Wired and Fired. Summer insomnia strikes again.
Keep your Cool with the Pillars of Sound Sleep.
Like clockwork, August rolls around and I start to feel the fiery intensity of summer. After too many months of a routine that’s a little too extroverted and fast paced for my taste, things start to catch up with me. I no longer hold much excitement for the great outdoors - my patience dwindles for sizzling heat, suffocating humidity, and agitating bugs. I want to be one with nature, I really do, but give me the escape of a cool dark room for a quiet reprieve. I am officially burnt out on summer vibes.
Summer insomnia is a common phenomenon. Circadian rhythms can get completely out of sync trying to keep up with these longer days. With more hours of sunlight, our production of melatonin is suppressed. Rather than winding down at a reasonable hour, it leaves us wired well into the evening. Before you know it you’ve pushed back dinner and bedtime- and the cycle of insomnia begins. According to Ayurveda after 10 pm the fire element begins to blaze and if we haven’t started to chill out, we are destined for a second wind. (Night owls…you know 🦉WHOOOO you are.)
This is the season most fueled on fire. When we keep feeding the flames, eventually we get burned out. If summer insomnia has taken a hold, see it as a symptom that something about your sleep cycle needs some attention. These sleepy time pillars will lull you to sleep for some deep restoration.
Routine and Ritual: Set the stage for winding down. A routine in anything creates muscle memory, so when you stick to a nightly ritual your body gets the signal and begins to prepare for rest. This means sticking to a schedule that includes a consistent bedtime. It also means beginning to mellow out your activities. Fold in some self-care strategies that begin to relax the body and quiet the mind.
Try some restorative yoga, guided meditation (waves of breath podcast 👇 at the bottom), and listen to binaural beats to begin to shift those to those theta waves.
Give your body some love. Calm the nervous system with a scalp and foot massage: Foot massage: Use nickel amount sized of oil for soles, arches, toes. Use a marma stick to access reflexology points. Scalp massage: Trace up from the point of ears to the Adhipati marma point (top of crown). Use sesame oil infused with lavender, skull cap, or passion flower.
Take a mental download. Journal about the day and create a to-do list for tomorrow. Give yourself the night off - release all worry and distraction from your mind.
Cool and Comfortable: Summer Zs require a cool, dark environment. Even if going to bed on time isn’t your big issue, 3 am restlessness can become disruptive. It’s important to create the right environment and ensure the core body temperature maintains a little cooler. Higher core body temperature reduces slow wave sleep, the most restorative and restful stage of deep sleep.
Use lightweight sheets, a fan, and set the a/c a little lower.
Keep the room as dark as possible and eliminate all artificial light. Even morning light can cut short your dreamtime, black out curtains can be beneficial to those who are light sleepers.
A sound machine or a pink noise playlist can block out any noise pollution creating soothing steady sonics.
Replenish and Hydrate: The heat and humidity of the season can be very depleting. We can easily lose essential amino acids and minerals through high activity and perspiration. However, one of the highlights of the summer season is the bounty of fresh local produce. It’s easier to replenish and refuel.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink water and electrolyte-rich beverages early and often. Stay hydrated throughout the day. Then once nice and hydrated, begin to taper off liquids an hour before bedtime.
Eat for sleep. Give those sleep ready minerals and amino acids a boost; melatonin, selenium, serotonin, B vitamins, carbohydrates, lycopene, lutein, and tryptophan (of course).
Include a meal plan that includes: eggs, fish, bananas, nuts, pineapple, mushrooms (melatonin= promotes sleep)/ milk, oats, turkey, sour cherries (tryptophan= serotonin production)/ bananas, almonds (potassium and magnesium = muscle relaxation).
With any season, we tend to cycle through a new routine of habits and behaviors. Ayurveda says any imbalance is a result of the rhythm of our lifestyle. At first it’s fun to shake things up like a teenager on summer vacation, but eventually I have to get real about the consequences. For me, it means a compromised immune system, an unbridled lack of composure, and a wicked case of summer insomnia. When the insomnia rears its ugly head, I know it’s time for a hard reset. If I can fix that little piece of the puzzle all else will click into place.
I’ve really enjoyed adding a companion podcast these last few weeks. I hope you’ll enjoy them as audio additions to the concepts and ideas shared through Dharma Days. This new guided meditation is a 10 minute breath-centered relaxation technique. With the sound of the ocean and the waves of breath, I hope it will lull you to rest. 👇😴😴😴
