Sleep is the ultimate act of self-love. When we push sleep away, we push good health away. Many people are chronically sleep deprived, losing an average of an hour of sleep each night. By the time they reach the age of 30, they will have missed out on thousands of hours of sleep. When we don't get enough sleep, we become more likely to gain weight or catch a cold, and our risk factor for illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes grows. The good news is that the detrimental effects of accumulated sleep debt can be recovered when we relearn how to embrace restful sleep.

Sleep is also a connection with the divine: it's not only a physical event, but a spiritual one. Throughout history, humans have created sacred spaces to connect with the divine. My newest release, Elixir of Sleep: Practical Solutions for a Good Night's Rest, explores the sacred aspects of sleep. It offers 64 somatic, imaginative, playful practices to help you manifest a soulful night of rejuvenating rest.

Here are three tips you won't find in the average sleep book.

Tip #1: Create a sacred sleep altar.
The ritual of altar-creation is a wonderful way of setting an intention around your sleep and dream life. What would you love to experience tonight—blissful sleep with healing dreams? The pre-bed time is an excellent moment to set a powerful intention to welcome your ideal night of sleep.

Gather anything linked to your night of sleep that makes you feel serene, powerful, and protected. Some people choose a statuette of a deity, or a treasure chest, colorful crystals, or those little cushions filled with lavender or other soothing herbs. Arrange your objects in any way you like, preferably in your bedroom so you can see your altar before you sleep and when you wake up.

The sacred sleep altar is best seen as energy in motion rather than a fixed entity: any element can be added or removed at any time. If you dream of a parrot, add a sketch or a toy figure to your altar. Or just write the word "parrot." If you have a bad night's sleep, add lavender to your altar the next evening, while setting the intention for a deep and restful sleep. Bring in things you find in nature—a feather for mobile air energy, moss for earth and grounding, or a shell for ocean power.

Connect with your altar before bed. Now's a good time to set an intention for your night of sleep. Consider what you would love to experience: pure, blissful rest; adventurous dreams; or an encounter with a wise guide. There's no need to set an intention; this can also simply be a moment of mindful calm before you settle into bed.

Tip #2: Imagine sleep as a gorgeous animal.
Try this imaginative practice from Elixir of Sleep to explore the unique energy and personality of your sleep.

As you lie in bed in the darkness, think of sleep as a gorgeous animal. Which animal do you most admire? Perhaps a wild, shaggy-maned lion; a wild dolphin; a jewel-eyed sloth bear; or a rainbow chameleon. See your chosen animal clearly in your mind's eye.

Now imagine that amazing creature's habitat shrinking, forcing them to exist in a restricted way, cutting off their potential. How can you help this magical creature to regain their rightful space? Using your hands, make a gesture to enlarge their habitat—for example, start with your palms together and then extend your arms outward. See your creature's habitat grow large and expansive, filled with things they love. The lion roars with joy, the chameleon's colurs glow with happiness.

Make a promise to continue to create space in your life for sleep. With your hands on your heart, send your sleep animal love and feel that love radiate back from them to you. By fulfilling your side of the bargain and creating space for sleep in your life, you are nourishing your body, mind, and soul.

Tip #3: Take a candlelit bath with the vibration of OM
When we begin to welcome sleep into our lives, we simultaneously welcome many other self-care practices. One of my favorites is the candlelit bath ritual. This is a way of cherishing ourselves as we prepare for our healing journey into sleep.

A pre-bed bath is also a science-supported practice for promoting sleep. When we take a warm bath or shower, all the blood goes to the surface of our skin. Once we get out, all that extra heat leaves, so our core body temperature drops, helping our brain and body to fall asleep and stay asleep. When healthy adults have a warm bath before bed, their sleep quality improves and a 10-15% increase in deep, restorative sleep is experienced.

In Elixir of Sleep, I share a wonderful practice that will elevate your bathtime ritual to a cosmic level by bringing the universal sound vibration of OM into your bathtub. If you have no bathtub, you could try it in the shower, or even in a swimming pool. If you have mobility issues, a lovely variation of this practice is to sit comfortably in bed and gently close your ears with your fingers while you chant OM. This amplifies the sound inside your head, giving a similar effect to chanting OM underwater.

Run yourself a warm bath. As it fills, remind yourself of the science of sound healing. The human body is around 60% water. When we create sound vibrations in the bath, we create strong, harmonious resonances that affect our body, cells, and brainwaves. This helps us to harmonize our energy and heal. It's also wonderfully relaxing. Once you're in, sink down in the bath a little so that you're as close to the water level as possible without it flowing into your mouth. If you feel self-conscious, remind yourself that it doesn't matter what you sound like—the humming vibration is what counts here.

Inhale deeply, then open your mouth and sing "OM" as you exhale. Continue with this omming breathwork for as long as feels right. Sometimes a single minute is enough, and sometimes five or ten minutes of omming feels amazing. Listen to your inner sounds. This can take you into a profound meditative state: the perfect way to wind down before a night of radiant rest.

Elixir of Sleep has over sixty other practices to help you and your loved ones to invite deep sleep and joyful dream adventures. It also has a comprehensive Sleep Quiz to help you figure out your sleeper-dreamer type, and to fast-track you to the most helpful practices for you personally. When we take time to create a beautiful relationship with sleep, we make the most of the third of our life we spend slumbering between the bedsheets.

We regain a bright mind and a healthy body. We develop deeper intuition and engage in profound self-care. We open our hearts to the spiritual flow of life.

Let's dive under the covers with a happy heart, and wake up energized!