This is a story about your secret sleepy time superpowers.
You may not even know it,
You have superpowers while you sleep.
Have you ever tried to fall asleep but could not,
No matter how hard you tried?
Maybe you felt too excited about the day or maybe you just felt like moving around.
That's okay,
Everyone has difficulty getting to sleep sometimes.
This story will help you learn ways to get set for sleep and learn about the superpowers you have while you are asleep.
Now before I talk about your sleepy time superpowers and getting ready for sleep,
Let's get comfy.
Lay down in your bed,
On your back,
If that makes you feel comfortable right now.
Relax.
Think about making your body comfortable.
If you need to,
Wiggle around a little bit so you're relaxed and cozy.
Snuggle up to your soft blanket or a cuddly stuffed toy if you have one.
Gently close your eyes.
You are safe here.
Now notice your breathing.
Slowly breathing in and out,
Calmly.
Slow deep breaths in.
Long slow breaths out.
Softly place your hand on your tummy,
Breathing.
Notice how your tummy goes up slightly when you breathe in and down gently when you breathe out.
Thinking about your breathing helps you to relax.
It helps tell your body and brain to get ready for sleep.
As you breathe,
You may notice your body feeling heavier.
Your head feeling heavier as it sinks into the pillow.
Your back feeling heavier as it sinks into the bed under you.
Your arms and legs also feeling heavier.
And you are now feeling calm and relaxed.
Continue noticing your breathing.
Good.
As you do this,
You are gently activating your sleepy time superpowers as you relax more and more with each and every breath.
You are safe here.
Eyes closed as you get ready for your sleepy time superpowers.
Your first sleepy time superpower actually could begin before you are laying down.
What you do before bedtime makes a difference in how ready you are for sleep.
Your first superpower is called sleep hygiene.
Hygiene is a big word for being healthy and clean.
In the same way that you may wash your hands and brush your teeth before bedtime,
You can have sleepy time hygiene,
A secret superpower in the time before bed.
Staying away from screen time,
Away from watching computers,
Phones,
And television increase your superpowers for sleep.
Those screens are bright lights and they send a signal to your brain to stay awake.
So you do not want these signals right before bedtime.
You also do not want to eat too much before bedtime,
Especially a huge meal and desserts or other sweet treats as our superpowers are not as powerful on a full tummy.
Going to bed at the same time each night also helps your sleepy time superpowers.
They'll be ready at the same time each night.
We don't want to keep our superpowers waiting too long by staying up too late.
As you prepare for bedtime,
You can activate your secret sleepy time superpowers using your imagination to think about your breathing,
To think about being calm and relaxing,
Slowing down before sleep.
These superpowers shift your body and mind into a lower gear,
Relaxing your body,
Calming your mind on your way to a deep and restful sleep.
Most of what happens when we are sound asleep,
We will not actually remember.
We might be lucky enough to remember some of our dreams,
Especially the fun dreams.
Some people are able to make their dreams even more fun by thinking nice things before and during sleep.
Try it.
Dreams are not real,
But they may seem real while you are asleep.
With practice you will know this while you are sleeping.
It's a superpower that takes practice,
And in time you too might make all of your dreams really fun.
Next time you are near the ocean in your dream,
See if you can swim with the dolphins.
Next time you are exploring space in your dream,
Become an astronaut on a spacewalk.
And when you dream about animals,
Imagine any playful pet you want.
With your dream superpowers you can ride dinosaurs,
And fly with eagles,
And have a long talk with your pet dog,
Cat,
Or rabbit.
You can do anything while you sleep.
Making up dreams is only one way your body is busy at work while you sleep.
You have so many more superpowers.
While you sleep,
Your brain is actively thinking all about the day you just had.
It's almost like your brain is playing a movie about the day all over again.
And it will keep those memories for later whenever you want to think about the fun you had today.
As you sleep,
If there was something you couldn't figure out today,
Your brain may even come up with an answer that will suddenly pop into your mind sometime the next day.
Your brain does not rest during sleep.
It is busy while you sleep.
Its superpowers are solving puzzles while you rest,
Coming up with answers to your daytime questions,
And solutions to any daytime problems.
Your brain's superpowers do this even while you are sound asleep.
The rest of your body is also putting into action its secret superpowers,
Turning the good foods you've been eating today into larger bones and teeth as you grow,
And into stronger muscles too.
While you sleep,
Your superpowers are stopping any germs it may find,
So you will not get sick,
And fixing any bumps and bruises that may have happened,
Healing anywhere you need healing.
Have you ever noticed that sleep seems so short,
As if you only close your eyes and then it is morning already?
You may think about this now,
If you're still wanting to stay awake,
Or wanting to continue with some of the things you were doing today.
You may still do some of those things again tomorrow,
And tomorrow comes quickly it seems,
Almost as soon as you fall asleep.
The more quickly you fall asleep,
The more quickly the next day will seem to arrive.
So allowing yourself a refreshing deep sleep is the fast way to get to all of those exciting things you hope to do tomorrow.
Once you are laying in bed,
Body feeling heavier and relaxing,
Cozy and comfy,
Noticing your breathing,
Your sleepy time superpowers get to work as you rest.
Your sleepy time superpowers are getting you set for the next day,
Secretly supercharging your body for tomorrow,
Secretly preparing you to be in a good mood,
To be happy and thankful for another terrific day.
You are your own body's superhero.
You may slip into deep sleep easily,
Any time now,
And that is okay.
Your sleepy time superpowers are ready.
So let's slip into sleepy time now.
Eyes are closed,
And you are breathing slowly and calmly.
You are comfortable,
Cozy,
Ready,
Letting go of the day.
It is time now for pleasant and sweet,
Restful dreams.
Sleep well,
My friend.
