(The book is only $5 if you care to read the entire text and tips it contains)

Remember how wonderful it felt to waken refreshed, alive and eager to make the most of the day? With no recollection of the preceding eight hours except that it was deep, satisfying, undisturbed slumber? Every morning can be like that. Remember how your dreams could excite you, even days after the event? And those all-too-rare moments of bliss as you drifted off to sleep, your consciousness floating btween illumination and tranquillity? You can recapture those feelings tonight. "The Little Book of Sleep" was created to add beauty to your slumber and make bedtime one of the highlights of your day.

Let this book fall open to any page for the suggestion that will work best for you tonight. Accept it at face value. Let your subconscious have its way. Then, lie back and enjoy it. Oh yes … and pleasant dreams!

• A warm bath before bed is also helpful in inducing sleepiness. You can add a few drops of essential oils such as lavender or marjoram

• A few drops on your pillow can also work wonders

• Try leaving a window slightly open for fresh air circulation

• Milk really does work as a soothing late night drink. It contains calcium and tryptophan, both of which help the body to relax

• Fill a small silk bag with lentils or linseeds, place it over your closed eyes and feel the gentle relaxation envelop your entire body

• Valerian is a herb which reduces tension in the nervous system. It can be useful in aiding sleep without the "hangover" of other chemical sedatives.

• Meditate in the early mornings or early evenings rather than late at night.

• Whenever you feel that sleep will never come, conjure up a picture of yourself dreaming. Imagine what you look like in that state, how you sound, what the bed feels like beneath you. Chances are, you’ll soon become part of that dream.

• Chamomile is one of nature’s most effective and gentle relaxants. Enjoy it as a tea, with honey or lemon to taste. Alternately, add a few drops of chamomile oil to a bath.

• Have you ever noticed how small children sleep? They drift off as thought they don’t have a care in the world. Dwell on this feeling as you retire at night: pretend to yourself that you don’t have a care in the world, and that your every need will be taken care of. Then you too can sleep like a child.

• You may find that synthetic or heavily-coloured materials interfere with your body’s ability to breathe and relax properly. Stick to natural fibres for your bedclothes and bed covers

• Vitamins B3 and B6 help convert tryptophan (in milk) into the hormone serotonin which helps you sleep. Both vitamins are found in bananas, corn, brown rice & soy beans.

• Most people find a good book is a great way to relax and unwind as they lose themselves in the story.

• Oats are known for their calming as well as their nutritional properties. A bowl of porridge with milk may be the ideal evening snack. (You may have some difficulty explaining it to your house guests though)

• How many poor sleepers do you know who are early risers? Not many. The appeal of early rising is that it encourages sleep at the end of the day.

• Essential oils like lavender, marjoram & neroli are now recognised as having calming properties. The aromas of these oils aid in the production of serotonin, the chemical that helps you sleep. These oils can be used with a ceramic burner or added to a massage base.

• The human rest cycle does occur twice a day – the other time is early afternoon. This is the reason behind the "siesta" which is popular in many countries.

• The worst part about worries is the way they visit in the quiet of the night. With a minimum of effort you can postpone them until your waking hours – invariably, they will seem less threatening then. Write them down, assuring yourself that you will grant them your full attention the following day.

• If all else fails, get out of bed and start doing something menial and boring – like spring cleaning or filing. Be meticulous and keep going until you have completed the chore. Two or three nights is all it takes to cure the most persistent insomnia.

• Look forward to the dream time. " When you cease to dream, you cease to live." Malcom S. Forbes

• Electromagnetic fields created by electrical current or appliances may influence your dominant brain wave states – particularly those you depend on for a good night’s sleep. Banishing the clock radio or television from your bedroom often banishes one of the great obstacles to sleep.

• If you use an electric blanket to warm the bed, turn it off before you retire.

• A sheepskin underblanket can be a great aid in encouraging deep sleep. There is a unique property about wool that allows your body to perspire in vapour form rather than liquid. This contributes to a more relaxed, natural feeling sleep.

• Imagine your body floating a fraction of a centimetre above the bed. When you can really sense what this feels like you will have set aside all thoughts of the "here and now" and who knows where you might be headed

• You can make a habit of turning tiredness into sleep by waiting until you feel drowsy before going to bed.

• With so many different pillow types on offer today, you can surely find one that suits your anatomy and temperament. Experiment. You may end up wondering why you never thought of this before.

• Make a ritual of stopping work at a specific time each day. Choose a cutoff place, time or event that signals the end of your working day. Make a list of things that should be resumed the following day, then retire for the night with a clear mind.

• While you lie in bed, imagine a lightness in the tips of your fingers. Keep your hands still and imagine this lightness almost lifting your fingers from the bed. Now imagine the same lightness in your toes. Feel them lifting upwards. If ten minutes of this doesn’t send you to sleep, it will certainly have you feeling deeply relaxed, and you know where that leads …

• There is a simple, cheap antidote to noisy neighbours or neighbourhoods: soft ear plugs.

• Anger can be a major cause of sleep interruption. It is not always easy to forgive or forget. A more creative alternative is to choose one time and place each day to vent your negative feelings. Do it on your daily walk, for example, on a designated "angst stretch" where you exercise your hostile feelings, then abandon them until next time.

• You will have noticed how tired you feel after spending time in the clean mountain air, or the refreshing sea breeze, or in the wide open spaces. Outdoor places such as these not only help you to feel that you’ve spent the day well, but also help you sleep more soundly at night. Spend time outdoors for better sleep indoors.

• Often when you have difficulty sleeping, the words that play through your thoughts exacerbate the condition. Unspoken instructions like, "If this keeps up, I’ll never get to sleep" tend to become self-fulfilling. Better to issue new (unspoken) instructions such as "If I lie here and relax and listen to my breathing, sleep will soon be here."

• There is a psychological benefit from prayer that is often overlooked in the spirituality that accompanies it. Within the brain is a place sometimes referred to as the "God spot". Accessing this place mentally will produce feelings of peace and transcendence. Those who pray, and who derive comfort and satisfaction from the activity, are seldom left feeling sleep-deprived.

• There is a range of herbs in Chinese medicines to treat sleep problems – wild jujube, lotus seed and many more. If you have a chronic sleep disorder, Chinese herbalism may work for you.

• Use fresh sheets and linen as often as your laundry schedule will allow.

• Some people have disrupted sleep at night because they have not exhausted enough mental and physical energy throughout the day. Use your body and your brain during the day. Look out for little adventures. Take on a few mental and physical challenges. Then you can rest easy at night.

• Melatonin is the hormone that makes your body want to sleep. Sunlight encourages your body to regularly produce this hormone. Try to get a little sunshine as often as you can.

• Colours, like sounds, not only have an impact on your emotions but on you physiology as well. The wavelengths of colours such as blue and green, or pastel pink encourage restful feelings – whereas the more dynamic primary colours stimulate.

• One of the most comforting pieces of advice ever offered by an old Zen master was this: "Expect nothing." Sometimes sleep is good, sometimes it is merely okay, sometimes you miss out altogether. This is the way of life. Expect nothing and you’ll enjoy whatever arrives all the more.

• Have you ever noticed how relaxed a sleeping person’s breathing sounds? Slow, deep, measured. You can use the same techniques to ease yourself into a relaxed, drowsy state. Simply breathe deeply, concentrating on the bottom of your lungs rather than your chest. Gradually slow down your breathing until the breaths become more and more leisurely.

• We live in an age where silence is often considered a vacuum to be filled, or as an absence rather than a gain. The wonder of silence is that it is the first step towards becoming calm and at peace – something to be pursued and appreciated rather than avoided. Regard silence this way, seek it in the evening before bedtime, and you will rest easier as the evening grows still.

• Even small worries have the capacity to hamper your sleep. One of the most efficient worry eliminators is the notebook. If you find yourself with worries or problems before bedtime, jot them down in a notebook – then analyse the likelihood of their eventuating, work them through or postpone them until a specific time tomorrow.

• Over the centuries, worry beads, prayer beads and prayer wheels have been used by millions of devoted owners to dispense with nervous tension and to discover calm states. Some say it’s the repetitive action of the fingering, others say it’s the stimulation of relaxing acupressure points in the hands. Either way, it is a simple, tangible way to drowsiness.

• There are many well-rested people who swear by the following getting-to-sleep ritual: lightly grasp the forefinger of one hand in the palm of the other, and cradle it until you doze off. This is an eastern energy-balancing technique that capitalises on the reflexology meridians in the hand in order to help you relax.

• When you breathe really deeply, your lower abdomen – not your chest and shoulders – swells with each breath. If you can feel your tummy rise and fall this way, you’re only a few breaths away from being deeply relaxed. Concentrate on breathing deeply, then breathing slowly, and you’ll soon be ready to doze. (If not, you’ll still enjoy a state of deep relaxation)

• There is a property in smouldering incense that stimulates the production of serotonin, the neurochemical that helps you get to sleep. While it may not be a good idea to burn anything in the bedroom itself, incense can have a powerfully relaxing effect in the hours leading to bedtime.

• Deservedly, the innocent enjoy a soundness of sleep that the rest of us only fantasise about. As you lie in bed, think back on a time of your own innocence – when your life was ruled by optimism and wonder, untempered by deadlines and responsibilities – and let your imagination re-experience those restful feelings tonight.

• Please remember: if you have erratic sleep patterns, what you are experiencing is probably entirely normal. At any given time, a huge proportion of the population is sharing the same experience. The good news is that, in most cases, it is temporary. Regular, restful sleep will come again.

• As houses can be traps for household dust, dust mites, animal hair and other pollutants, an air purifier, or even an ioniser can clear the way to a better sleep. Keep your bedroom pollutant-free, especially by denying your pets access. Before you know it, you’ll be sleeping like a kitten.

• You know colas are laced with caffeine. Did you know that other, seemingly benign soft drinks also have a caffeine content. Some do. If you want to avoid restlessness, avoid fizzy drinks at night.

• Add pleasure and beauty to those moments before sleep by reliving a beautiful experience. Devote your full attention to it as you lie in bed. Visualise every detail, recall every sound, and try to recapture the feelings. What a fabulous way to drift off.

• Biofeedback experiments reveal that the simple act of looking upwards, with unfocussed eyes induces a restful state. Make it even more restful by visualising a moving restful image. Imagine a small fluffy cloud floating through a clear blue sky. Imagine another following it. And another. In a way, it’s like counting sheep. Except it works.

• Notice how much easier it is to sleep on Friday and Saturday nights? There’s no work tomorrow and it doesn’t matter if you oversleep in the morning. Pretend it’s Saturday tonight. Close your eyes and imagine waking up to a perfect day tomorrow. The sun will be shining and you will rise to find the last day of a restful weekend ahead of you.

• Sometimes changing the lie of your bed can overcome persistent sleeplessness. The nature of the Chinese art of Feng Shui is to align your living area with certain natural forces. This means your bed must never face the door or be under an exposed beam. Mirrors and furniture with sharp edges must never face the bed.

• There is a powerful relaxing acupressure point at the crease of the wrist directly up from your ring finger – you will feel a small, sensitive indentation at this place. By applying a firm downward pressure with your forefinger as you breath out, then releasing the pressure as you breath in, you will ease yourself into a calmer and calmer state.

• Stress has a habit of encouraging two conditions, often interlinked: disturbed sleep and tightened jaw muscles. When your jaw muscles are clenched and you grind your teeth, tension begins to spread to other parts of your body. You can overcome this by lightly pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth.

I should include a link to the 'Calm Centre' - I think it is www.calmcentre.com - ... oh, you'll find it if you really need to ...

       

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