If you didn’t see the mysterious spring full moon last night you missed out. It was golden and looming on the horizon in the early evening yesterday. There are some full and new moons that seem to come and go without my noticing much. Other months it feels like everything in me is building and nearing bursting as we get close to a full moon and everything is retreating and resting as we near the new moon. Last night as I tried to sleep in our nearly brilliantly lit bedroom I felt the extreme stirrings of all that moon energy.
Working with mostly sensitive women, (we attract to us what we are) I find that things get chaotic near the full moon. Insomniacs who have long recovered will show weaknesses around some full moons. Anxiety and susceptible menstrual cycles go haywire around dominant full moons.
It makes sense that the more time we spend outside the more at ease our menstrual cycles will be with the moon, but I secretly wonder if it is more than that. If there are some full moons that seem to sweep in and stir things up.
I’m really quite a ninny about my sleep, but there is something incredible about allowing the body to respond fully to the changes in nature. Unlike my rather lazy mornings throughout the winter when I occasionally slept in until 7 or 7:30, I’m now finding myself naturally waking rested (most mornings) at 6:15 or 6:30. The light is full and my body is ready to begin the day. I know I am only a few weeks away from waking at 5:30 so I’m treasuring this last bit of lounging.
Tips for Sleeping with the Seasons
1) Use thin shades for weeknights: On the mornings you need to wake up early let the light shine in. Your body will gradually adjust to lighter and lighter sleep rather than waking in pitch black with the body certain it is still nighttime. In deep winter if you need to wake before the sun turn on a light in the bedroom after you wake to help revive you before getting out of bed.
2) Go to be early enough that you wake before your alarm: Waking naturally is a safe way to guarantee you are getting enough sleep. If you have the capacity not to set an alarm sleep in to get rested and slowly begin going to be earlier every night so you wake naturally at the time you desire.
3) Experience dusk and dawn: If you are inside at dusk or unaware of it because of bright lights it makes it harder to physically feel the movement towards evening. I like to wait until it is nearly dark outside and then shut all the shades in the house. It tells the body that a certain point in the evening has arrived. I keep lights low in the house after dinner and avoid full lights on in the bedroom at night.
4) Follow the moon: It doesn’t take much time to know if the moon is waxing or waning, but it can reveal a lot about the body. A healthy menstrual cycle will be near ovulation at the full moon and near bleeding at the new moon. If you are off cycle spending time outside will usually redirect you in a few months. Same thing for the sleep cycle, letting the body revel in the deep darkness of the new moon may be a very necessary time for rest. Staying up late and taking advantage of the full moon energy might be more productive than tossing and turning.
5) Trust the message of the season: We have so little education about trusting the body. Everything in western medicine is about using machines to tell us what is happening in the body. The seasons reveal so much about what our body wants and how in line with the natural world we are. If you are feeling more of a desire to hole up and sleep in these last few weeks something is wrong. If you couldn’t find deep rest during the winter months than you may be a little overtired as we head into the brilliance of spring. Though it may be annoying, there is nothing wrong with waking earlier and earlier this time of year. The body wants to take advantage of all this light!
Image credit: foxaon / 123RF Stock Photo