A Witches Guide to Beating Insomnia
We all know that feeling, when you realise you’ve been trying to fall asleep for longer than the time you have left to sleep. Or when you check the clock and quickly calculate that if you fall asleep right now, you’ll have exactly 3hrs, 21 minutes and 17 seconds of sleep before you must wake up.
Insomnia affects us all at one point or another in our lives. Sometimes it’s a short-term issue, often due to anxiety, stress, or medication but there are some people who have long-term or chronic insomnia that can last for a month or more.
In this post, we will cover a myriad of tips for beating your insomnia. This guide will cover herbs, spells, crystals, sound, meditation and creating a sacred sleep space which are all witchy tips to help you in beating insomnia along with some non witchy tips as well.
What Causes Insomnia?
Short-term insomnia is usually caused by a spike in stress and anxiety, increased caffeine consumption, new medications or even excitement. Just because it is short-term (lasting a couple of days) doesn’t make it any less annoying.
Chronic insomnia is often caused by persistent high stress, anxiety disorder and other mental health concerns, or as a response to traumatic events such as death or illness of a loved one, divorce, job loss and yes, the global pandemic.
How To Beat Insomnia
There are several witchy tips to beating insomnia and I will list them all here for you. Before we get started however, it is crucial that I remind you witchcraft, spirituality and all the advice here does not take the place of medical advice. All these witchy tips are a supplement to standard medical healthcare and I always recommend you consult your doctor alongside any spiritual additions to your life.
Sacred Sleep Space for Insomnia
The first thing to look at is your sleeping space. Are you putting yourself in the right environment to foster good sleep? Some things to be wary of are lights, electronics, temperature, and habits.
Lights & Electronics: We all know that artificial light can impact our circadian rhythm, even more so if it is blue light often found in our phones, computer screens and TV screens. You can combat this by wearing blue light filtering glasses or abstaining from screens after 8 or 9pm. If you’re really struggling with sleep, I’d suggest going a couple of days without using electrical lights at all and trying to sleep with the sunrise/sunset if possible. The best sleeps I ever had were when I lived in the Amazon jungle of Peru with no electricity (and I’m a Virgo with anxiety!).
Secondly, the Electro Magnetic Frequency (EMF) of electrical items can tamper with your sleep patterns. Especially bad for this are WiFi routers, power lines, cell phones, and phone towers but all electricity emits EMFs. Some people are sensitive to EMFs and they can build up over time causing issues alongside insomnia too so try to keep all of these items out of the bedroom, or at the very least not right next to your bed. Focusing on grounding yourself is great for relief for a build up of EMFs as well as taking magnesium salt baths. See the crystals section for some suggestions that will block EMFs too.
Temperature: We often think we want the room warmer than we need it for comfortable sleeping, but when we want an ideal sleeping environment, we need it a bit cooler! According to the sleep foundation, the best bedroom temperature for a comfortable sleep is approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius) so don’t be afraid to peel off a layer of clothes or reduce the thermostat to see if it helps.
Habits: We are creatures of habit and giving yourself a bedtime routine is one of the best things you can do for your sleep. Start by choosing an achievable bedtime, and ensure you are in bed at that time with lights out, every night (yes, even on weekends). Next try setting a wake time that is the same everyday too. Have a routine such as shower, cup of tea, read and bed, and this will help your body know the cues for sleep time.
Sacred space: Lastly, we need to remember that this is the witches guide to beating insomnia, and so far, we’ve covered the mundane muggle tips! Make your bedroom the ideal sleep environment by treating it sacredly. Have you cleansed the space recently? Also, don’t underestimate the power of a good energy shield (learn how to shield here), removing mirrors, upping the vibrations, and looking at the Feng Shui of your space.
Crystals for Insomnia
Whenever someone comes to me with sleep issues the first things, I suggest is Lepidolite. This beautiful purple stone is one that will hold you in an ocean of calm. It is super gentle and has a permanent home in my own pillowcase.
If your reason for insomnia is anxiety based, then Howlite is the crystal for you. I recommend getting this in a spherical tumbled stone to increase the even and gentle vibes that this stone gives off. It’s especially great for those with Virgo and Gemini placements in their chart.
To reduce the effects of EMF’s you’ll want any of these crystals either worn on you, put next to your bed or placed between you and the offending item in question; black tourmaline, hematite, fluorite, snowflake obsidian, pyrite, magnetite, shungite or black moonstone. Reminder that magnetite, hematite and pyrite need to steer clear of your laptop!
Sometimes it is a more sinister reason for not sleeping, and that might be due to nightmares, sleep paralysis or in rare cases, hauntings. If there is an entity in your space absolutely find a professional to help you work through this. If you’re experiencing sleep paralysis or nightmares you can include a chunk of black obsidian by your bedside table and grid your space with black tourmaline (place a small stone in each corner of the room). For more help with these specific issues, you can watch my youtube video here.
Herbs for Insomnia
A reminder that these suggestions need to be run past your doctor or pharmacist as herbs can have very drastic effect on medications and some medical conditions.
Herbs can be used as an infusion (tea) just before bed as part of your wind down routine, or you can utilise the essential oil topically or in a diffuser. Some people are sensitive to herbs taken internally, so instead you can use these sleep herbs in a sleep jar or charm bag or even place some in a bowl to charge up a calming crystal with their energy. When working with herbs magically you need to remember to connect in with the plant spirit to activate it before use.
Lavender is great to sprinkle inside your pillowcase, spray the room, rub the essential oil on your feet or even drink it as a tea (it goes beautifully with rose petals).
Chamomile is extremely calming for your mind and is excellent for calming the nervous system. If you feel anxious, this is the one for you! Best drunk as a tea infusion and sweetened with some maple syrup or used as an ingredient in a jar or charm bag.
If the lavender and chamomile don’t help, then up your game to Valerian. Valerian root is a stinky herb that smells like feet but I promise it doesn’t taste like them. Cats are also drawn to the smell of this herb, and you may need to keep it away up high where they can’t reach it. My cat actually prefers valerian to catnip! This is a strong plant and one that I suggest you approach with caution. Start with a single teaspoon infusion, and make sure to let it steep for 10-15 minutes, covered to keep the precious oils inside. Some people report strange dreams or even experience lucid dreaming when using Valerian. You can also buy this in pill form at the pharmacy if the smell is too much for you. It tastes slightly minty and very earthy.
Meditation for Insomnia
Meditation is excellent for clearing the mind, refreshing the body, and calming the spirit. An ideal practice is to meditate 3-7 times a week, for 20 minutes. Some people like to meditate first thing in the morning, which is essentially impossible if you’re a parent of little ones which is why my time of choice is about 30 minutes before bed. It’s a great way to disconnect from your day, reading for a night of rest. If you’re not sure how to meditate, you can watch my YouTube tutorial here!
Visualisations for Insomnia
I’m yet to make a YouTube video for this, but when I do I will update this blog post because this is hands down my go to method for beating insomnia and it’s really hard to bring it across with words on a page. I call this my crystal castles visualisation. You want to pick your favourite crystal that you’re drawn to in the moment and imagine that it is HUGE and either carved into a castle, a house or really go wild with your imagination as to how it is somehow habitable. I’ve had mountainous caves filled with amethyst geode crystals and the entrance looked fresh out of the mines of Moria in Lord of the Rings and I’ve had clear quartz castles that were more akin to Elsa’s castle on the top of the north mountain but with crystal clear walls and ceilings. My favourite though is my lepidolite castle. It’s set in a flat clearing, with some shrubs nearby and always happens to be dusk when I imagine myself approaching it. The castle itself is less like a castle and looks more like I’ve magnified my tumbled stone and plonked it in a landscape with a door. The door is round like a hobbit door, and wooden with a tumbled lepidolite stone for a handle. I want you to get really carried away with this visualisation and imagine all the details.
Now you knock, and the door is opened. I tend to see an old man welcoming me inside saying he’s been expecting me. The glow from inside is warm and yellow and the air smells like butter. You can imagine any scent or feel to the space that fits with the crystal and follow your intuition here. Remember to tune into the fact that you are surrounded by this crystal energy.
Ahead are 3 hallways. One leads straight forward; one leads up and one leads down. Pick which ever feels right and start walking. The hallway will have many doors and behind each one is a different room. Some have princess style four poster beds with 20 mattresses and others have beds made from clouds, there are hammocks, moss mounds and the limit here is only as far as your imagination can take you. Try as little or as many doors as you need to and when you see the one that feels right, go in and imagine settling yourself in for the night to go to sleep whilst the energy pulses in waves from the crystal over your body. Usually by this point I’m asleep, this is SUCH a powerful visualisation and I’m excited to hear how it goes.
Sound for Insomnia
We’ve all heard about sound healing and these days we can simply search for exactly what we need on YouTube. My witchy tip for beating insomnia with sound is to firstly cleanse your space with bells, gongs or a crystal singing bowl followed by putting on some Delta or Theta waves and listening to them binaurally if possible. The Delta waves are slow and deeply penetrating. They suspend external awareness and put you into a deep dreamless sleep. The Theta waves are associated with lowered anxiety and the REM sleep that we all need to achieve each night.
Spells for Insomnia
The last witchy tip for beating insomnia is to utilise all of the above in your spells. Here are two examples of spells you can use.
Candle magic;
If you’re creating a candle spell to enhance your chance of restful sleep, you’ll want a blue or purple chime candle which you can dress in coconut and lavender oil, followed by rolling it in some chamomile flowers. Grid around the candle with clear quartz and lepidolite and say
“Lavender purple, chamomile white, give me a restful sleep tonight, set my fears and worries at bay and let sleep take my troubles away.”
Burn your candle all the way down and ideally complete this spell on a Friday or a new moon.
Spell Jar;
I love spell jars or charm bags for sleep magic because you want to contain the spell so that it is active for a long period of time, and can be carried with you. You may place it by your bedside or under the bed and if you go away for a night you can take it with you! When it needs re-energising simply shake it or place it on your altar for a day.
Use any of the above crystals, herbs, petition paper and stick to colours of purple, blue and white. I like to pop some black salt in there too as a protection during the astral realm and to stave off nightmares.
You can always see my video tutorial on how to make a spell jar here.
I really hope these tips help you get the rest you need! If something still feels off for you, try one of my chakra check-up services to see what else may be affecting you right now.
Brightest Blessings,
Hana the Suburban Witch
Resources used for this blog post;
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/light-and-sleep
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/best-temperature-for-sleep
Meet Hana
Hana O’Neill, the Suburban Witch is a professional Tarot & Astrology reader, Intuitive Coach and the host of the Witch Talks podcast.
