Sleep for Our Body—duh!

When was the last time you woke up feeling completely rested? So thoroughly restored from a deep sleep that you didn’t even need coffee!

We all know that horrible feeling when we are so tired we can’t think, so drowsy we can’t keep our eyes open, and are extra emotional from a night or two of too little or poor quality sleep. It’s more than just a bad feeling though—research shows driving sleep-deprived is actually more dangerous than drunk driving.

It’s clear when we’re exhausted, but we may not be as in tune with what it feels like to be chronically tired.

We’re so used to using external stimulants like coffee and tea to get us through the day, and then maybe a glass of wine to help us relax in the evening—it just seems “normal.”

“Protect the Asset”

After his own burnout, author Greg McKeown’s new mantra became Protect the Asset with the asset being himself. In his book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less—highly recommend BTW—McKeown dedicates an entire chapter to the importance of sleep and taking a disciplined approach to prioritizing it.

His research found a good night’s sleep makes us more productive, not less. He discovered sleep is a primary driver of peak performers.

This peak performance benefit is a result of being well-rested and restored at the cellular level. Unfortunately, we can't stock up on sleep just like we can't stock up on air. Instead, we need to choose to cultivate consistent deep, quality sleep.

Life circumstances can make chronic fatigue a nearly unavoidable reality—say, if you or a loved one is ill, you’re caring for a newborn or an elderly parent, or maybe working two jobs to make ends meet.

For the rest of us, prioritizing sleep—or not—is a choice. Yes, that’s right, we choose whether sleep is important to us or not.

We know how sleep affects our bodies, but did you know it’s important for our soul as well?

Sleep is Not Just for Productivity, Health, & Longevity

The western perspective of sleep emphasizes its impact on productivity, health, and longevity—with maybe some psychological benefits thrown in for good measure. When we focus on these body benefits, however, we miss how critical sleep is for us as souls.

Nature Sleeps and Rejuvenates

Everything in nature has its time of restoration. The day rests during the night, animals go into hibernation, there are high and low tides, fruit trees go dormant in the winter, even fish sleep!

Humans, with our egoic thinking however, believe we are superior beings. We perceive our lives as above our Earth, not an integral part of her. We think we don’t need to be in harmony with the natural cycles of light and dark because we can control the temperature in our homes and lengthen our days with artificial lighting. We can hack nature with caffeine or adaptogens. Maybe we have the unconscious belief that we haven’t “earned” a good night’s if we haven’t put in a hard day’s work.

Soul “Work” During Sleep

When we tune into ourselves at the soul level, not only do we recognize we are one with nature, we give ourselves permission to sink softly into her natural rhythms and appreciate each for its inherent value. We can enjoy the process of restoration rather than feel guilty or bad about it, judging ourselves as lazy or unproductive.

Astral Plane

Besides being in synch with the natural rhythms of nature, when our bodies are in deep rest our souls can leave and reconnect with source energy on the astral plane.

Connecting with Loved Ones Who Have Crossed

When our brain - with all its limiting beliefs, doubts, and fears - is slowed down during sleep, it’s easier for us to connect with loved ones who are no longer in bodies, even ance­­­stors who we haven’t met in this lifetime.

Greater Dream Guidance

We have a greater chance of recalling our dreams when we are deeply rested. When we’re chronically exhausted, we are using up valuable sleep time just trying to recharge; there’s no bandwidth for spiritual guidance from the other side, our guides, or our dreams.

Follow the Money

Businesses like to keep our attention on the body perspective of sleep because they can then sell us solutions such as black-out curtains, cooling mattresses, blue light blocking glasses, and synthetic sleep aids. There is nothing inherently wrong with these products, it’s just that turning off the lights and electronic devices, and going to bed earlier are easier, more accessible, and affordable actions.*

Energetic Tools to Cultivate Soul Sleep

What’s most helpful, however, are the energetic tools we have available to help us fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and sleep more deeply. This also makes it easier to connect with loved ones if we wish.

Over time, this true restoration gives us a stronger foundation of sleep resiliency that supports my favorite part of sleep—when we reconnect with our higher source for guidance. We are then given those messages via more meaningful dreams.

We’ll be learning all about and practicing energetic sleep tools in the March Practicum next week. We’d love for you to join us! I made the Practicum incredibly accessible because the more of us taking proactive steps to enhance our spiritual awareness the greater positive changes we will create for all!

*Organic CBD Sleep Enhancer

The one external sleep aide I recommend that can be used in conjunction with the energetic sleep tools I teach is an organic cbd sleep enhancer that gently helps calm the body and mind during life’s inevitable sleep-disrupting events or even jet-lag. I even used these as part of a larger plan to help a client wean off the prescription sleep meds she’d been using nightly for more than 10 years!