Insomnia - The modern epidemic
Several things - are you really suffering from insomnia - or do you just have a different sleep pattern?
Some of us just don't need a lot of sleep whilst some are a complete mess without a full eight hours ( I am a woman who happily lived for many years on 5- 6 hours to no ill effect)
In the past we would either sleep from dusk to dawn - well that's very different depending on where we live and what season it is, also we would not all be heavy sleepers as if we were we would be slaughtered either by night hunters or rival hunters.
Or, we would, have intermittent sleep patterns where we would sleep for several hours, then waken up and have a socialisation time, before sleeping for several more hours, so many of us are still programmed this way, which makes fitting into the modern standard eight hour sleep pattern difficult to manage.
And - many women have at least one night pre period when they just don't sleep
Best things to do
Throw away the lavender oil - the aromatherapy panacea, lavender in small doses can be beneficial, however it has become the knee jerk go to remedy
If you suffer from migraine or asthma, this is unlikely to be the remedy for you as it can trigger both
If you are very sensitive, it can unsettle your dreams and you can waken up feeling somewhat hung over
So using the incredible gifts of aromatherapy - what to do?
Use - Rose, a warm aromatic restful, heart opening scent
Rosemary, slightly woody, balancing, opening and earthing
Lemon, healthy, balancing, astringent, loving, anxiety reducing
Geranium, earthy, floral, balancing and relaxing
Roman Chamomile, mild, loving, earthy, grounding,
These essential oils are safe to use either mixed in distilled water and spritzed over a pillow, in a relaxing bath prior to bed or in a diffuser set beside the bed
Experiment with the mix, start with only a couple of drops of whichever you are drawn to until you have something which resonates with you
Daily download - with the busy lives we all lead, our minds often feel overloaded and when we finally feel it's time to sleep we can't switch off, I recommend that you choose a 10 minute slot somewhere in the day ( anytime that suits ) turn everything off and just breath
Do not worry about either mindfulness or meditation or whether you are doing it right, just embrace 10 minutes of letting your head do what it wants, this may help your mind get into a more restful mode during actual sleep time.
Try to have a bit of a bedtime ritual, warm bath or shower, maybe a foot rub ( using a carrier oil with some of the oils above is ideal)
A warm drink - Valerian or Chamomile tea is ideal
If you can, use a sleep mask, then any change in lighting is less likely to disturb ( Personally I cant keep them on but it helps my daughter immensely )
Always keep a journal by the bed, if you are having trouble, this will allow you to write your worries/thoughts down and get them out of your head, it also means that if you wake up with a genius idea you can quickly jot it down and then get back to sleep
Finally remember, sleep like everything else in life ebbs and flows and our emotions, hormones, living conditions and disposition all play a part,
I hope you find this helpful
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