In a previous post I have introduced the topic of sleep disorders and how to cure insomnia in natural ways with a positive mental attitude. I have listed some tips for sleep better, and after discussing the first one (split into Part#1 and Part#2), now I am going into the second one.
The reasons why you have to avoid brain stimulations at least 45 minutes before you go to sleep are quite easy to understand and are proven by scientific researches, especially with regard to the connection between the use of electronic devices and sleep troubles.
Thought forms hovering about you
But first I want to point out a few considerations that come out directly from the standpoint of occult science, which — far from being anything “black” or demonic — is the very scientific base of the Law of Attraction and, more generally, of a true spiritual standpoint.
You have to know that each and every mental activity produces a sort of a “cloud of vibrations” on its proper plane, that is the mental plane. Such a cloud is a kind of physical object named “thought form” and it has definite features depending on the nature and strength of the thoughts themselves which has generated it. Therefore, according to the thoughts that you entertain, you will have definite clouds of thought forms hovering about you and influencing not only other people around, but you as well, through a sort of feedback process.
The fact is that the thoughts which generated their corresponding forms on the mental plane, in turn will act on your mind strengthening the same original thoughts. It’s a loop that will produce positive effects if the nature of the thoughts is positive (unselfishness, love, joy, calm etc), but on the contrary it becomes a vicious cycle if such nature is negative (selfishness, anger, hate, bad mood, etc).
So, if shortly before going to bed you are still working on the daily affairs and, hence, entertaining thoughts of worry, concern, disappointment, anger, frustration, etc, well, you cannot expect to stop your brain just as you switch off your desktop or laptop or tablet or smartphone, because the thought forms that your mental activities have produced are still hovering about you and will be all of the night, troubling your sleep and even possibly your consort’s close to you. It’s that simple.
What science says
Whether it’s email, social media, video game, web, or TV, electronic devices and their offerings keep millions of people wired and connected 24/7. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 90% of Americans regularly use a computer or electronic device of some kind in the hour before bed; and according to AOL’s third annual “Email Addiction” survey, more than 40% of 4,000 respondents have checked email in the middle of the night. But the price paid for such perpetual wiring is high: these diversions can make difficult for you both falling asleep and sleeping well.
There are three reasons why technology can affect your sleep.
- The first one is cognitive stimulation. As your are focusing on your device, the electrical activity of your brain increases and neurons start to race: that is, the exact opposite of what you need before going to bed.
- A second reason is merely corporal: the physical act of responding to the signals of the device (whatever they are) makes your body tense. As you get stressed, your body can go into a “fight-or-flight response”, and hence the adrenal gland releases cortisol, a stress hormone, creating a situation that may prevent or trouble your sleep.
- The third reason is related to the “glow” of electronic devices. The small amounts of light from them pass through the retina into a part of the hypothalamus (which controls several sleep activities) and delay the release of the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin. Not to say that melatonin suppression may not only cause sleep disturbances, but also raise the risk of obesity, diabetes and other disorders.
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Good habits vs. bad habits: unplug yourself
Many people watch television to relax at the end of the day, and they have no trouble at all falling asleep in the living room in front of the TV set; so, many people watch TV directly in bed to fall asleep. This is a mistake. For the above reasons, when you fall asleep in your bed watching TV, you invariably wake up later on. This sets up a cycle or conditioning that reinforces poor sleep at night. Unfortunately, many people over the years develop insomnia due to this type of conditioning.
To sum up, the followings are good habits that you should get before bedtime, namely, at least 45 minutes before actually going to bed:
- Switch off any electronic device;
- Stop thinking of daily affairs and remove any distractions (mentally and physically) that will prevent you from sleeping;
- If you like reading at bed before sleeping, read printed books or at least use e-readers with e-ink technology;
- Preferably, listen to audio books or music.
It’s conclusive: unplug yourself from daily thoughts and from any electronic device, quite before bedtime, and you’ll have your good rest. 😉
Comments with your experiences or opinions would be highly appreciated.