How to Sleep Through a Matatu Horn, a Rooster, and a Nightmare
Sleep is an important part of our quotidian lifestyle. Whether you live in the countryside, the city, or have a hard time getting your rest. Here are a few methods to streamline your sleep.
Meditation
Meditation is an ancient technique that has stood the test of time. Relaying benefits beyond compare to those who practice. Getting into that quiet space in your mind is difficult. Even seasoned meditators struggle to keep their minds empty.
Believe it or not, that’s part of the process too. Whether it’s just 5 or 7 minutes. Your sleep will change forever.
Journaling
Journaling before bed is linked to putting one’s mind at ease. It is likened to the zen attained during meditation.
Not only is journaling a great reliever of emotional knots, but it also provides key insight into the dream world and waking life. Most of all, it will aid you in tracking sleep cycles (or identifying patterns).
Journaling before bed clears your mind of the day’s events. This way, you can spare your mind from processing everything at once.
Keeping a sleep diary
By keeping a sleep journal. You can track major sleep disruptors. With a clear record of events, such disruptors can be worked around or avoided entirely.
Hold your nightmares accountable
If you’re plagued by recurring night terrors, tackle the problem at the root. Carl Jung suggests that recurring dreams, especially of the night terror variety. They are more complex than they seem. They’re not just the echoes of your scary Netflix picks.
It is never easy confronting your baggage and trauma. Dreams, whether warped or realistic, replay our unconscious thoughts. Often, nightmares are just hidden messages in scary packages.
A woman is dreaming about being chased by a dark figure. Turns to confront the character in her dream. She wasn’t sure whether it would swallow her whole or rip her apart. But she did it anyway. After what felt like an eternity, the figure embraced her.
After she decided to shed light on the shadowy parts of her life, she took responsibility for her past, and her nightmares stopped.
Relocate!
Whether sleep terrors or noise pollution, a change of scene is never a bad idea. Ditch your bed for a night. Give other nap spots in your area a go. If your sleep disruptors are geographically linked, be it matatu noises or pesky roosters, it might be time to consider that big move.
