Before you begin your nightly journey through dreamland, here are some helpful ways to prepare the physical environment.
For sleep to bring the best rewards, your room must be very dark.
We have had electricity only one hundred years. Our brains have not reshaped to accord with this new technology: we still need extreme dark to harvest the best of our sleep.
Make sure the drapes hold back any cracks of light. Turn off all digital sources of light: clocks, radios, nightlights, computers. These lights etch themselves through the airwaves into your brain, so your brain continues to pick up signals that mean it is closer to daytime than night.
Chose a very quiet place to sleep. Continued traffic noise or neighbourhood sounds may be something you have overcome- so you think! These disturbances continue to register in your ears. This makes it much harder for you to focus inwardly into the safety and comfort of the inner world as preparation for sleep.
Try heavier curtains, or moving to another location to achieve the maximum return for your sleep hours.
Some people prefer the soft drone of a continual noise. A fan turned on helps them sleep. If this works for you, use it.
Although the ultimate experience is a very quiet environment for sleep, use what is available to help you adjust.
Next, make sure your bedding is the right weight. Some people prefer the heavy feeling of older materials, such as wool or heavy weave cotton to the more modern quilts which are both lightweight and warm.
Try to use natural fiber materials. Down, feathers, wool and cotton bedding are superior to those blankets made with petroleum products such as fibers or foam. The reason is the feel and weight of the natural fabrics accords with our oldest brain. In addition, some of the newer products still emit tiny amounts of toxic material which is picked up when you breathe.
Your bedding is as close to you as your clothes so chose bedding with consideration for your body, your health and your best sleep.
With a dark quiet room and the best bedding for you a solid night's sleep is a breath or two away.