a woman sleeping peacefully in bed
Image by Claudio Scot 

In this Article:

  • Effective techniques to promote restful sleep.
  • How can natural remedies help in achieving deep sleep?
  • What role does the environment play in enhancing sleep quality?
  • How can herbs and essential oils contribute to better sleep?

Tips to Promote Restful Sleep

by Cait Johnson.

Curl up into your Self
and rest there.

While the world often feels frenzied and stressed, Winter can help you develop the essential spiritual practice of saying “no” to that which creates stress in your life. As writer Anne Lamott says, “I live by the truth that ‘No’ is a complete sentence. I rest as a spiritual act.”

You need time to rest and recoup your energies; just as a garden needs a Winter period of lying fallow, so do you. One of the greatest gifts of aging is the ability to protect your precious time and energy. It gets easier with practice to gently turn aside anything that would endlessly suck your vital life force.

“I’m taking a pajama day today” is a good comeback when others make demands on you. Then stay in your jammies all day and read and drink tea and watch the fire or the snow gently falling, or take a long nap, coming back to yourself in the quiet. The people who love you will appreciate your self-care, and you’ll be modeling it for them.

It’s such a relief not to be 30 or 40 or even 50 anymore, when you thought you had to keep doing and producing and saving everything and everybody until you dropped. You can love both Winter and the aging process for giving you permission to retire in the best sense of the word, meaning to bask in some quiet, contemplative time. Take a lesson from the hibernating bears.

innerself subscribe graphic

Deep Restorative Sleep

Some of you may be finding it more difficult to get the deep, restorative sleep you need. And you do need it. Poet and novelist Mary Rose O’Reilly writes,

“I’m told that the musculature of the physical body sustains little tears and insults as we go about our daily work, and that we need deep sleep to repair damaged tissue.”

Did you know that when you’re deeply asleep, a secreted growth hormone encourages the liver to produce a substance that heals the little injuries of each day? O’Reilly goes on to say,

“A busy cycle of internal healing operates while we’re unconscious. I’m convinced that the spirit, too, needs deep rest to reduce its habitual overdrive.”

Tips to Promote Restful Sleep

  • If you habitually wake up at 1:00 a.m. or 3:00 a.m. or whenever, try to avoid worrying about it. Give yourself permission to read something soothing, or sip a cup of warm milk or oat milk, or simply relax and visualize yourself in a beautiful place. A ten-minute nap the next day can sometimes make you feel as refreshed as if you had had an uninterrupted night’s sleep.

  • Many Wise Women swear by taking 6 milligrams of melatonin, a substance that occurs naturally in the body, about half an hour before they want to go to sleep.

  • Turn off the electronics for at least an hour before bedtime—no internet, cellphone, or TV. Wind down by reading a soothing book instead.

  • Look for the home-clearing advice and make your bedroom a peaceful sanctuary.

  • Many Wise Ones report that all-natural bedding promotes deeper, more restful sleep, and they swear by their organic cotton, linen, or bamboo sheets and their all-wool blankets rather than the synthetics they may have grown up with. Take it from this old crone: your body will thank you because it won’t be unconsciously shrinking away from your bedding, but instead snuggling down into it with a contented sigh. And sleeping naked is always a good idea: you won’t get twisted up in your nightwear, and natural fabrics feel delicious against your skin. If it’s cold, just add another blanket.

The gifts of Earth can also help you rest and sleep. Following aresome traditional Wise Woman ideas.

Root Witch Sleep Pillow

Make a small, simple pillowcase, about 5" by 8", using old handkerchiefs or scraps of natural fabric (cotton, linen, or silk are preferred). You can hand-stitch it if you don’t have a sewing machine, or if sewing just isn’t your thing, you could use a store-bought muslin or voile gift bag.

Place equal parts dried mugwort (mugwort is a time-honored ally for deeper dreaming; look online for a supplier), dried lavender, dried chamomile, and dried hops in a bowl and sprinkle with a couple drops of lavender essential oil, mixing with a spoon. Now pour the herbs into your pillowcase and sew the opening shut. Place this underneath your regular pillow, and when you’re ready to go to bed turn over your pillow so your head is resting on the magically scented side.

Soothing Bedtime Baths

Sometimes a warm bath before bed can help you sleep better, especially if you add two or three drops of chamomile or lavender essential oil. You could also fill a muslin tea bag with oats and dried chamomile or lavender flowers, tie the top tightly, and use it as a washcloth. Or you could make the following Root Witch bedtime bath recipe.

Root Witch Bedtime Bath

In a bowl, mix equal parts (about half a cup each) Epsom salts and sea salt. Sprinkle with 2 to 3 drops of lavender essential oil, mix well, and pour into a wide-mouthed jar. When you take your pre-bedtime bath, add a handful to the bathwater, along with 1 cup milk (or oat milk). Soak and relax.

Copyright ©2022. All Rights Reserved.
Adapted with permission of the publisher,
Destiny Books, an imprint of Inner Traditions Intl.

Article Source

Book: Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging

Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging: Finding Your Power Through the Changing Seasons
by Cait Johnson,

You are invited into the magical world of four loving, feisty old witches, one for each season, who share earth-honoring wisdom, rituals, and spells to help you embrace your journey through the sacred latter half of life. 

Offering practical and enjoyable ways to make aging an empowering, magical, and transformative adventure, this book of spiritual guidance will help you love yourself through the aging process.

Click here for more info and/or to order this paperback book. Also available as an audiobook and as a Kindle edition.

About the Author

photo of Cait JohnsonCait Johnson is an artist and writer who teaches workshops on the Tarot, dream work, and ritual-making. She is the author of Tarot for Every Day: Ideas and Activities for Bringing Tarot Wisdom into Your Daily Life. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York. Cait Johnson and Maura Shaw are also the co-authors of Tarot Games: 45 Playful Ways to Explore Tarot Cards Together, published by Harper San Francisco. Author's Website: https://caitjohnson.com/

 
More Books by the author.

Article Recap

"Tips to Promote Restful Sleep" by Cait Johnson offers practical advice on achieving restful sleep through natural methods. The article emphasizes the importance of creating a tranquil bedroom environment, avoiding electronics before bed, and utilizing natural bedding. It also explores the use of herbs like mugwort, chamomile, and hops, detailing how to make a sleep-promoting pillow. The article stresses the benefits of melatonin and relaxing pre-sleep rituals like warm baths enhanced with essential oils.