When we don’t get enough sleep, we not only become tired and irritable, but we are more accident-prone and exhibit decreased concentration, efficiency, and work motivation. Inadequate sleep can cause errors in judgment. Plus, lack of sleep causes stress hormones to rise, which over time can disrupt hormonal balance and depress the immune system. Too little sleep over time can put you at greater risk for obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
Sleep is also critical for the consolidation of learning and memory, and it serves as a way to help us sort out in our minds and bodies the things we have learned and experienced during the day. In fact, studies have linked a nightly battle with insomnia to memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease, not to mention other brain disorders, including Parkinson’s.
Before we can take steps to ensure we get a good night’ sleep it’s important to understand what happens when we sleep. While we sleep a door opens through which the conscious, waking mind passes to be creatively joined to the subconscious. Sleep conceals the creative act while the objective world reveals it. While we sleep the subconscious merges with our conception of our authentic self.
Each night when you drift off to sleep, you should adamantly refuse to use this precious time to review anything that you do not want to be reinforced in the hours of being immersed in your subconscious mind. Choose to impress upon your subconscious mind, and therefore the mind of God to which you are eternally joined, your conception of yourself as a Divine creator in alignment with the universe.
Spend a few minutes writing our a gratitude list of all the good things that happened to you during the day. Say some positive affirmations, such as “I am peace, I am content, I am love, I am the governing power of the universe, and I attract only to myself those who are in alignment with my highest ideals of myself.”
By doing this simple exercise before you close your eyes, you are eliminating any negativity from your day and feeding your mind with only positive things to work on while you sleep.
Always resist any temptation to go over any fear or unpleasantness that your ego might be asking you to review. As you enter your sleep invite the instruction that your subconscious mind welcomes. Know that you are allowing yourself to be programmed while asleep. When you rise in the morning you will know that you are a free agent. Understand that every action and event of the day is essentially predetermined by your feelings as you prepared for sleep. While you were that place of warmth and trust know that you were in the arms of the one universal subconscious mind.
Here are a few more suggestions for your own bedtime routine:
As you lie in bed preparing for your nightly slumber, remember that the last thought you have in your mind can last up to four hours in your subconscious mind. That’s four hours of programming from just one moment of contemplation prior to going into your unconscious state. Create a reminder like a prayer or a mantra to place by your bed. Write these words and read them as you get comfortable: “I am going to use these moments to review what I intend to manifest into my life.” Keep that sign there to remind you how to spend your pre-sleep moments nightly.
If before dropping off to sleep you feel worry, distress, or fear, do not stay in bed. Get up, turn on the light, take a few deep breaths, read from a spiritual text, meditate for a few moments in front of a white candle, say a prayer — do anything other than staying there lying down. You cannot defend yourself against these onslaughts while remaining snug in your bed. If distressing feelings come back when you return to bed, get up, turn on the lights, and try something else. When you finally do feel peaceful back in bed, repeat you’re your positive affirmations and drift off to sleep ready to have your ears opened and your instructions sealed.
The last five minutes of the day, just prior to going into a long restful sleep are precious pre-sleep moments. They can be utilized by either reviewing all of the things in your life which make you unhappy, frustrated and anxious, or they can be used to program your subconscious mind with thoughts of joy, kindness, gratitude and anticipation of having your wishes fulfilled.
Enter your sleep with a conviction that “good things are going to happen. Always enter your sleep mode by using your mind to assume the feeling of your intentions being fulfilled. This is the beginning of the process of reprogramming your subconscious mind to manifest your heart’s desire.
