Learning A New Language

A trial study in 2011 demonstrated that consuming a cup of passionflower tea daily increased participants’ quality of sleep. You can take passionflower as a tincture or supplement or make tea from dried passionflower. As with any supplements or teas, make sure to consult with your doctor or naturopath first to make sure there are no contraindications for any health issues you may have or for any medications you are currently on. And I have been losing sleep over it because the neuroscience of sleep is challenging, especially without having a science background. It’s like learning a new language, but it’s also genuinely fascinating. It essentially helps to shut down the wake system in the brain, allowing you to fall asleep. Tart cherries are high in melatonin. Pistachios and almonds are high in melatonin and magnesium, which calms your nervous system. Walnuts and pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid precursor to melatonin. Dark chocolate contains serotonin, which helps you feel good. If you need a bedtime snack, just have a tiny handful, since you really don’t want your system working too hard to digest nuts right before bed! Shaped like the pinecone for which it is named, the pineal gland also regulates light, as a pinecone does. As the sun rises and falls, a pinecone will make adjustments by opening and closing its scales to protect its seeds.

Shades Of Grey

The pineal gland, similarly, is a light receptor, producing melatonin in the dark and stopping production when the sun comes out, which helps regulate sleep. It happens that, in the tiny but mighty pineal gland, there are even tinier calcite crystals. It is thought that we can pressurize these crystals through deep meditation, which can serve as a way of keeping the pineal healthy and strong! The primary method of strengthening the pineal gland is through decalcification. Our pineal gland calcifies as we age. Calcification comes from calcium spots accumulating in different parts of our body, like in our joints, heart valves, and the pineal gland. It is important to help decalcify the pineal gland for better upkeep and glandular function. Fluoride is a naturally occurring salt derived from fluorite crystals. There are natural springs that contain fluoride, but most public water systems that have added fluoride to prevent tooth decay have done so synthetically. Most regular water filters do not remove fluoride, but there are a handful of filters that do remove fluoride, which you could consider using to mitigate the effects of ingesting excessive fluoride. Avoiding the use of toothpastes and mouthwashes containing fluoride may be helpful as well. Water flushes toxins through the body and helps the systems of your body continue to operate effectively. Our physical bodies are mostly water.

Easy From Now On

In order for everything to function properly, we need proper hydration. Proper hydration ensures that we have enough amino acids for the pineal gland to produce melatonin. Again, deep meditation can pressurize the calcite crystals in this gland, producing an electromagnetic field and thus possibly opening up consciousness and awareness. We all have five to ten minutes that we can commit to meditation. I have easily scrolled through social media for five to ten minutes without even thinking about it, and I’m sure you have as well! An easy way to commit to meditation is to meditate before you even get out of bed. Once you are awake, just sit up on the side of your bed, set your timer and get in a few minutes of meditation. This can be as simple as counting one as you inhale and exhale, then two as you inhale and exhale again, counting up with a slow and conscious breath. Studies have shown that meditation influences the production of melatonin. Again, as with many of these tips, breath practice doesn’t just decalcify the pineal. It’s also excellent for the rest of your body. Cultivating a regular breath meditation practice will increase lung capacity and strengthen the immune system. Working with your pineal gland helps you access greater possibility, open to a higher potential, and become your most aligned and connected self.

The Best Of Everything

What you might feel when you chant a mantra is your conscious awareness expanding through your crown chakra, the energy center associated with the pineal gland. Our crown chakra connects us to the wisdom and intelligence of the universe. On the physical level, it is said that when we chant, the vibration of sound through the head stimulates the cranial bones and the pineal gland. I connect to my pineal gland. I strengthen my pineal gland through this thought. The blue light from our phones and computers suppresses melatonin creation. Make your bedroom as dark as possible and wear a sleep mask. Embracing the dark will allow for a greater increase in melatonin. This isn’t to suggest that staring into the sun in the middle of summer is a good idea! There is a wisdom tradition of sungazing, which calls for staring into the sun outdoors for thirty to sixty seconds but only within the first fifteen minutes of sunrise and the last fifteen minutes of sunset, when it is safest to do so. Please do not stare at the sun outside of these times. Take care if you do experiment with sungazing. Use proper precautions or just go for a walk outside without shades. Leaving yourself open to indirect sunlight is a practice that can help bring more energy into your system and reset your circadian rhythm. Now that you’ve established a gentle routine to prepare for bedtime, in this section we will share some rituals and meditations to help you relax even more as you wind down into sleep. Let it be easy. Ease. Ease as you prepare for bed. Ease as you wind down into sleep. Your bedtime routine should facilitate that easy transition from turning down the day to turning in for the evening. Here is a meditation that will help you keep the transition to sleep kind and soothing. Take a gentle breath in and a long exhale out.