The Key to Good Sleep – And Great Dreams!

I’ve yet to find the person who would argue that getting enough quality sleep is a goal in their lives. We know it contributes to better health, lower stress, and even an easier time maintaining a healthy weight. 

Even more, deep sleep offers a time for your mind to access a whole new world when your rational brain and ego are turned off. In this sacred space, there are no limits. You can fly, you can connect with loved ones who have passed over, you can be anyone and do anything. 

Field of Dreams: Your Intuition Speaks

Your intuition can more easily send you messages during this time. The symbols and messages in our dreams can provide intuitive insight, directing us on our path and helping us connect with our higher knowledge, heal old wounds, work through problems, and even give insight into the future. More on that in a minute… but first, let’s talk about how TIRED we all are!

Because if you’re not sleeping, you won’t have the opportunity to receive these valuable experiences. Unfortunately, most of us — 68 percent, according to some researchers — are dealing with insomnia or other sleep issues. That adds up to a lot of grumpy people (and a lot of double cappuccinos as we try to rev up our engines in the morning!). 

Whether it’s trouble falling asleep or trouble STAYING asleep, why is it that a solid night of Zzzzs is so elusive… and can we do anything to improve our sleep, and our dreams? Great news… the answer is… meditate!

How to Meditate for Sleep

You’ve likely heard me sing the praises of meditation on more than one occasion (okay, WAY more than one!). Does meditation help with sleep? YES! All the benefits you receive from a regular meditation practice make it so helpful with getting good sleep! 

Meditation lowers your blood pressure, reduces stress, lowers negative emotions, lowers the perception of pain (which may be keeping you up), and even increases your creativity — which is also tied to your intuition. 

Want meditation to fall asleep? 

You can try guided sleep meditations specifically formulated to help you relax. I adore the iAwake meditations. Two of my favorites: 

	The Rainstorm Sleepwave is described as a “psychoacoustic soundscape to fall asleep, stay asleep, and awaken refreshed.” (I’m not sure exactly what that means… but I DO know that it works!).
	Theta Joy is described as “a magic carpet ride on theta frequencies for joy, creativity, and deep relaxation.” This one is a dream meditation sure to help you access your inner guidance and insight!

Whichever you choose, use my code CBR20OFF to get a 20 percent discount, too! (Hey… you’ll sleep better knowing you saved some of your hard-earned cash!). 

Better Than a Cat Nap?

If you’re still having trouble sleeping or find that you’re tired during the day, try meditating instead of taking a nap. While it’s dangerous to think that meditation can replace sleep, it can refresh your brain and give you an energy boost when a nap isn’t possible, or practical (like, if your co-workers are gonna give you a side-eyed stare when you start drooling on your computer keyboard!). 

Research shows that just sitting still and breathing deeply for only 10 minutes can help increase your concentration and lower your stress. Having trouble detaching from the world around you? Guided meditations are great for these micro-sessions!

Now, Back to the Topic of Intuitive Dreaming…

When you’re sleeping deeply, you will start experiencing more vivid dreams. Don’t let it scare you, though. 

Instead, look at it as a way your subconscious and Spirit are attempting to connect with you. Mine these night time excursions for symbols, guidance, and signs. When the lines between the physical and spiritual worlds are blurred — like when you’re asleep — it is much easier to receive deep messages. 

From the earliest days, ancient mystics relied on dreams as a way to understand deeper, hidden layers of our lives. 

Who are we when ego is set aside? What can we learn from mystical forces? 

These are the questions shamans continue to ask and answer. The best way to start tapping into this mystical force is by writing your dreams down! 

Delve into the spiritual realm of dreams is by keeping a dream log or dream journal. If you wake up in the middle of the night, jot down the main points of your dream (“Large black cat, threatening noises, ran out of gas at night,” or “found new room in attic, grandmother showed up, gave me her wedding bouquet.”). Then, in the morning, write down your dream in as much detail as possible. 

THIS WEEK’S JOURNALING QUESTIONS

Here are some questions you can ponder in your dream journal:

• What did you smell, hear, taste, feel, see? 
• What seemed familiar? 
• What was surprising? 
• Did you sense anything that gave you an overwhelming emotion — fear, happiness, anger, joy? 
• Did you just “know” something in your dream, such as a certain road was closed, or that someone was a friend or foe? 

Spend as much time dissecting your dream as you like, but don’t do so from a logical perspective. The mystical will speak in symbols and emotions, not in “A + B = C” equations! For thousands of years, shamans have studied the archetypes — or symbology — of human experience, much of which may appear in your dreams. 

Occasionally go back and revisit your dream journal to see what new insights you can glean, or what additional perspectives you can add. Make it a living document, one that becomes an ever-changing map of your innermost self over time. 

Remember: Journaling rules apply here: No judgment, no censoring, no need to worry about spelling and punctuation! You can doodle, draw, paint, or jot down incomplete sentences. The goal is to capture the experience, not create a publishable document!

It’s All Tied Together…

In sum, meditation can reduce stress and increase creativity. When you do both those things, you’re not only paving the way to better sleep, you’re opening the door to communication from the mystical!

Give this a try and let me know your results in the comments. I can’t wait to hear!

P.S. Shamanism is at the root of many of our modern spiritual practices. I’d love to invite you to explore more about the mystical and psychological archetype of The Shaman, and how it gives language to our current human experience… and I’ve got the perfect tool! 

I’ve just announced my latest Oracle Card deck, The Shaman’s Dream Oracle.

It’s a collaboration with renowned authority on shamanic healing, Alberto Villoldo. Pre-order your copy now!