If you’re having trouble sleeping, then you’re not alone. According to Consumer Reports, 68% of American’s have trouble falling asleep at least once a week. You’re probably aware of the importance of sleep, but what you might not know is that your chakras, or energetic system in your body, is directly affecting your sleep.
There’s a lot to be said about chakras, and it’s too complex of a topic to be described in detail in one simple article. So if you’re new to the concept of chakras, read up on what the heck they are anyway, here.)
In today’s article I’m going to delve into how the ‘lower triangle’ chakras affect your sleep habits. The ‘lower triangle’ refers to the lower three chakras located at the base of your spine, your pelvis, and your navel, respectively. These lower three chakras are the most important chakras to bring back to balance in order to create harmony within the entire system. This isn’t because the upper chakras aren’t important, but more so because if your lower 3 triangles are out of balance, you won’t be able to harmonize the upper chakras. Think about it like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you need to cover your bases, such as food, water, and shelter, before you can care about anything else. If you don’t feel safe or have shelter in a rainstorm, the last thing on your mind would be ‘speaking your truth’ (throat chakra) or opening your third eye center. Once you create harmony in the lower three chakras, the upper chakras will be easier to balance, but not until your basic needs are met.
So, what do chakras have to do with sleep? Well, an imbalance in one chakra will have many negative effects on your body and mind, which could result in poor, restless sleep, or even insomnia.
- First Chakra
The first chakra is called the Muladhara chakra, and corresponds directly to one’s material possessions, sense of security, and their level of safety. When we feel unsafe, or our basic needs are not taken care of, the first chakra can get out of balance.
It’s important to feel safe when trying to sleep. Maybe you’ve experienced getting into bed and seeing a huge spider on the ceiling, whereafter you couldn’t sleep without first ensuring your safety from the spider. Or maybe you’ve experienced someone trying to break into your house, and now every little noise you hear brings you back to the traumatic experience. While there are certain safety measures you can take to reduce the trauma, such as investing in a security system or a watch dog, it’s also important to tap into the root cause of what’s causing the emotion so you can tackle the problem head first.
Easier said than done, as many victims of PTSD will tell you, but there are certain measures you can take to feel safer. Like I mentioned above, taking physical measures such as investing in a security system or a watch dog will help you feel more at ease. On a mental level, you can repeat a mantra such as “I am safe”, anytime you feel yourself slipping into feelings of fear. Next time you’re falling asleep and feel afraid, take a measure to check off your ‘safety list’ – which might mean walking around the house to make sure doors are locked, spiders are gone, and you feel protected before falling into bed.
2. Second Chakra
The second chakra is called the Swadhisthana chakra, and corresponds to one’s emotions, creativity, and sexuality/sensuality. When this chakra is blocked, one may feel lost, a lack of creativity, or an imbalance in their sexuality. This can result in feelings of anxiety or a ‘restless mind’, causing one to toss and turn all night. You’ll know you are out of balance in your second chakra when you stay up late at night dwelling in the past, mind full of disharmony, thinking about things you ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve’ done. Some would describe this feeling as “FOMO”. This is all related to the second chakra, and is where a large majority of people will often stay stuck. Using a mantra, such as “I am confident that what I offer the world is enough” can be helpful to recite when feeling anxious emotions. Another helpful tool is to schedule “worry time”, and take time to write down what is bothering you without trying to change anything. Keep a journal by your bedside so if you find yourself tossing and turning you can take a few minutes to get your restless thoughts out onto paper. Last, check out another article specifically on how to balance the second chakra, here.
3. Third Chakra
Finally, the third chakra is called the Manipura chakra, and corresponds to your ‘inner fire’. When this chakra is in balance, one will feel confident, purposeful, and they’ll have a ‘drive’ for life. When this chakra is out of balance, one might feel useless, purposeless, and have that feeling like ‘why get out of bed?’. When it comes to sleep, this can affect you in a couple different ways. You might end up oversleeping, but waking up still feeling drained and with no drive to get out of bed. On the flip side, you could experience being overly exhausted, but still unable to fall asleep at night.
There are a few different techniques one can take if this sounds like you. If you feel exhausted but unable to fall asleep, I recommend a relaxation breathing technique called “Anulom Vilom” which you can learn, here.
All in all, it’s important to create a sense of safety and security, allow yourself to express your emotions, and calm the mind and body using various techniques.