longer night’s sleep than those who don’t create the time to do so.”
The results may not be wholly surprising. The number of sleep aids on the market connected to the sea, such as CDs featuring ocean sounds, suggests possible links between the coast and conditions suitable for sleep.
Sleep, Blue Space, Green Space
“The Guardian” has some great articles about utilizing both blue spaces and green spaces for health and happiness.
The benefits of “blue space” — the sea and coastline, but also rivers, lakes, canals, waterfalls, even fountains – are less well publicised, yet the science has been consistent for at least a decade: being by water is good for body and mind.
Proximity to water – especially the sea – is associated with many positive measures of physical and mental wellbeing, from higher levels of vitamin D to better social relations. “Many of the processes are exactly the same as with green space – with some added benefits,” says Dr. Mathew White, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and an environmental psychologist with BlueHealth, a programme researching the health and wellbeing benefits of blue space across 18 (mostly European) countries.
Even a fountain may do. A 2010 study (of which White was lead author) found that images of built environments containing water were generally rated just as positively as those of only green space; researchers suggested that the associated sound scape and the quality of light on water might be enough to have a restorative effect.
Lessons Learned
Both groups reported they felt happier, calmer, more alert, and slept better and longer after their walks.
But Ratcliffe, who herself has happy memories of childhood seaside walks and cycle rides at Aldeburgh in Suffolk, found that coastal walkers experienced a “significantly” longer night’s sleep than the inland group.
The results may not be wholly surprising. The number of sleep aids on the market connected to the sea, such as CDs featuring ocean sounds, suggests possible links between the coast and conditions suitable for sleep.
