Sleeping problems often occur when you cannot become yin and calm enough at night to fall asleep. The following remedies are designed to help drift off into a deep sleep. It is important to reduce coffee, strong spices and other stimulants.

SPECIAL TEAS

Sweet kuzu 1tbs. Kuzu 1cup (250 ml or 9 fl oz) of water 1 tsp. of brown rice syrup (or barley malt) Put one cup of water in a small pot. Turn the flame on. Meanwhile dissolve the kuzu in a small amount of cold (important!) water. Add it to the water and keep stirring constantly until the water thickens. It should only take a few minutes.

If you do not stir you may end up with lumps. In a cup put one teaspoon of rice syrup (or other grain sweetener) and pour hot kuzu over it. Stir and drink warm before bed. Instead of syrup you can make the drink with apple juice in place of the water.

Camomile tea, stewed fruit (without sugar) or a hot apple juice would also help in the evening.

BRING YOUR ENERGY DOWN

Soak your feet in hot salty water before bed for about ten minutes. This will help bring energy away from your head and has the added benefit of helping you sleep through the night without getting up to urinate. Once you are in bed breath slowly and deeply. Mentally run a check of each part of your body, imagining you are calming each part down ready for sleep.

FENG SHUI

The atmosphere in your bedroom has a significant influence on the quality of your sleep. It is desirable to create an environment where the flow of chi energy is gentle and calm. In oriental terms, more yin, representing the water chi energy of the night. The idea is to help you relax and fall into a deep sleep. This is important to complete the healing processes and release the emotions that make you ready for a new day. Use soft furnishings in your bedroom. This helps create a cosy, yin atmosphere. These could be a wool rug, long curtains, large cushions and soft bedding.

Keep large leafy plants in your bedroom to help calm the flow of energy at night. NASA scientists found plants particularly effective at cleaning the air reducing your exposure to airborne pollution. If you suffer from insomnia the most peaceful colour is cream. This can be complemented by pastel shades of green and blue, both more yin relaxing colours. Choose a room that is in the north or north-west part of your home where the energy is quieter. Turn your bed so that the top of your head points north aligning yourself with this peaceful water chi energy. Remove or cover any mirrors at night in your bedroom. These speed up the flow of chi energy and bounce it around the room, which is not helpful for deep sleep. Keep the door and curtains closed at night to encourage a more safe intimate mood. All the bedclothes should be made from pure cotton. Synthetic fabrics carry a static charge of electricity that will adversely influence you chi energy and risk an unsettled night's sleep.

NIGHTMARES

Nightmares can be due to pent up emotions that cannot flow from the body harmoniously. From a Feng Shui perspective most of the causes of nightmares are chi energy moving around the bedroom too quickly. This is made worse if the chi energy moves in a straight line and is directed towards the bed. Features that will speed up the flow of chi energy and direct it to the bed are; hard shiny surfaces in the bedroom, sharp corners that point at the bed, a spiky plant close to the bed, a mirror facing the bed, bright or aggressive colours and sleeping with the top of your head pointing north-east.

In addition having the bedroom at the end of a long corridor or in the north-eastern part of a building would exasperate the problem as the flow of chi energy will speed up along the corridor and then be directed at the bed. Another possible cause of nightmares is over exposure to electro magnetic fields (EMF).

These fields radiate from any electrical equipment. Electric blankets, electric clocks, lights and a television will all emit EMF. The closer they are to you the greater the influence. The energy flowing from the north-east is quick, direct and piecing. Greater exposure to this energy makes it harder to relax and sleep peacefully.

If you have nightmares and any of the features apply to your bedroom try the following; keep plants with rounded floppy leaves in the room to calm the flow of energy, use soft fabrics to encourage a more relaxing atmosphere, turn your bed so the top of your head points north, north-west or west to expose yourself to more calming chi energy, keep the bedroom door closed at night, cover or remove any mirrors facing your bed, put plants or fabrics in front of any protruding corners to subdue the movement of chi energy, use a rug over a hard shiny floor, add more pale greens and blues to the room, keep any electrical equipment as far from your bed as possible. If you have a choice of bedrooms use a room to the north, north-west or west of the centre of your home. Back to the Top