Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with ritual, and both warm milk and gentle yoga exercises are excellent sleep inducers. However, if you read my last article, Baa Baa Black Sheep, you know counting sheep probably isn't going to work.
But as people become more harried and stressed, insomnia becomes a greater and farther-reaching problem. Many people, once they lie down and try to relax, find their minds filled with plans, ideas and worries. With such a busy mind and so much to think about, it's impossible to drop off to sleep.
Where there is a need, someone is always willing to invent or produce a method of filling that need. Where once a simple ritual like drinking a glass of warm milk was sufficient to send the weary off to dreamland, now we have meditation tapes, sleep masks, herbal teas and perfumed bath oils. And rituals galore.
Can't sleep? Turn on the CD player and let soft music or the sound of falling rain or a rippling stream lull you to sleep. Lighting can also play a part. Lava lamps or gently pulsing light is very relaxing. Even candles (be sure they're in a safe place) flickering in the darkness can have a soporific effect.
Aromatic oils - either in the bath or in a diffuser, sometimes can help you sleep. Or those same oils coupled with another excellent sleep ritual - the massage - is a great way to relax and drift off to sleep.
The article about quirky sleep rituals tells of a device that combines several of the above rituals. The Relaxor® Sound Machine is made up of a crystal globe that incorporates any combination of sleep inducing features. Sound, aroma, lights, all in one compact little machine.
Nature sounds, the aroma of exotic oils and the swirling lights can be used all together, singularly or in any combination. And you can choose from seven different Nature sounds. The Relaxor® Sound Machine sells for under forty dollars.
Can't sleep? Your ritual has stopped working? Maybe it's time to try a new one - or even a combination. Or, if you haven't done it yet, why not try a glass of warm milk? It worked for my mother for over seventy years.
