Perchance to Dream
Discover more from The Means Whereby—Inspiration + Expansion for Creatives
Mindset & Wellness for Creative Thinkers
Queen of the Night.
Savoring sleep….
The days are getting darker, but busier, and I’ve noticed how that effects my sleep.
Sleep is one of the things I’m asked about most. There are tricks, of course. Sometimes revamping your schedule or your environment (shifting to a cooler, darker den-like space) will do it. And that’s wonderful relief. But science-based sleep tips, while useful, miss the much bigger thrill that I’ve found in getting creative with re-orienting towards the night, embracing sleep more wholeheartedly.
For me that means not only banishing blue light come nightfall, but conjuring up a yin-enhanced mood to welcome sleep in a way that feels sensual, drinking Blue Lotus tea, pooling my attention in the lush, wet aroma rising from the translucent petals in my cup. I turn out the lights before I take a bath and brush my teeth by candlelight, watery shadows dancing across the tiles, and then I press a drop of other-worldly Ylang Ylang essence onto my wrists and clavicles. None of it takes more time. It’s all quite efficient. But it does make the onset of sleep very delicious. For a moment or two, I become the languid, liquid-y dark Queen of the Night.
So please follow all the rules and get a good 8 hours—but also consider this invitation to create a sensuous and moody moonlight kingdom of your own.
{image: "Joyce Baronio Wearing Sleep Mask,” Walker Evans, 1973-74, Metropolitan Museum of Art.}
Ending your day by the clock…
Best practices for getting to bed—and getting a good sleep.
+Establish a consistent bedtime and waking time. If not, it's like having constant jet lag.
+Plan to be a-bed for 7.5 - 8 hours of sleep. There is no substitute.
+Create a cool, pitch-dark bedspace to cozy up.
+Noon: Stop drinking caffeine.
+3 hours before bed: Stop vigorous exercise (but exercise earlier is great!)
+2-3 hours before bed: Stop eating. This is crucial for achieving deep sleep.
+1 hour before bed: Put away screens and turn off blue lights. (I have a rechargeable amber light book light that helps.)
+1 hour before bed: Empty out your mind & dump your cognitive load (making notes, to-do lists, scheduling, journaling on paper.)
+1 hour before bed: shift into Queen-of-the-Night mode. Ritualize your slow down and embrace the night with a hot bath, foam rolling, yoga nidra or breath work.
+30 minutes before bed: I take 225mg of magnesium glycinate (as opposed to magnesium citrate, which is gross and causes digestive issues).
{image above: “Kiki de Montparnasse et ses amis,” Brassai, 1932]
A special note on alcohol
I want to share the numbers on this one, because alcohol disrupts sleep cycles. Full stop. If you are having trouble sleeping, not drinking is probably one of the easiest interventions to get yourself back into the flow.
Research has shown a…
24 % average decrease in sleep quality for women having just 1 drink per day/men consuming 2 drinks per day.
39.2% average decrease in sleep quality for women having 2 drinks per day/men having 3 drinks per day.
[image below: “10th Street at Night,” John Cohen, 1960, Metropolitan Museum of Art.}
Kind Words…
It was a treat to support with fashion stylist and wardrobe consultant Allison Bornstein, who shared her kind sentiments about our work on her ragingly popular social feed: “She elevated my thoughts and ideas and helped me organize and create something that felt so ME but better….” Allison’s resulting new book, “Wear It Well,” includes all of her great strategies for making the act of getting dressed fun again. Highly recommended for anyone looking to bring a little structure and a lot of inspiration to their wardrobe exploration.
Allison’s 3-word method especially is so much fun to play with and I often recommend working with this tool to other clients undergoing transformation, using fashion as a door to the archetypical.
Ready to explore working together? Reach out and book a free initial session…
Night Inspirations
Get into the mood with these more esoteric sleep aids…
Blue Lotus
The tea of blue waterlily, or blue lotus (nymphaea caerulea) has been revered in many ancient traditions for its ability to help soothe the nervous system and open awareness to intuition. Sipped at night its smoky-floral aroma and diaphanous purple petals stir up sweet longing and a sense of mystery.
Night Sounds
This album that has astonished me by floating to the surface so many years after its release. Have you heard of David Byrne’s album “The Forest,” and especially the track Machu Picchu? How did we all miss this in 1991? I’ve been listening to these symphonic, epic soundscapes to set a very Queen of the Night mood.
Bathing Beauty
Mixing Epsom salt with Dead Sea salts for a bath at night delivers the benefits of both. I love Dead Sea salts for their oceanic source, and their natural variety of so many different minerals, from Bromide to Potassium. But manufactured Epsom salts, which aren’t actually salt but magnesium crystals, provide a beneficial dose of the mineral that best helps promote sound sleep. Try a half-and-half blend.
{Image: "Hylas and the Nymphs," John William Waterhouse (no pun intended), Manchester Art Gallery.}
“I know I don't understand much of what it is that fills me up, and that much of the work on this project, or any project, is a process of trying to discover what is inside yourself. And half the time the work itself tells you, but you don't understand what it's saying until many years later…”
—David Byrne on The Forest, 1991
{image: David Byrne publicity photo for The Forest, 1991.}
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