Do You Sleep Well? - Kundalini Khalsa

Circadian Rhythms

Given the ongoing changes to our rhythms of activity under the pressures of life it is maybe no surprise if we occasionally experience problems with our sleeping patterns and the efficiency of our sleep. Our sleep is subject to a delicate balance of our energy cycles and especially sensitive to our stress management.

Here are some basic things to consider to have a better and more rejuvenating sleep:

Make sure you mattress is neither too old (max 10 years) nor too soft (generally, the firmer the better)
Your bedroom needs to be dark so your body is able to produce melatonin, a hormone to help your body sleep
Dim down your lights already one hour before bedtime
Switch off all electrical devices one hour before bedtime and leave them outside your bedroom
Leave your work outside of the bedroom
Use a couple of drops lavender essential oil in a diffuser or oil burner. Lavender induces relaxation and is used successfully to help people with anxiety and poor sleep.
Drink a glass of cool (but not icy) water before you go to bed
Give yourself (or your partner) a short foot massage before you lie down sleeping
You can also work more specifically, following the instructions in this short video on Hand Reflexology for Sleep from the Association of Reflexologists (duration 5:36 minutes)
Practise Shabad Kriya regularly for a while. This pranayama meditation with segmented breathing and mantra helps to improve your sleep: Shabad Kriya
Meditate and/or say a night-time prayer before going to bed (try my English and German translations of Kirtan Sohila)
Go through your past day with a positive and grateful attitude towards everything that happened and that you have accomplished
Create some motivating vision for the next day, know you will wake up fresh and in good spirits at your chosen time
It helps if your wake-up time is the same every day and as early as possible to allow for your needed hours of sleep but not more
Be grateful for all the good things in your life generally
Try long and deep breathing through the left nostril (blocking the right nostril): It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and calms you down
Try falling asleep while lying on your right side: This supports breathing through the left nostril and lightens the pressure on the heart

Even just one or two ideas from the above list might already bring desired improvement. Simply start trying what seems most promissing and interesting to you.