Opportunities for Insomniacs

Our thoughts are the breathing of our souls, and we’re all breathing fast these days. Enemies of sleep are everywhere. They line up in the feed: food recalls, callous corporations, the law of the jungle, species extinctions, predatory criminals, new epidemics, and climate change. It’s no wonder insomnia is common. Add to worry the extremes of stimulation provided by technology, processed food, drinks, and drugs and it’s surprising anyone sleeps well.

Humanity today faces an unprecedented array of potential catastrophes, but the world has always been a dangerous place. Previous generations tossed and turned worrying about nuclear war, Viking raids, or the Black Plague. As Dickens wrote: “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

Here are a few remedies and techniques you may find more helpful than prescriptions. I recommend herbal remedies, since I avoid commercial and pharmaceutical sleep aids. But no attempt to force your body to sleep by taking pills will work permanently, and addictions, chemical and emotional, can result.

Herbal remedies include Valerian, Lavender, Passionflower, Catnip, Chamomile, Motherwort, Cannabis, and Lion’s Tail (also called Wild Dagga), but blends can be more effective. It’s worth your time to do research so you can find what works best for you, as nothing works for everyone.

In one of the Jane Roberts books the entity Seth gives a helpful hint. If you can’t sleep, but you’re otherwise comfortable, don’t try to force yourself to sleep. That never works. Fretting over how much less time you have, trying not to look at the clock, looking at the clock, that guarantees sleeplessness. Seth suggested telling yourself that you are enjoying loafing luxuriously. Even if you’re not sleeping you can rest and recharge.

Turn your insomnia into an opportunity with one of the most ancient wisdom practices, the Pythagorean Reflection. Go over your day, starting with what you did just before bed, and work your way back to the first thing you did when you woke up. Could you have done anything differently? Could you have reacted in more constructive ways to challenges? Could you have made better use of opportunities? While the first few nights of this practice might not help you sleep, continued has many benefits,.

For some instructing your muscles to relax one by one from each toe to the tip of your head can become neurotic, but for others sleep often comes before the exercise is completed. If you’re still awake try listening to your body, literally have a dialogue in your imagination with any areas troubling you.

Since you’re awake anyway, what about unleashing your imagination? Think about anything you want. Preferably not details of tomorrow’s tasks. Instead, explore the amazing powers of creation provided by your own thoughts and visualizations. These can sometimes stream directly into dreams as you fall asleep.

Perhaps what you’re working on during your sleepless night is spiritual contact. After all, faith or at least a sense of trust about the natural course of things, is your greatest ally when trying to sleep. Spiritual contact can be as simple as remembering some lovely moment of your life, your favorite person’s smile, a beautiful natural scene, some accomplishment you enjoyed. Dwell on the good feelings. Or if you prefer less exciting scenarios imagine you are a wisp of cloud floating in air. Instead of being driven by urgent thinking, make your mind like the sky. Your thoughts are like clouds, you contain them all, without being them, or being attached to them. Relaxed appreciation heightens your senses, quiets your thoughts and allows for spiritual nourishment.

Diet can trouble sleep. Don’t eat big meals less than three hours before bed. Alcohol metabolizes as sugar so a night cap can give you an energy burst that can chase away sleep. Time honored home remedies like a glass of warm milk can contribute to the problem instead of solving it, since candida, a yeast overgrowth exasperated by dairy products, can cause insomnia.

Libido is another underrated cause of insomnia. In some cases what is thought to be Restless Legs Syndrome can be the result of suppressed sexual energy. The human body requires orgasms. This healthy release is as essential to good health as all the other less controversial physical functions.

Conscience can be the enemy of sleep not only when cruelty haunts the cruel, but when mistakes are made, or responsibilities shirked. To live a life that doesn’t allow us to explore the missions that brought us here in the first place is a recipe for insomnia. We all need to dream, and not just in our sleep.

Creativity could be the culprit. Writers, painters, programmers and musicians are particularly susceptible to the lure of the uninterrupted quiet of late night when work and inspiration famously flow. If you can’t sleep anyway consider spending an hour being creative, or at least do something, or someone, you love. If creativity sounds daunting, then nourish yourself with ideas. A book can be not only soothing, but enlightening.

What better time to consult an oracle? The Yi Jing easily leads to some very interesting and serendipitious conversations. The right tarot deck can help us feel safe, and connected to a wisdom greater than our own. Or if you prefer, pray for guidance. Or if that is too dramatic, sit quietly and breathe. When’s the last time you realized how marvelous every last thing you perceive is?

There’s wisdom in insomnia. Don’t treat it as an enemy to be driven out of your world. Treat it as a messenger. Listen to what your body, your mind, your conscience, your libido, your creativity, are trying to tell you.

When you do sleep, and you dream, write down what you experienced in your dreams. Don’t worry about the interpretation of your dreams, just write down all the stories your unconscious tells you. Next time you can’t sleep look over your dream journal. Not only can this lull you into drowsy reverie but you might also find some helpful insights about unresolved issues, suppressed fears or desires, and a sense of what really matters in your life.

.An excerpt from Spiritual Mysteries, a book in progress.

Photo by Tamra Lucid.