SWeeT SLumber

Natural Tips for Deep Sleep

by Ronica O’Hara

Agood night’s sleep is a challenge for a growing number of Americans. Even before the pandemic, 35 percent of adults reported sleeping less than the recommended seven hours a night, and in a new survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 56 percent said they were sleeping worse due to what’s termed “COVID-somnia”.

Being sleep-deprived not only makes us crabby and accidentprone, but also raises our risk of obesity, depression, heart disease, dementia and a weakened immune system, studies show. Fortunately, we can stave off fretting about lack of sleep by adopting some simple, natural practices. GET A PATTErn GoInG. “Keeping to the same routine will signal to the body and brain that it is time to wind down and prepare for sleep,” says Dallas nurse educator Jenna Liphart Rhoads. This means sticking to the same bedtime and awakening schedule, and doing quieting activities an hour or so before bed, such as stretching, meditating, drinking tea or journaling. munCH SmArTLy on SLEEP-InduCInG FoodS. Many experts advocate foregoing food two hours before sleeping. As another option, “sleep snacks”, is suggested by New York University adjunct nutrition professor Lisa Young. She says, “These are foods that contain natural substances that may help promote a good night’s sleep.” They include warm milk or turkey (tryptophan), tart cherries (melatonin), kiwi fruit (vitamin C and serotonin), bananas (potassium and magnesium) and nuts and seeds (magnesium).

don AmBEr GLASSES or An EyE mASk To BLoCk

LIGHT. The blue light emitted by ordinary light bulbs and device screens prevents the pineal gland from releasing melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, which is why it’s wise to shut down electronic devices an hour before sleeping. If doing so isn’t easy, at least block the blue light by using amber or orange (not clear or yellow) glasses to restore melatonin production, advises former General Electric lighting researcher Richard Hansler, Ph.D., of Cleveland; he also advises replacing regular bedroom bulbs with only those that produce low levels of blue light. To encourage deep sleep, fully darken the bedroom or wear an eye mask: a Chinese study found wearing such an accessory along with earplugs significantly increases the restorative rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep.

WrITE A To-do LIST To CALm A rACInG mInd.

Baylor University researchers found that compared to people that journaled about what they had accomplished that day, those that spent five minutes writing a to-do list for the next day fell asleep nine minutes sooner—the same effect as taking a prescription medication. The more specific their list, the quicker the shut-eye.

GET Cozy WITH A WEIGHTEd BLAnkET And SoCkS.

Weighted blankets, ideally weighing about 10 percent of a person’s body weight, lead to better sleep and reduced fatigue, depression and anxiety, reports a Swedish study. Some are filled with natural ingredients like rice and cloves, and can be warmed in a microwave beforehand, providing a fragrant, swaddled feeling. Plus, Korean researchers found that wearing warm socks to bed helped subjects fall asleep about seven minutes sooner, sleep 32 minutes longer and experience fewer light awakenings.

TAkE A nATurAL SLEEP AId.

Prescription sleeping pills for insomnia can produce dependency and additional unwelcome side effects such as grogginess, diarrhea, headaches and stomach pain. Natural choices without these drawbacks include melatonin, a pineal gland hormone that primes the body for sleep; small doses of 0.3 milligram (mg) to 1 mg work effectively by mirroring natural circadian levels, research shows. Half of U.S. adults are estimated to be deficient in magnesium, which relaxes muscles and increases levels of a neurotransmitter with calming effects; 500 mg is a common dose. Valerian (300 to 900 mg) has been found to improve sleep quality in women during menopause.

CHECk ouT HEALTH ISSuES To

GET To THE rooT. Apnea, thyroid conditions, anemia, menopausal hot flashes, heartburn, incontinence and depression can affect the quality and quantity of sleep, as can medications such as beta blockers, blood pressure medications, some antidepressants and decongestants. If anxiety or depression is causing tossing and turning, cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to improve sleep in up to 70 to 80 percent of people with insomnia. Whether in-person, via Zoom or by email, even one or two sessions can lower insomnia symptoms, with six to eight sessions typically being more helpful.

Natural health writer Ronica O’Hara can be reached at OHaraRonica@gmail.com.

Your diet is a bank account. good food choices are good investments. ~Bethenny Frankel

Shihando Reiki

by Lynn Montana Freemãn

Shihando (Way of the Master) Reiki (Universal Life Force) is an evolution of the traditional Japanese healing art of the laying on of hands known as Reiki. It comprises symbols found in the traditional healing art as well as additional symbols found in the Shaolin-style martial arts system known as Juai Kung Karbo (Mastery through Movement).

Reiki is a form of energy healing based upon a science of calligraphies or geometric patterns which were found in the Sanskrit Sutras. It was developed in the 1800’s by a Japanese theologian, Dr. Mikao Usui. He found calligraphies in the Sutras that are inherent in the forms of Tai Chi (Grand Ultimate; Universal Life Force) and Kung Fu (Work Man; Work the Body). The symbols he discovered, however, are different from those that have been studied by traditional martial artists. These symbols were heretofore unknown to exist in the katas. The discovery of their existence in the martial arts forms is ultimately significant to students of the higher order of both martial arts and Reiki.

As he did not understand that the drawings he was seeing were actually pictorial representations of movements of the physical body, Dr. Usui created a process whereby he could attune an individual to these symbols through a ritualistic process of implanting the calligraphies in an initiate’s energy field using the symbols in specific sequential order. He called this process Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki: the Usui System of Natural Healing with Universal Life Force.

Karuna Reiki (Reiki of compassion), developed in 1995 by William Lee Rand as an outgrowth of traditional Reiki, does incorporate some of the martial arts symbols in their practice. However, the symbols were not broken down to their most basic state, and some are combined, as they are in the practice of form. While valid and empowering in their own right, these symbols have been broken down completely and individualized in the practice of and attunement to Shihando Reiki to ensure true clarity of the energies and language created by the symbols.

The traditional healing system of Reiki vibrates and resonates with the violet flame energy. It is transmutive, and therein lies its healing power. Shihando Reiki, however, is even more transmutive as it resonates multidimensionally with pure white light. This higher energy level vibration increases the level of acceleration attained with each attunement, as well as enhancing any healing work done at the table. By breaking down all martial arts symbols to their original form and adding them to the attunements in specific sequential order, Shihando Reiki takes energy work and personal acceleration to the next level. The result is multidimensional, white light Reiki, as opposed to the traditional Usui System of violet flame energy.

To have a body without a soul is to have nothing more than an empty shell. To have a thought without an emotion is to have an empty process that has no more value than a body void of spirit. For without form, there is no substance; and without substance, there can be no form. When we work with both form and substance to achieve our highest goals, we work to harmonize within ourselves and thereby find the synergy of the yin/yang essence that we are. Through this harmonic synergy, we are able to connect to that which lies beyond the physical. Through this understanding and awareness, we are able to find and touch and know our ch’i (ki)—our soul.

Anyone can learn the movements and symbols of the Universal Life Force, but what of the essence of those movements and symbols? The challenge is to study and learn of the depths of meaning within each geometric in terms of the language that is being spoken, which is the language of our soul, and what those symbols are doing to alter our perception of who we are. At its core, the true study is of ourselves.

Lynn Montana Freemãn is founder of Masters’ Dojo, in Lithia. A Shihando Reiki Master with 30 years’ experience, she provides private and group healing and training sessions, by appointment. Reach her by phone at 267-474-4717 or email LynnMontanaf@aol.com. See ad page 46.