I nearly wept with joy when I first woke this morning at my usual 5am - it was RAINING HARD. Yay. And Caturday. So I took a leaf out of my favourite guru's book, and went back into a deep sleep for 2 more hours, on top of the 7 hours I'd just enjoyed. The rain had given me permission.
Despite all the thousand of chemical and environmental contributors which contribute to deep rest I have found none so potent, none so important, as mental permission. Self-permission. Allowing.
Those extra 2 hours deeply asleep with no alarm, no "need to be anywhere" and no "shoulds" gave me more rest and have changed the way I feel today more than probably the last 3 nights of reasonably good sleep put together.
When I woke, I felt wonderfully productive and have had an amazing morning working, creating, writing and yes, even made an online sale. Meanwhile, my buddy and our number #1 boy cat of the house, Mr Gin, has lazed at my side.
He doesn't know he's one of my greatest natural medicine gurus.
Sleep is divided into two categories: REM and non-REM sleep. You begin the night in non-REM sleep followed by a brief period of REM sleep. The cycle continues throughout the night about every 90 minutes. Stage 5, or your first stage of REM (deep) sleep,occurs about 90 minutes after moving through non-REM stages. During this stage:
- your eyes move rapidly from side to side
- you experience dreaming as your brain activity increases to a more wakeful state
- your heart rate increases to near its wakeful state
- your breathing becomes faster and even irregular at times
- your limbs may even become paralyzed Source
I have been watching Mr Gin twitching, dreaming, tossing and so deeply asleep - watching him is a relaxation and a meditation of its own!
Glucose metabolism in the brain increases during deep sleep, supporting short-term and long-term memory and overall learning.
Deep sleep is also when the pituitary gland secretes important hormones, like human growth hormone, leading to growth and development of the body. Other benefits of deep sleep include:
- energy restoration
- cell regeneration
- increasing blood supply to muscles
- promoting growth and repair of tissues and bones
- strengthening the immune system Source
Real vibrant wellness demands regular bouts of amazing sleep, rather than a rigid, military level schedule of mediocre quality sleep.
What happens when you don’t get enough deep sleep?
Deep sleep is responsible for helping process the information you encounter each day. Without enough, the brain can’t convert this information to your memory. Not getting quality sleep is also linked to conditions, like:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- heart disease
- diabetes
- stroke Source
So what do I personally recommend for GREAT sleep bouts? And a consistently good and renewing sleep regime?
- Get a cat. 🤣 Seriously. Role modelling is everything.
- A warm magnesium footbath (magnesium sulfate) EVERY day;
- Spray the soles of your feet 1-2 times/day with Magensium Chloride Spray;
- Limit your alcohol consumption in the later evenings especially;
- Limit your lime-lemon drinks in the evenings;
- Keep your diet low on sugars and processed carbs;
- EXERCISE vigorously every day - no, walking and yoga are NOT enough - skip, go for a run, a cycle, 20 laps in the pool or something that seriously elevates your heart rate 50% above resting level for a full 20 mins;
- Use Near Infra red Light therapy in the early evening - I use a FlexBeam;
- Get lots of skin time - snuggle with your lover for better sleep, or your cat;
- Make sure you shower before bed and allow that mental process to happen of the warm water rinsing off your cares and worries;
- Intend to sleep well - talk to yourself about the great sleep you're going to be having!
Most importantly, Give Yourself Mental Permission.
Holding on to poor sleep habits is a choice we make. Constantly reinforcing old beliefs by endlessly telling the world "I'm a light sleeper" or "I've never been a good sleeper" doesn't set the stage well for positive change.
GREAT sleep is free, regular natural medicine for our brain, our body and our deeper spiritual selves. Mr Gin knows this. 😍🐱 He's a wonderful, faithful guru and has made this Caturday such a joy.
Good night. ราตรีสวัสดิ์. Welt'ruste. Buona notte.
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I used to feel guilty about sleeping more than "average", but regularly sleeping 9h has been probably the best healthy habit. Getting enough sleep and quality sleep can change the whole day for the better.
Thank you for sharing
A regular 9hr habit is AWESOME!! You'll live to be 140 a least. LOL. Thanks for stopping by.
!ENGAGE 15
ENGAGEtokens.I want to have a sleep as deep and restful as Mr. Gin. hahaha
I had read about the Non-REM and REM phase, and I think I repeated it several times from how much I sleep. 🤣
I have been reading this book called Miracle Mornings by Hal Elrod, and it has given me key tools for very good and healthy habits for when we wake up.
And now by reading your post I get other healthy habits for better sleep.🤗
By the way, I didn't know about the magnesium sulfate to help you get a better night's sleep. One thing my grandma did teach me was about milk of magnesia to heal the stomach.
Send many hugs to Mr. Gin. 😻
Miracle Mornings start the night before - with setting intention, making clear mental choices and getting GREAT sleep!
Magnesium is the primary muscle relaxing element our bodies use, for everything from regulating heartbeat to relaxing tight leg muscles to enabling us to relax deeply in sleep.
Mr Gin say thank you for the cuddles.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.I had never had the opportunity to be so connected to a cat, now that one unexpectedly came into our lives, I have been able to experience all those benefits of which they speak and without doubt, make magic and teach us that rest is vital hehe
Our healers and teachers arrive when we are ready. People who don't allow Cat Gurus into their lives don't know what they are missing! 🐱
!ENGAGE 15
ENGAGEtokens.Yes I totally agree!
Once I was working 72-86 hours a week for a few months...
Yep I went a little crazy -
In a good way, one day I just
Walked in and quit! And this was for a "very large non-profit - (yeah... Actually a rip-off)"!
And on the other side...
I "Absolutely Love Cats"!
And yep, from them you can learn much, he he he!
Their vibrations clean up the enviornment as well!!
😺😸😺
Have an Awesome Weekend!
👍🏼😹👍🏼
Just SITTING with a cat gives you a vibrational readjustment - sort of like a spiritual chiropractor. 😆 They literally vibrate differently. Appreciate you stopping by and sharing your good vibes, Les. 🐱
!ENGAGE 25
Thank You!
I Appreciate The Opportunity!
👍🏼😸👍🏼
And it is nice that You are a person who is aware of Cat energy,
most are hooked on "dog"!
Awesome Sunday I Wish You!
👍🏼😊👍🏼
ENGAGEtokens.You still haven't seen how fast I walk and yoga, haha - heart rate is DEFINITELY up!! But I have been running, a bit - how did that happen?? Mr Gin is pretty gorgeous, for a cat. I'd be tempted to get one, should the hubs not be allergic.
I learnt this really interesting trick off my naturopath to help sleep naturally - you basically put your hands behind your head like you're at the beach, look to the left elbow in the dark for ages, then the right for ages, and so on - for as long as you can. Then just chill - and somehow, you fall asleep. She doesn't know how it works, nor do I. We suspect perhaps it mimics REM with the eye movement? Quite impressed with the trick, anyway.
I forgot about the mag spray - thanks so much for the tip! We're struggling with sleep at the moment and using all our tricks - lots of exercise as you say, low sugars etc. Mag, yes - forgot about the footsie trick! could be a kinky bedtime ritual for each other, too... ?
You're so funny - fast walking and jogging are 2 different actions altogether. NICE to see you jogging and hope you do more of it - will help with all your issues.
Falling asleep is nearly always a MENTAL issue... nothing I ever really struggle with. I get into bed, I get comfy and go through my mental list of thank yous and what's wonderful that's gonna happen tomorrow and then I'm out. 2 mins tops. 🤣
Chronic magnesium deficiency takes a LONG time to clear and yes, regular evening warm footbath would help everything, A LOT.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.I really liked the information. Also what you say about "mental permission". I have a Cat in my house in Venezuela, and I know what do you mean!
♥
Haha... yes... the Cat Carers (can anyone ever OWN a cat?) come out of the woodwork. 🐱 I think 90% of all healing is giving ourselves the mental permission to let go of our story, our image of ourselves as "broken", our excuses and our emotional crutch.
!ENGAGE 15
#POSH
A huge hug 🤗 and a little bit of !BEER 🍻 from @amico!
Un caro abbraccio 🤗 e un po' di BEER 🍻 da @amico!
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BEER."Those extra 2 hours deeply asleep with no alarm, no "need to be anywhere" and no "shoulds" gave me more rest..."
I need to find (make) time to do this more often also.
Great post about getting proper sleep. Sending Purrs & Hedbonks from Sammi Jo.!
#POSH