A good rest is, truly, the most important investment we can make in our health, especially for our nervous system. When we don't get enough sleep, our brain simply doesn't function well. It enters a state of alert and chronic stress, which is exhausting. We notice it immediately: our memory fails us, we struggle terribly to concentrate, and our decisions become impulsive. Emotionally, we become much more reactive and irritable because the fear center is constantly triggered. Furthermore, our brain needs that time to cleanse itself of toxins.
Many of us already know all this, but the key question is: how do I achieve truly restorative sleep? The reality is that during the day, our nervous system is subjected to an enormous amount of stimulation: so many EM waves and so much information from all sides, thanks to technology and the active presence of social media. Added to this is continuous stress—that constant push to go beyond the limit that our true nature can withstand.
How do I put the brakes on this carousel of thoughts in my head? How do I stop the frenzy that penetrates me from the outside, accelerating my rhythm and filling my mind with ideas that I then carry to bed, preventing me from resting well?
Preparing for restorative sleep is a process that starts in the morning and continues throughout the day, right up to the last actions before bed that favor entering sleep. Starting the day with good hydration, consistent seated meditation, and a small routine of exercises (Qi Gong and/or Yoga) and conscious breathing (Pranayama) allows us to anchor ourselves in a space of calm and quietude.
But what we do during the day is equally important, to maintain that state through self-observation. Every now and then, a little bell (there are apps with beautiful Tibetan bowl sounds) reminds us to return to the present moment, to our body and our sensations. How is my body? Is there tension? Maybe I find my shoulders hiked up to my ears, my jaw clenched, and my teeth gritted: it's time to let go!
And how do I feel? Am I agitated? Nervous? Sad?
I acknowledge the emotion I am experiencing and stay with it without rejecting it, inhaling and exhaling. If I simply pause to breathe consciously during the day, even if it's just three breaths, and then return to what I was doing... Explore it, and you will see that just breathing with presence puts us in a different place, allowing us to relax our eyebrows, relax the muscles in our face and body, gifting us a fresh start.
And in every beautiful moment of the day, I also pause to deeply savor that kind gesture I received, the smile I was given as a gift, a beautiful sunset, or a cheerful little bird singing happily. I contemplate these moments that warm my heart, and I take three full breaths.
In this way, by nightfall, I will no longer arrive with an excessive burden and tiredness, and I will be ready for the practices before going to sleep. I will turn off devices and finish my last meal a couple of hours before bedtime. And as I lie down, I will call to mind all those beautiful moments of the day that filled my heart and for which I feel deeply grateful, and I fall asleep with those thoughts.
If we go to bed thinking about the good things that happened to us and feeling deeply grateful for them, we are giving a gift to our subconscious. It’s like turning off the "fight or flight" mode of stress and turning on the "rest and repair" mode. By flooding the mind with that calm and appreciation right before drifting off, we are programming our subconscious to work all night filtering the positive and consolidating happy memories. Sleeping in this state of emotional coherence means our rest will be much deeper and more restorative, and we will wake up with a feeling of peace and resilience that stays with us throughout the day.
After adopting these practices for a while, you will find yourself exploring much calmer and more regenerative dreams. And suddenly, life itself will fill with that brilliance that it holds and that, sometimes, due to exhaustion, we simply can't see.
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