This about wraps up the series on sleep, though I did want to answer a final question. A reader asks, “Should I eat any carbs or protein at night? Can I eat before bedtime at all?”

This is a kind of a complicated question. If you eat a lot of food, it increases insulin, which can block growth hormone surges. This increases body metabolism, which can make it hard to sleep. Too much protein too close to bedtime can also raise heat production.On the other hand, if your diet is mostly low in carbs and high in protein, a bit of starchy carbs or even a piece of fruit at night can be extremely helpful for pushing tryptophan consumed during the day across the blood-brain barrier, inducing a good state for sleep by making some nice serotonin. Allowing a few hours between your last meal and bedtime is a good rule of thumb… but again, your mileage may vary. But it’s something to experiment with!

This wraps up our blog series on sleep! If you are interested in exploring this further, I am offering an e-course where we’ll make sleepytime tea! Various herbs will be mailed to you, labeled only by number. Then, we’ll experience the herbs together–smelling and tasting them, and then figuring out who they are during a teleseminar on Sunday, March 14th at 2:00pm CST. (The recording will be made available if the date or time doesn’t work.) You’ll also get information on the plants sent directly to your inbox. Check out the e-course page for details.

I wish you sweet dreams and many long nights of restful, replenishing sleep.

Welcome back! Before hopping into information on meditations for sleep, I wanted to let you know about some very special offerings. For those in town, I will be offering a sleep workshop on Saturday from 10-11:30 at the Center for Healing Arts. We will discuss the plants more in depth, and make some sleepy time tea! The course is $25, including ingredients, and you must preregister to reserve your spot.

For those out of town, I will be offering an online version of the course, which will include a sleepytime tea kit sent directly to you and a tele-conference to discuss the herbal properties of the plants.Normally these workshops go for the low price of $36, including materials, shipping and handling. However, I will be offering a special deal to mailing list subscribers this weekend–so sign up now if you haven’t already!

This is the second-to-last installment in the sleep blog series. Next time, we’ll wrap up with a question and answer session. Please post or e-mail any questions you haven’t sent already by tonight so that I can dig into them tomorrow. One reader question was asking for recommendations for meditations at bedtime. A nice relaxing meditation can really help set the mood for a good night of restful sleep. Here are a few that I like.

Divine Dreaming Meditation Kit

Goddess Leonie always does such beautiful work. I very much recommend her products. The Dreaming Time meditation is a 21-minute long MP3 with Goddess Leonie’s soothing voice, chimes, a singing bowl and Native American-style flute. There’s an extended meditation of equal length included, along with a mini-Goddess Guide to Sweet Slumber e-book. Leonie’s books are always gorgeous–hand-written and illustrated. $24.95

Bedtime Stories

This CD is absolutely gorgeous. A beautiful collection of bedtime stories read by Clarissa Pinkola Estes herself.  In addition to original tellings of Sleeping Beauty, the Mouse and the Lion and other stories, Estes also discusses archetypal figures like Sandman and Mother Night. She touches on renewal, enchantment and transformation in this collection. $10.85 + shipping

The Good Night Sleep Kit

This kit comes with a sleep booklet that touches a bit on Ayurveda, helping you learn what sleep remedies are specific toFound yourself counting sheep lately? Well, with the Good Night Sleep kit from Hay House, you can send them back to the pasture. This turquoise-hued treasure box was designed to help those with insomnia as well as those simply wishing to sleep more deeply and feel your body type. It also includes a dream journal, essential oils and a meditation CD. The cards are beautiful and informative, and I liked the dream journal and booklet. I did not find the CD sleep-inducing, however, and the unlabeled oils were stuck everywhere.  So consider this a provisional recommendation. $19.96 + shipping.

Again, please send any sleep-related questions by tonight, or post them in the comments. I’ll be wrapping the series up with just one last post tomorrow.

Sometimes, all you need is an essential oil to help create a calming environment for sleep. Whether you are adding a few drops to your bath, rubbing it on your body in a carrier oil or adding a few drops to an aroma lamp, here are my top five favorite scents for insomnia.

Lavender. One of the more popular essential oils on the market, lavender was recommended by St. Hildegard of Bingen for “maintaining a pure character.” The scent is floral, soothing and pleasant. Lavender is a go-to scent for stress, fear, irritability, depression and anxiety because it is so calming and refreshing. It can also help headaches, burns and even stings. Because it stimulates white blood cell formation, it works well for colds as well.

Neroli Orange. Neroil is the oil from sweet orange blossoms. It is a very good scent for those who don’t care for the flowery scent of lavender. Although it is useful for similar conditions, neroli is particularly stabilizing for those who are tense, exhausted and anxious.

Sandalwood. This scent is often used in colognes and men’s deodorant because it is so warm and spicy. (Interestingly, light concentrations of adrosterone–the chemical released in men’s underarm sweat–smells similar to sandalwood). Yogis describe sandalwood as a center of insight and enlightenment, but it is also very grounding. Warm and woody, sandalwood is great for aggression, irritation and isolation caused by a busy and hectic lifestyle… or insomnia that shares those overtones.

Rose. This precious plant was first distilled by Arabian physician Avicenna during the Middle Ages, and was used during Renaissance times for stress relief. Although it’s often used as an aphrodisiac, rose is stabilizing for anxiety and grief and therefore a good sleep aid. Calming and balancing, rose is great for everything from mood swings to overcoming grief. Although the oil is quite expensive (with many artificial scents abounding), aromatherapy spritzes and rose oils are available. To learn more about this plant, Kiva Rose has an awesome monograph.

Chamomile. This calming scent is very good for children who wake up throughout the night, often due to nightmares, or for those of any age who sleep but not restfully. It is safe to use during pregnancy, provided that it is sourced properly (organic, 100% pure essential oil).  Sweet, fresh and gentle, chamomile is great for tension relief.

I was lucky enough to be featured on the 6:00 news on Friday–check it out!