Our Healthy Brain in Sleep or Meditation

To Dream is Everything! Our Healthy Brain in Sleep or Meditation

Night REM dreaming and guided mediation nourish a healthy brain. This is of major importance to living a full, happy life! Our well being thrives on a good 7 hrs stretch of sleep at night, not daytime cat naps. Sleep is so major to our health that WHO, the World Health Organization wants to declare night jobs as a probable cancer causing lifestyle. Our bodies have followed the cycles of the Sun and Moon far longer than any decree of a ‘work day’, ‘night shifts’, or late night TV.

First of all, Michael Finkel in the Aug issue 2018 of National Geographic says that our Healthy Brain at night, processes through all our daytime activities, and decides which to keep in our long term memory, and which to forget. He goes on to say that if involved in any trauma, it’s best to not go to sleep right away, but instead let our bodies process the experience and mindfully calm down. Meditation also bypasses the body as we turn inward to relax in slower brain Theta frequencies, ideal for visualization. Like meditation, sleep quickly sends our bodies into a paralysis state, with our pineal gland sending natural melatonin throughout our system. We remember and make sense of new tasks, emotions, and reactions of the day. The night brain and meditative mind, make connections we never thought of during the day.

Furthermore, we quickly drop into even deeper levels of sleep and mind frequencies, that rest the brain functions in an ancient act of self preservation. The healthy brain literally slows down, to keep it from burning out. Brain cells need a recuperation time to keep the rest of the body functioning.

In addition, researchers are finding that sleep may be more important than food. Deactivated cells are scrubbed clean of excess, while keeping the immune system, temperature, and heart stable. This healthy brain lifestyle keeps our moods high and immune system working to peak capacity while awake. It’s as necessary as breathing. We feel Theta meditation waves when we do routine activities, like driving the car, brushing teeth, or taking a shower, where we disengage mentally and enter a creative, flowing, uplifting peaceful state of mind. This state brings all into balance.

But to get to the best place of all, the REM Dreaming level, I had to turn off the blue artificial lights! Try it tonight. On your phone or ipad, at settings, go to display, and turn on the night time warmer lights. This made a major difference for me. I turned the television off at 9 pm and instead of ipad gazing, I read a favorite book instead. Reading is the best night time therapy for a healthy brain, healthy body. LEDs are blue light killers. Switch them out when possible or use some regular bulb lamps at night. Experiment and see what creative activities can shift the night for you.

Most of all, enter the REM Dreaming state every night! The deepest stage of all, when the eyes are moving beneath closed lids and we experience another world filled with flying, falling, and action packed activities, consolidates everything. Dreaming is like the most freeing psychotic state where everything is surreal and yet feels absolutely normal. In a good nights sleep, REM accounts for about 2 hrs of sleep, nourishing the healthy brain. Long term memories are put in place, experiences are processed and connected to make sense, and something deeper and healing restores our brain functions.

I feel this in guided meditations, shaman journeys, and states of hypnosis. I’ve relived experiences that are so real, with detailed memories, and full of emotional charge, that weren’t of this lifetime. I was wakeful but relaxed, relieving stress and releasing pain, putting life in perspective, with all imaging ‘from within’. Being at peace with oneself makes for a very Healthy Brain every day.

National Geographic Magazine, Aug 2018, has a wonderful account of the Science of Sleep, written by Michael Finkel, at your newstand. More effects of meditation on brain waves can be found here.