The Spirit of Sleep

What time is it?”
2:17AM
Move around: adjust the covers; hit the pillow.
It must be later!
“What time is it?”
2:21 AM
Not again! Uncontrollable thoughts are popping around in my head. Some time must have passed!
“What time is it?”
2:29 AM
I’ll never be able to get up at 6:00 AM and be alert and awake for work! How long do I have to put up with this?
“Should I just get up?”
I’m going to feel sooooo horrible today!
“Where’s my pill?”
Aarrgghh… 6 AM!

So, do you believe you create your nighttime reality? Do you not already create your daytime reality?

What inspired Me to Write this Book?
I have suffered from ‘wake-up’ insomnia for some 20+ years. My night marauding is finally at an end. My clock is no longer my enemy.
I rolled over 10 times a night and looked at the time.
I took antidepressants.
I took sleeping pills.
I felt miserable at night.
I dreaded the coming day.
I worried constantly that I would not be able to perform adequately.
I was angry that this was happening to me.
I experienced a desperate sense of entrapment.
I was simply tired.

Enough!
I had existed in this state of sleeplessness, of one miserable night after another, for so long that I believed that a true, restful night was beyond my reach, like some unattainable state of well-being. Access denied! However, that was not the case because I discovered a new path to achieve my goal of a good nights’ sleep and obtain that deep sense of feeling good all day long.
When you experience not sleeping night after night, all you really want to do is sleep soundly. These years of hardship of mental and physical struggles and asking, “Why me?”, were weighing heavily on me. But, it was finally coming to an end. Somewhere down deep, I knew that I really wanted to make a change in my sleep habits; I wanted to get off the medication; I did not want to live this way for the next 40 – 50 years of my life. I wanted change! I wanted control over my nights. These thoughts became my focused, burning desires.
Part of my discovery was that this situation wasn’t so much paradise lost as much as it was paradise denied! Had my sleep been eroded by external forces outside of my control? No! Why was this state of restful sleep denied? What was the barrier? I was thunderstruck when I realized that I was the barrier. My thinking, my behavior, and my patterns were so ingrained and I didn’t even know I’d done it to myself. Ultimately, I discovered that my thinking and focus were at the core of the problem. There was no one else to blame. I was responsible for my situation; for my reality.

The Day of Awakening
Your thoughts really do become the essence of growth and change, because one day, I literally woke up and said to myself, “I’m tired of this continual negative pattern. I want to change whatever I need to in order to create a positive nighttime experience.” That was the day I stopped taking sleeping medication; that was the beginning of my journey of discovery.
Where can I go; whom can I talk to; what can I read; what could I discover? What could I do to change these horrible, debilitating nighttime habits?
Since that day of awakening, I have entered a new dimension. I discovered that I really did have control over the events of my day and night. I’d already tried acupuncture and hypnosis to help me sleep. I read any kind of literature and books describing the physiological processes involved with sleep and began practicing various behavioral techniques that induce relaxation. Although you cannot make sleep happen by trying, it is important to relax your mind and body with the intention of reducing stress. By introducing a sense of calm and peacefulness, you set the stage for sleep – you invite it in. Ultimately, there was nowhere else to go besides inside. I literally awoke to the reality of my discovery – that change needed to happen from within as well as from without. You need to allow sleep to happen naturally. It was more than just changing my physical behaviors (though these are major contributing factors); it was the direction of my thoughts and energy that directed and influenced the change.

The Promise of Sleep
Is the promise of a good night’s sleep just an illusion? I think not. I found I had the ability to change my sleep habits. Let my journey and discoveries be an inspiration for your awakening. Your sleep habits can change too. Your thoughts really do become the essence of your growth and change. As Mike Dooley, (Infinite Possibilities, www.tut.com) says, “Thoughts (really do) become things”. With positive thoughts, your behaviors will also change and your nighttime reality will become one of rest, bliss and rejuvenation. As you read of my challenges and struggles, you will discover beneficial techniques, processes and information that will assist in your personal growth and change toward positive sleep experiences.

It’s all about Feeling Good
Wow! Just imagine feeling good after a good night’s sleep! Life is all about feeling good and if you don’t get an adequate night’s sleep, you simply do not feel good. During your waking hours, you might feel frustrated, tired, angry, upset, irritable and physically exhausted. You struggle to function at even a marginal level of performance.
Do you have any of these feelings after a less than satisfactory night of sleep? Perhaps your motivational level waxes and wanes during your day. You’d really like to take a daytime nap – but there’s no time! Are you trapped in a continuing pattern of nighttime restlessness? Are you dreading the thought that nighttime will soon be here and you once again have to fight to try and go to sleep or stay asleep? All you think about is that tonight you hope to sleep more soundly. But as night approaches, the same pattern and habits that you’ve established continue.
Finally after days and nights of this, your body cries out for more sleep. You are now really sleep deprived. You might find it difficult to make decisions. Are you drained of creativity, happiness and joy? Procrastination becomes a part of your day. You could doze off mid-day, or worse yet, fall asleep while driving. Finally, after this or many totally miserable days and nights, sleep deprivation kicks in and you get a decent night’s sleep. You think ‘ah hah’, what a relief, only to return to the same negative pattern over and over again. Those of you with insomnia know this can go on for months, or even years, as in my case.
If this sounds something like your pattern and it has been going on for a long time, perhaps years, you likely have insomnia. But you didn’t need me to tell you that. What you do need are some techniques, tools and specific help and answers to assist you to get back on track. Mentally, physically and spiritually you must welcome back your body and mind’s natural balance. You must welcome back your personal power and energy to make this change. You need encouragement and support.
You can make positive changes in your sleep habits. This book, the Spirit of Sleep, will reveal to you many natural, safe and healthy ways to change your sleep habits. These techniques will help to restore your natural circadian rhythm as it was intended to be. For your part, you need to be willing to experiment with relaxation and healing techniques you might not have realized would be beneficial. Since we are all so individual, not all techniques will work for every one of you. But with an optimistic and positive attitude, you can improve your sleep habits to be rejuvenating, restful and natural. You can and will feel good after your night of rest.

The Spirit of Sleep
I have called this book “the Spirit of Sleep”. Why? Because it is more than just a “what to do” book about how to get to sleep and stay asleep. It is a book about your personal attitude, vibrational energy and spirit. It is about spirit - your spirit – that you will bring about your transformation of your existing sleep habits.
The fact that you are reading this is evidence enough that you realize there must be another approach, an alternative to using drugs and medications, to change your sleep habits and routine. You have the power and ability to direct your transformation toward healing, restorative sleep.

The Path that works for You
My intention is to help you find your path – the path that works for you toward changing your attitude and hence, your nighttime sleep habits. This book will offer you, the insomniac, information, suggestions, activities, and tools that will provide you the opportunity to self-heal, as insomnia is a dis-ease – a dis-ease of the body, mind and spirit. Your sleeping habits are out of balance with nature. I suggest a framework and offer processes that will make it possible for you to change your habitual patterns, and to help you find your own individual path to restful, restorative nights.
Even a small attitudinal shift in your awareness or a simple change in your physical environment can start you on your road to major positive changes in your sleep habits. You can nudge your habits into change. If you make one small, manageable change, then another and another, soon these small changes will begin to affect the course of your sleeping habits. Soon you can be sleeping restfully, calmly and soundly throughout the night.
Yes, insomnia is a complex issue, but it is definitely not too daunting for those of you motivated to do something about your sleep habits. After all, approximately one third of our life is generally spent in sleep (or attempting to sleep). So, more than just a random walk through the pages of this book, I want to help you make it through the night in the very best way possible.
As you begin this journey, it is my goal to share my insights and experiences with you. I do so in anticipation that the information will be valuable as you make your commendable efforts to create the desired transformation to restful sleep. You will be exploring new ways to alter old habits. Perhaps, like me, you will feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment as you discover that your thoughts and focused intention can make a real difference in changing your nighttime experiences. If you want a book that offers guidance on doing what it takes to change your nightly habits, this book is for you. This book is about solutions. Experience and choose those that work best for you. Experience the Spirit of Sleep.