SoleHealing – Fundamentals of Sleep
This article is part of the SoleHealing Fundamentals series.
When you are contemplating sleep; you are contemplating awareness.
When you are contemplating health; you are contemplating life.
At nighttime, these cycles of contemplation and awareness can catch you quicker than quicksand. Best to find a way to just help your inner rhythms come into their natural flow so you can be in congruence with your natural sleep wake cycle and not overthink it.
Dr. Janice Brown D.Ac.
Sleep and Rhythm
Perhaps, you think that when you are sleeping, you are sleeping. Really, you are regenerating the cellular structures of the body to such an extent that it is purposefully removing you from the conscious application of thought. It’s like a mother sending her kids out to play while she cleans the house. The body needs you to disengage so it can do what it does without interference in its work and function.
There are many ways of interfering with the body’s rhythmic function: overthinking, powerful emotion, overtaxing the physical structures, insufficient sleep and poor nourishment (clean water, fresh air and vibrant food), stress and the list goes on. Sleep is a powerful reset, give it every opportunity to do what it does best, regenerate and sustain you.
Do I need more sleep?
You might be asking yourself this and thinking that you do. But what you may need is more rhythm in the motion of your sleep wake cycle.
The internal workings of the body regulate the system within. Our internal regulation can be disrupted because we choose to override the normal rhythms of the body. And this is a common occurrence of daily living in our present work life and society. It is important to recognise that when the body isn’t perceiving the experience of rhythm as it should, there intrinsically becomes a balancing effort that seeks to compensate for the lack of internal rhythm.
Initially, this is understood as restless sleep or poor memory. Poor memory is an indication that there is a need for self regulation to be reset from within the rhythm cycle. So what do you do? Sleep early. Wake late. And whatever happens in between let it sort itself out, and try your best to keep your mind out of it. And don’t forget to drink some water before bed and anytime you wake at night.
Here’s an important question, “How does your body want to wake up in the morning?”
Answer: At the first light of day. In Alberta, Canada when I first wrote this, the first light was at about 8:45 in the morning. Not very life convenient for the ‘9 to 5’ practices we have adapted to.
However, if you are suffering from serious health conditions you have to reset your sleep wake cycle by allowing the body to move into its own rhythm instead of using that alarm or mental programming for daily ‘doing’ schedule. Just let it all be.
Sleep and Healing
If you are trying to allow your body to go through a significant healing process, you would benefit yourself greatly to let your body fall into its own waking and sleeping rhythm. Take three weeks to a month and let yourself recalibrate back into a natural rhythm. You never know what could go right. Give it a chance.
As you heal and your body is coming into a sense of vibrancy and vitality that it has not experienced in a while, allow it to have what it needs. An opportunity to move, nourish itself, hydrate, feel. Try not to overrun the body with a windfall of chatter if you wake in the night and are alert. (“What’s wrong with me? Oh no, if I don’t sleep now, I’ll be so tired tomorrow. If I get up now, I’ll never fall asleep again.”)
It is not unusual to wake during the night when your body is in a state of Fundamental Health. Sleep duration and requirements change and adapt as your energetics change and adapt. Allow your body to move through these new transitions without the burden of judgements. You may find that experiencing pockets of sleep is just as rejuvenating as long blocks.
Napping
And remember, please let your body nap during the day. The need or desire to nap does not have to be the result of exhaustion it can simply be recalibration. You may only need a 15-minute refresh and the whole system reboots itself to be more vibrant and resilient through the rest of your day.
ACTION: This is a lighthearted business. If you get too mind focused it will keep evading you. Be gentle, be kind, be playful. This is one of those areas where understanding your own Body Composition will offer you great insight into coming into your own natural rhythm.
Dr. Janice Brown D.Ac.
This article is part of the SoleHealing Fundamentals series.
Author: Janice M Brown, SCM, Rev.
Dean of Academics, SolePath certified master mentor, Academy of Inner Wisdom Faculty, SolePath Instructor through the SolePath Institute
Janice’s SolePath is Spiritual Warrior and Intellectual Lateral Thinker. Her core values are her passion for life and her amazing problem solving gifts. Janice is a Wellness Visionary who is deeply fulfilled by helping people see the true brilliance of who they are and discovering the many aspects of the self that contribute to a person’s well-being.
Janice is an avid writer and explorer of life, who teaches people understandings of metaphysical concepts and mastery of self through the SolePath Institute. She is an Ordained Metaphysical Minister and SolePath Certified master mentor. Janice has a 4 year Doctor of Chinese medicine diploma and has been involved in the health field since the 90’s. She uses the wisdom of the body and the mind in her wellness consulting and she is the author of the SoleHealing protocols.
Contact: DrJanice@SolePath.org
