How well do you sleep?
The statistics about sleeplessness are substantial. Sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on your immune system, throws your moods into turmoil and it can create more cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body that contributes to weight gain and more illness. If that isn’t bad enough, sleeping less than 6 hours a night for a week can alter over 700 genes in your body (in a bad way). Driving and working and living sleepless is considered akin to doing all of these things under the heavy influence of alcohol. Plus who looks great after a few nights of tossing and turning?
Sleep is essential.
Feng shui tips for sleep are often basic, but today I wanted to share a few more unique — and luxuriously simple — tips to help you not just get your 7-8 hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation — but also, to make those hours deeply rejuvenating!
First off, support yourself with feng shui bedroom basics.
The two basics I insist upon for everyone are a solid bed with a supportive mattress and one more controversial one: No more storage under your bed ! If you store things under your bed you stop the circulation of chi (life force energy) that is part of the rejuvenating sleep cycle.
Shut down your electronics at least an hour before bed.
That includes the internet, the phone and the TV. It will change the quality of your life to get this sleep, so I hope you give it a go, no matter how much you’ve become used to your late night movies, TV, videos and even computer in bed.
What will you do in all this free time?
Yoga, stretching, write in a journal, make art, do anything you love.
I love reading before bed to set my mind thinking about new ideas as I sleep… but reading in bed has always been a logistically uncomfortable thing for me until Contour ‘s awesome 10-In-One Flip Pillow came along. This pillow wedge is incredible, and it travels throughout my house because it’s so multi-functional!
White noise can lull you to deeper levels of sleep.
Marpac’s incredible white noise sleep machine is endorsed by the National SleepFoundation, and also, by me. What at first seemed like a strange noise to me whirring from the Marpac machine is now the noise I associate with waking up feeling incredibly fresh and rejuvenated.
Check your air quality.
Allergens and other irritants in the air can stir up your immune system and affect your ability to sleep soundly. Lightair air purifiers are so gorgeous, they can be both art AND furniture in a bedroom. Plus, they are super-silent and do not have filters that need to be replaced, so they are a no-stress route to breathing freshness.
Do a pre-bedtime DIY hydrotherapy shower.
A nighttime shower that alternates 6 or 7 blasts of hot and then cold water (yes, it’s a bit of a commitment to the cold blasts but they work) can both wake you up with greatness in the morning and put you to sleep soundly. Add some holistic aromatherapy to the mix with Essio’s aromatherapy shower kit, and their Unwind blend of therapeutic oils that feed directly into the stream of water in seconds!
Go to bed happy!
Of course, going to bed happy is key to having peaceful sleep. Every wellness expert I know recommends a practice of gratitude. Simply writing down a few things every day that you are grateful for before your head hits a pillow can dramatically increase your happiness and well being… and yes, it can help you sleep deeply!
