Liminal Magic Challenge Entry

[john.knox]

I seem to receive a lot of information with or without my hat between the time I go to bed & the time I fall asleep

Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Liminal Magick

[john.knox]

I feel more tired lately so sleep more

On the other hand feel more tired when I wake up

Nothing changed. Strange.

[Susurrus]

Having been through the gammet with sleep & insomnia, I have found that about an hour or half hour before bed if I put my electronics down & turn down the TV to watch a movie that helps. I listen to soundscapes, I have them from Insight Timer, they have all kinds of them under music for free & drift off to sleep. I read a book, but like an actual book or use Bluelight filtering glasses at night when using your phone or computer. (You can buy them like readers & there are so very many to choose from)

Chamomile with lavender tea is a good one, there is also a Chamomile & Vanilla tea with an added 1mg of Melatonin to help you drift to sleep without being habit-forming (Twinings Sleepy Time tea with 1mg Melatonin, I bought a 6 pack of them on Amazon; they aren’t sold all the time here), but I have found it really helps when I can’t stay asleep to get me back to sleep. It also helps when I drink it roughly half an hour before going to bed. Free writing helps me get my mind to stop running when I want to just sleep.

So this may sound a bit weird, but before I even knew anything about meditation or mantras, I would get comfortable in my bed & silently, in my head inhale through my nose with “Go To” & exhale Sleep. Then I would start just repeating Go to Sleep or sleep to the rhythm of my breathing. If it doesn’t work after about half an hour, I just get up & put on something mindless on TV for a little while or read a book & try again.

If it’s persistent, Vicks makes Pure ZZZs with Chamomile & Lavender or Elderberry. They come in 1mg & 2mg gummies. The last time I got them I got the De-Stress & Sleep kind… there’s Chamomile, Melatonin, & Ashgwanda (sp??) in that one… the thing is when you take them (I wouldn’t take more than 2mg at a time & maybe start with 1mg; like the tea) I would make sure that you have at least 6 hours to sleep without anything in that time frame but sleep planned. Then you can tweak the amount as you need it by taking 1 or 2 gummies at a time. I would start with 1 though… it’s a natural substance in the body, but you also don’t want to sleep through something or be late to work/school/social events you may have planned.

I’m also pretty sure that by now the pharmacies & stores that carry it have generic alternatives. We have just always used that brand since my daughter was younger & had trouble falling asleep. As she got older we had to change it a bit because she’s not a little girl anymore I know they come as just melatonin gummies too. I have only ever used the 1mg or 2mg gummies. So just pay attention to how much is the right amount for you & your schedule.

[john.knox]

When I don’t need to sleep I sleep a lot
& when I do need to sleep I cannot fall asleep

[Medea]

Hi John,

That is so true!!!

Have a Blessed day,
Medea

[Susurrus]

I have been there too! That can be tough. I usually try to keep to a routine & if it’s something recurring & really disruptive, especially to my day-to-day, I will try not to take naps, or if I do no longer than 30 or 40 minutes per day. If it’s longer or turns into a regular thing, I know there is something else going on that I need to give my attention to. So sometimes journaling my thoughts, free writing really helps unclutter what’s in my head.

I wind down about half an hour before I go to bed, I put away all my electronics & just watch a full movie or sometimes the start. I meditate or do breathwork when I am winding down too. Soundscapes really help me calm down too. I like the water ones whether it’s rain or ocean or storms… although sometimes the storm ones can be a little too intense to help me fall asleep, I wind up just listening to the storm instead.

[john.knox]

Thank you for all the suggestions I will try them out

[Mistress_Of_Herbs]

@john.knox im sorry u are having trouble sleeping. Here are some diffuser recipes that may help

(Images from Cedarwood Oil for Sleep - 10 Diffuser Recipes to Try)

[MeganB]

@john.knox

between the time I go to bed & the time I fall asleep

That sounds like the perfect liminal space for you, then!

I am sorry that you’re having trouble sleeping, though I’ve had different bouts of insomnia but for me, my sleep issues get worse when I’m stressed out. I agree with @Susurrus in that maybe some meditation would work for you before bed, even something as simple as a body scan to help you relax.

[Susurrus]

I have started putting my phone on silent or in another room. I won’t use my laptop… it doesn’t work all the time but it helps when I do it. Sometimes my insomnia can be exacerbated by stress, nerves, strong emotions, so I need to do a meditation or journaling of some kind, like a thought dump free writing.

However, if that doesn’t work, after 20 minutes I will get out of bed & read… a book though… not from a screen because of the blue light, unless you have blue light or warm/night mode on your phone/tablet/computer. Then go back to bed & try again.

Writing out a short list of things you have to & want to accomplish the next day sometimes helps too so you know what you can expect or have time for then doing. Then you can add to it after you get through them. Adding in time for a meditation, walk, reading, learning things like that can be helpful to switch gears to a calmer state.