Deep Sleep Using
Nature’s Medicine Cabinet
By Stephanie Rose Bird
The inability to fall asleep and stay asleep for at least six hours straight is called insomnia. Chances are, you or someone you know are one of the millions of people who have restless nights because of the inability to relax into a deep sleep. While there are many pharmaceuticals available to treat insomnia, Ambien being chief among them, this article’s focus is on natural ways to alleviate sleep disruptions, with a specific focus on herbs and ritual. These ways of dealing with insomnia are derived from ancient wisdom regarding sleep, which is still applicable today.
There is a confluence of factors playing a role in insomnia. Many different cures are being offered in the marketplace, ranging from pharmaceuticals such as the Ambien type of medicine to manufactured melatonin. Many of us are aware that there is another source for curing what ails us, including difficulty sleeping: earth wisdom, spirituality, and plant medicines. If we combine these gifts and aim them toward healing, a nurturing, deep, and replenishing sleep is easily obtainable.
Insomnia in America by the Numbers
Before we can heal, first let’s examine the problem close up. It’s sobering, but somewhat comforting, to know you’re far from alone if you suffer with sleep issues. Let’s take a look at how sleep disturbances affect Americans.
According to the National Sleep Foundation:
• 50–70 million American adults battle general sleep disorders
• 48% have occasional insomnia
• 22% suffer from regular insomnia
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
• 35–45% of Americans fall asleep or nap unintentionally because they have not been able to fully rest
• A whopping 9 million people take sleeping pills for insomnia
Problematic Aspects of Sleeping Pills
What’s the problem with nine million people taking sleeping pills? Well, there are many. Some folks never wake up due to adverse physical reactions to the pills. Others wake up drowsy and are unable to fully function for several hours upon waking. People with dependency issues find themselves becoming addicted to various pharmaceutical sleep aids. Moreover, many prescriptions help you fall asleep, but during the night you wake up and are restless anyway.
Stepping away from the medicine cabinet and pharmacy has many benefits regarding a good night’s sleep. In the process, you open the door to age-old wisdom, while also engaging in nature by reaching for natural remedies as sleep aids. Let’s explore some gentle, yet effective, sleep inducing rituals that combine nature, spirituality, and herbs.
Engaging Hygeia
These days there’s a great deal of talk concerning sleep hygiene. You may be wondering exactly what that means. Let’s look at it from a historical and spiritual perspective. The word hygiene is derived from the Greek goddess Hygeia. She is a moon goddess who inspires health through cleanliness. To her mind, disease and illness can be prevented by cleanliness, particularly of the household and personal types. I’m going to lead you through several ways to combine Hygeia’s wisdom with herbalism to ensure a good night’s sleep.
Since we’re thinking back to Greek times by engaging the Greek goddess of hygiene, we can go back even further to the time when our ancestors lived in caves and slept in dens. Try visualizing this type of space; hear the sounds and think about how you could simulate that lifestyle in your home every night.
Clearing mental and physical clutter from your bedroom, returning to simpler times when we all lived closer to nature, brings many rewards, including peacefulness that leads to better sleep. In order to transform your bedroom to a primal den, you need to remove or neutralize your modern conveniences. Unplug and silence devices, and make sure your room is as pitch black and quiet as possible. If you live on a busy street or near a train, try playing natural sounds of rain, birds, or crashing waves at sea to bring you closer to Mother Nature as you head off to dreamland.
Natural Embellishments
Hygeia utilizes herbs and natural remedies to purify and heal. Taking a tip from her, prepare your bed nicely. Activate its nurturing spirit with a gentle kiss of herbs, as this would be a good way to follow her lead. I have found a few tricks that help me get to sleep, and stay asleep, using some favorites from the herbal kingdom.
Lavender-Kissed Bedclothes
People have been stuffing pillows with lavender and strewing the herb in rooms for hundreds of years. Today we can use our clothes dryer to bring relaxing lavender into our lives in a contemporary way.
Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to an unscented dryer sheet; dry bedclothes, and enjoy the scent of lavender as you nestle into a soft, clean, sleep-inducing bed.
Stuff muslin pouches with dried lavender buds. Seal well. Add to dryer along with bedclothes. Dry your sheets and blankets this way to enjoy the aromatherapeutic benefits lavender provides. You’re employing lavender’s abilities of soothing your nerves and easing daily tensions as you go to sleep.
Sweet Dream Pillows
One of my all-time favorite ways of incorporating herbs in a good night’s sleep is in dream pillows. The herbs I’ve found to have the best ability to work well together, while inducing deep relaxation that is long-term during the night, are:
• Lavender
• Chamomile
• Catmint
• Hops
Crumble a couple tablespoons of each in your hands, rubbing quite firmly to release the essential oils. Do this over a bowl while concentrating on your intention to sleep well.
Thinking of pleasant imagery, such as the softness of sheep’s wool or holding a pebble found on the beach, drop 2 drops each of hops, lavender, chamomile, and lemon balm on the herbs.
Stuff this herbal blend into the pillows. These sweet dream pillows can then be stuffed into your larger bed pillows, put on nearby bookshelves, or the night stand.
Aromatic Room Spritz
You can add further to this cozy den atmosphere with an aromatic room spray. Each of these herbs is known historically to aid sleep and create a comforting environment.
2 ounces water
1 ounce grain alcohol or vodka
8 drops lavender essential oil
7 drops German chamomile essential oil
5 drops clary sage essential oil
Add these ingredients to a Pyrex measuring cup. Pour into a spray bottle. Use as an aromatic spray just before bedtime in the bedroom to help you fall asleep.
Soothing Soak
A couple of hours before bedtime, try an herbal foot soak to get your mind and body ready for sleep. I especially enjoy this one because it brings in various elements of nature, including herbs.
1⁄2 cup powdered milk
1 drop lavender
1 drop marjoram
1 drop Roman chamomile
1⁄2 pound pea gravel (small smooth pebbles)
Pour milk in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Drop in essential oils. Make rough paste. Add to very hot water in a basin, whisking to remove any lumps. Add pebbles. Soak feet for 30 minutes to 1 hour, meditating to bring peacefulness or collecting thoughts while listening to nature sounds.
Relaxing Shower
Rose is a gorgeous flower with connotations of love, well wishes, and the heart. Sandalwood gives off a soothing aroma and cultivates an environment of healing. Bring the two together in the shower as you prepare for bed by dropping one drop of each essential oil on the bottom of the bathtub as you begin to shower.
Herbal Nightcaps
After adding lavender aroma to your bedclothes, and herbal blend to your bedroom, and having showered or soaked, it’s time to head off to dreamland—after a comforting drink. Hygeia always had a bowl of healing elixir, and you can cap off this healthy sleep regimen with one as well.
Try a cold glass of tart cherry juice. This will help you restore mind, body, and spiritual balance. It is healthy and also encourages your body to release melatonin naturally. Melatonin helps regulate your sleep patterns.
Cardamom and milk work beautifully together to encourage sleep because, when warmed together, both relax your nerves and release natural sleep chemicals in your brain, such as melatonin and tryptophan. Add 2 to 3 crushed cardamom pods to a cup of your favorite type of milk. Warm this blend up in a saucepan. Strain to remove cardamom. Enjoy this warm with a dash of nutmeg.
DIY sleepy tea will surely help you sleep. Have a tablespoon and a half of herbs as a tea. Effective sleep herbs include hops, lemon balm, chamomile, and lavender or passion flower. Mix bits of each for a tasty blend or choose your favorite, and enjoy a strong brew with honey just before bedtime.
Stephanie Rose Bird is a modern eclectic pagan. She practices Hoodoo, Green Witchcraft, and Shamanism. Deeply into painting, meditation, and yoga, she is also a creative visionary. She’s had five books published: Big Book of Soul; A Healing Grove; Light, Bright, Damn Near White; Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones; and Four Seasons of Mojo. Her soon-to-be published books include 365 Days of Root Magick: Hoodoo & African-based Spirituality for Contemporary Practitioners (Llewellyn Worldwide) and two young adult novels focused around magick and folklore.