(via)

Simply put, sleep is one of the most important things we can do for our well being. Deep, rejuvenating, uninterrupted sleep will do wonders for your emotional, physical and even “spiritual” well being.  A refreshed body and a clear mind “react” less and “create” much more.  Today I am sharing a piece from the feng shui master who taught me well beyond the basics of feng shui, the brilliant Dr. Gabriele Van Zon, on feng shui and sleep.  There may bean elusive yet disruptive force keeping you awake…and you can solve that today!  

(Erwin Redl) 

Sleep! & Lights by Dr. Gabrielle Van Zon of Feng Shui Universal

Your digital alarm clock says ‘it’s time to get up,’ but your body does not feel rested.  You’ve been in bed long enough, but how much real sleep did you get?  If you recognize this pattern, it’s time to take a look lighting in your bedroom. 

Let’s assume you walk into your bedroom and flip a switch.  General lighting will come on, which usually means an overhead light fixture, or perhaps a floor lamp that is plugged into an outlet controlled by your light switch.  In addition there might be various table lamps that you can use as needed, lamps on night stands for reading, lamps by your chaise, lamps on your dresser.  If you’ve feng shui’d your bedroom, perhaps you have an up-light behind a plant or in a stagnant corner for indirect lighting or to activate of one sector of your bedroom bagua. 

When you’re ready to wind down the activities of your day, consider reducing ambient lighting in your bedroom and use your dimmer switches to diminish your light sources.  Your circadian rhythm knows that it’s dark outside, and your pineal gland wants to produce melatonin – our natural sleeping pill – to get you settled in for a good long snooze. 

So what’s the problem?  Is your TV still going with the latest gory news or a segment of your favorite soap?  Is your e-reader still glowing with the latest thriller?  Is the laptop still churning to crank out the latest junk mail?  Is the cell phone beeping with a quick text or chiming with a late call?  All these devices emit blue light affecting your visual cues to your brain’s sleep mode.  Melatonin production is interrupted or reduced and your sleep pattern impaired. 

But that’s not all!  Have you ever looked around in the dark after lights are turned off?  How many dots of light do you see?  How many are blinking at you?  Does your smoke detector and your carbon monoxide detector have blinking green lights?  Your computer and printer are finally off, but the power button is brightly shining in the night.  Are you picking up on the shining halo from your hallway or bathroom night light? Does the street light send a bright glow through the window? 

Well, here’s the uncomfortable truth, even the minutest light source will keep your pineal gland from producing the proper amount of melatonin. And if you flip lights on in the middle of the night, it’ll be difficult to resume the disrupted sleep pattern.

So what’s the solution for this myriad of sleep disrupting antagonists?  And how do we adjust or change our habits so we can benefit from a healthy sleep cycle that will give us a restful night and restore our energy for the day to follow? 

The latest research suggests that red lights are not as disruptive as blue lights; so if your clock has red numbers, it should be ok.  Some kind of tape or bandaid can block the annoying power buttons or blinking spots.  Your night light could be a very dim motion detector light that will guide you when needed.  And for your windows, you may need extra or black-out drapes to block exterior light sources.  Your indirect lights can all be on a timer that you control according to your night time patterns.

Visit Gabrielle’s site and soak up more of her wisdom right HERE.  I just can’t get enough.  She is the only person working in the realm of feng shui that expands my own viewpoint dramatically!   xoxo Dana