A Ceremony: Invitation to Hypnos For this ceremony, dinner must be consumed and tidied up by nightfall. Advance preparations: iced tea made from chamomile and lemon teabags (caffeine-free of course). Clean sheets on the bed are also a good idea. Turn off all lights except for the lowest-wattage lamp in each essential room (including bathroom). Have a glass of the iced tea; sip slowly. Turn down bed, fluff pillows. If you have essential oil of lavender or balsam fir, put one drop in the lower right corner of your pillow. Place glass of water near bed. The god of sleep will like these smells, and if he's thirsty he won't have to rouse you for a sip of water. If weather allows, walk outside: make a circuit, counter-clockwise, around your house. Walk at whatever pace you choose but keep your eyes focused on the middle distance. You are unwinding your day, smoothing out its kinks and bumps. If you cannot get outside, position yourself in a central location inside your house, sit down, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing for ten minutes or so. Come back inside and turn off all the lights except bathroom and bedroom. Do your evening ablutions (brush, floss, wash face, etc.), and add something extra: a nice treatment for your skin, a simple trimming or filing of fingernails/toenails, braiding your hair, misting your shoulders with some calming toner. Do whatever stretches or prayers you are accustomed to or think you should do in order to tend to your body and soul. Get into bed. If you have a sleep-aid CD (I like this one: http://www.healthjourneys.com/Product_Detail.aspx?on=1&id=13&mcid=4&catid= ), listen to it. If not, just close your eyes for a while. When you are relaxed, turn off the last light. Sleep well!

My problem is that I'm the world's lightest sleeper and have always been this way. I do not go into a sound deep sleep until 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. When I was a baby I stayed awake all night and slept most the day. Of course it is all much worse with pre-menopausal symptoms. Since I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia I have read this is a common side effect (lack of deep sleep). When the stingy Insurance Company will allow I take Lunesta. I have to say my life is so greatly improved when I take that sleep aid I cannot begin to tell you. The best part is how much better my concentration and memory is with proper rest. The rest of the time (living without lunesta) I'm pretty much walking around in a mentally disabled daze. I have tried other sleep aids and do not like the ones that feel like drugs, hate Ambien and it's addictive but I do like lunesta because it feels more natural and I have no side effects. Plus, I wake up in the morning ready to go just like a regular person. My insurance company would approve addictive Ambien in a heartbeat but not Lunesta without making the doctor's office spend days on the paperwork...go figure!

Glad to see you back

Hoovb: I'm a fan of your blog and love all the pics & info. you gave about roses & your gorgeous garden. I recently learned of the dangers of ROUND-UP in our foods, esp. Cheerios at 1,125.3 ppm compared to Trix cereal at 9.9 ppm glyphosate residue. The levels in tap water is alarming high, esp. in California. Round-up weed-killer messes up with one's sleep & UP the risk of many cancers. I was plagued with insomnia for decades, until I cut out cereal & soy-milk before bed-time. See below link in Houzz for data of Round-Up residue in many common foods: [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/worthy-roses-2018-and-favorite-products-and-health-and-glyphosate-round-up-dsvw-vd~5197301?n=107[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/worthy-roses-2018-and-favorite-products-and-health-and-glyphosate-round-up-dsvw-vd~5197301?n=107)