When I talk about improving sleep quality naturally, I do not mean in the typical ways you have heard of a thousand times. While the methods I use do not involve medications or chemicals, they may not be the most mainstream ideas out there. If you are open to alternative methods, check out my list inspired by energy medicine, qi gong, spirituality, and my own personal experience improving my sleep quality with narcolepsy naturally.
Energy Cleanse Before Bed
Most of us have basic hygiene practices for our physical bodies. But what we weren’t taught growing up was hygiene for our energy bodies. Based on your own beliefs you may tailor an energy cleanse ritual before bed that is right for you. If you don’t have or want a new ritual, you can set the intention for your normal ritual to also cleanse your energy. For example, when I get into the shower, I set the intention for the water to cleanse the energy from the day as well as the dirt.
Set your intention for sleep
Many of us find ourselves lucid dreaming or astral projecting when we are asleep. It can be a nice adventure from time to time, but if you wake up feeling more exhausted than when you went to bed, it might be time for some boundaries. You can set the intention before sleeping that you would like the sleep to be physically restorative and state how you wish you feel in the morning. Deciding what you want your sleep to be like is a simple way to improve your sleep quality naturally!
Declare your energetic seniority
This may go with the previous suggestion but even on the nights when you choose to allow yourself to lucid dream, you can declare your energetic seniority and allow only entities of the highest love and light to interact with you on your travels. This can help prevent waking up feeling exhausted as you won’t have to deal with so many of those “energy vampires”.
Empty your mind
Some of us wake up frequently because we are storing so much pertinent information in our short-term memory that we are afraid we will forget it. We wake up reminding ourselves to buy the cat food, or put the license sticker on the car in the morning. Instead of allowing those “alarms” to go off while you are sleeping, get them all out of your head before you lie down. Whether they go in your calendar, the notes app, a voice recording sent to yourself, or just on a piece paper, empty your mind before you lie down.
Balance your Yin Energy
Many people are wired and tired because their Yin and Yang energy is muddled and confused. Yin is the energy of rest and relaxation. So cultivating Yin energy can calm your mind, relax your body, and help you get better quality sleep. You may do this by using Yin Yoga or any other energetic practice that resonates with you. I have most recently been experimenting with Qi Gong in a course offered by Lee Holden on Mindvalley.
Check the Feng Shui of your Sleep Space
Keep your room a space just for sleep. Look around your room and notice if there are any images or items that in your subconscious state may be perceived as dangerous or scary. For example, in Feng Shui they recommend not having images of large animals like horses near your bed, because well logically if that horse was real, would you lie down next to it? Our brains perceive images as real, and especially in the stages before sleep it’s important to keep the area peaceful.
Use basic sleep hygiene to wind down
Okay, I know this one is boring, but it really does make a difference. Get off your phone and any other screens at least an hour before bed. Adopt relaxing activities that you can do in low light. You might try meditation, yoga nidra, or even audio bedtime stories to help you drift off. Binaural beats are another great tool to use if you can sleep using headphones or earbuds!
Hopefully these tips help you to fall into sleep more peacefully! Feel free to share your own tips or tricks to improve sleep quality naturally below.