For many people, falling asleep — and staying asleep — isn’t easy.

When I have an excitement-filled day, I may be happily awake after my bedtime… but I still need a good eight hours’ sleep to wake refreshed.

I’ve tried medications — over-the-counter and Rx — as well as herbs and other food supplements such as calcium citrate.  Warm milk doesn’t help, either.

Then I tried binaural audios.  They’re recordings with binaural beats in them, usually behind music or sounds of nature.  For me, they’ve worked well.

Click to listen to my brief explanation of how binaural audios work

Binaural beats — sounds that create a meditative state — have helped me, but some recordings are better than others.  Here’s a quick summary of the ones I’ve tried:

Evening Reverie by Steven Aitchison

Rating: Evening Reverie was one of the series of downloads I received through Steven Aitchison’s Binaural Heaven program.  At this time, I don’t think you can buy it individually.

Unlike his Deep Sleep recording (reviewed next), this recording seemed generally relaxing, but not consistent.

I tried it a couple of times, and both times I felt anxious.  Those episodes were fleeting, but odd.  Being an innate control freak, I suspect the recording took me too quickly to the Delta level… but I’m not sure.

Others may not have the same experience with this recording.  Personally, the anxiety was so counter-productive when I was trying to fall asleep, I’ve retired that recording from my listening shelf.

Deep Sleep by Steven Aitchison

Rating: Unlike Evening Reverie, reviewed above, Deep Sleep delivered exactly what it promised.  The first time I listened to it, I was asleep in about three minutes.

And, though it was an unusually stressful and sad week for me, I slept soundly and had happy dreams.  I literally woke up smiling and refreshed… after just six hours’ sleep.  (I normally need at least eight hours.)

On a second listening, I was awake for much longer.  However, I felt happily relaxed and just barely awake.

This recording will definitely stay next to my bed, on my listening shelf.

Like Evening Reverie, this recording is only available to subscribers of Binaural Heaven.

Click here to learn more about Binaural Heaven

Sound Sleep by Brain Sync

Rating: Sound Sleep is a Brain Sync product, available for instant download or on CD.

This recording takes you from your normal waking state to the Delta level of sleep, and it does this very smoothly.  This 60 minute recording contains no spoken or subliminal messages, just soothing music and the binaural beats that relax you.

From my experience with this recording, it eases me into sleep gradually.  I can generally listen to it while reading or working on a Sudoku puzzle for five or ten minutes, and then turn out my light for a good night’s sleep.

Though I haven’t been using Steve Aitchison’s Deep Sleep for long enough to make a good comparison, I don’t recall having unusually happy dreams with Brain Sync’s Sound Sleep recording.  They were just normal dreams.

Brain Sync’s Sound Sleep recording works well enough for me to use it regularly, rate it highly, and recommend it to others, especially for anyone who wants the beneficial effects without any added messages hidden behind the music.

Click here to hear a sample or to order Sound Sleep

Deep Sleep by Brain Sync

Rating: Deep Sleep is another 60-minute recording from Brain Sync.  Like Sound Sleep, reviewed above, Brain Sync’s Deep Sleep takes you to the Delta level of relaxation.

However, it has subliminal messages hidden behind the music.  The exact messages are listed on the Deep Sleep webpage.

I’ve had good results with this recording, but not great results as with Steve Aitchison’s Deep Sleep and Brain Sync’s Sound Sleep recordings.

For me, the vocals on Brain Sync’s Deep Sleep may be too distracting.  I tend to hyper-focus on lyrics, and Brain Sync’s Deep Sleep has a vocal track.

The problem is, the voices are singing notes in a way that sound a little like words… but not quite.  I find myself trying to figure out if they’re singing “wahh, wahh,” or “mwah, mwah,” or even “pwahh, pwahh.”

The latter make me laugh because I’m reminded of the chicken noises made by characters in the original Stargate movie.

If I could relax and ignore the sort-of lyrics, I might enjoy this recording more.  And, I’m telling you this entire story so you can judge for yourself if the sort-of lyrics might be an issue.  If you’re like me — in the ADHD, slightly OCD band — they may distract you, too.

However, I expect that most people will listen to the free, sample recording online and wonder what I’m talking about.  They’ll barely hear the vocals.

Even though this isn’t my favorite sleep-inducing audio, I have it on my listening shelf for rare occasions when I want something different to listen to as I drift off to sleep.

Click here to listen to a sample of Deep Sleep, or order the recording

This review could be really short:  If you’ve ever wanted to do something and then didn’t do it… you need The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield.

That’s all I need to say.  Skip the rest of this review and go get a copy of The War of Art.

Here’s why you need it:

I don’t care if you came to a complete halt before you even began the project, this book contains the uncomfortable, bedrock answer to what stopped you.

Writers often talk about mid-book slump.  That’s something that hits any creative project, whether it’s a book, a diet (that infamous “plateau”), a relationship, or finally cleaning out the garage.

And then, near the end of an important project, there’s that deer-in-the-headlights moment.  It might be fear of failure or fear of success, but we suddenly come up with a bazillion reasons not to complete whatever-it-is.  The following are typical:

• The book needs another edit.  And, it’ll take more time & focus than you’ll have for the next week or two. Or three. Or five.
• You’re too busy to keep exercising, or you absolutely have to eat everything in sight during the upcoming holiday/party/Star Trek marathon.  Then you’ll get back to your diet.
• You can’t get rid of the clutter in the garage without asking your parent, spouse, sibling, or your child who moved out and left his discards behind, oh, about ten years ago.

No matter where you’re stuck or why, you need to own a copy of The War of Art.  It needs to be next to your reading chair, or your bed, or whatever physically represents the faltering project.

This is the kind of book you can pick up, open it to any page at all, and see what’s really holding you back… staring you in the face on that page.

It’s one of those very rare books I give five stars to.

Rating:

My very best advice is to go through Steering by Starlight first, to find your authentic goals and dreams.  Then, keep The War of Art next to you at all times, along with your “perfect life” notes from Steering by Starlight.

That’s the combination that totally changed my life for the better.

See larger image The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles (Paperback) By (author) Steven Pressfield List Price: $12.95 USD New From: $7.75 In Stock Used from: $5.77 In Stock

Unstuck, by James S. Gordon really is Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression.

Of course, no one should deal with severe depression on their own.  Professional help may be key to successful recovery.

However, as rave reviews by doctors from Deepak Chopra to Andrew Weil explain, this is an extraordinary book offering an integrative approach to recovery from depression.

This holistic approach is a breath of fresh air.  Though pharmaceuticals are discussed, medications aren’t the first recommendations, and they’re far from the primary focus.  99% of Unstuck is about drug-free choices, and even when anti-depressants are the only answer, Dr. Gordon strongly recommends a very conservative approach.

What I especially like about this book is how it guides the reader through the process of creating his or her own prescription for happiness.  The steps may be the same for everyone, but the actual path isn’t one-size-fits-all.  The patient and therapist (or counselor) will use this book as part of a process and a journey.

Reading this book, I learned many things I didn’t know about depression.  I was astonished at the amount of mind-body information — and wealth of natural and holistic options — available through the pages of this book.

Though I cannot recommend this as a stand-alone, do-it-yourself manual, I think it can be a useful resource in combination with other supports that help the patient recover and emerge as a stronger and more self-aware  person.

Rating:

See larger image Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression (Paperback) By (author) James S. Gordon M.D. List Price: $16.00 USD New From: $7.74 In Stock Used from: $4.65 In Stock Release date May 26, 2009.

The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield, was the beginning of a series of books.  Some are better than others.

I was not impressed with the writing style of the initial novel, The Celestine Prophecy. Even on the first reading, it seemed trite, dated and fairly tedious.  More than once, I muttered, “Get to the point!”

The plot devices seemed contrived and, at times, even downright silly.

So, you’re probably wondering why I’m bothering to review this book at all.  It’s more than ten years old, it’s written like something from the 1970s, and I didn’t enjoy much of it.

The answer is simple: The brief sections of the book that were good… they were (and still are) brilliant, timeless, and a breath of fresh air.

In my opinion, it’s worth struggling through the rest of the book just to get to the good parts.

Most of the “insights” were good but not great.  However, by the time the story built up to the concluding insights, my attitude towards the book improved.

Since you can find a used copy of this book for under $1, and your public library probably has a copy, I recommend reading this book… if only as a foundation for the better books that followed it.

That said, I still remember the recognition I felt when Redfield described a garden in The Celestine Prophecy. He was talking about something I fully understood, and it was one of the first times anyone had represented that kind of experience with such clarity.

It’s okay to skim the boring parts.  As long as you have a general understanding of what’s going on at each step in the story, the important, concluding sections will still make sense.

When you reach the part of the book that rings authentic, and if you’re like me, you’ll be glad you didn’t give up on the book altogether.  The Celestine Prophecy’s delightful moments of brilliance, though few and far between, make the rest of the journey worthwhile.

Rating:

See larger image The Celestine Prophecy (Paperback) By (author) James Redfield List Price: $14.99 USD New From: $7.50 In Stock Used from: $0.01 In Stock

The Serotonin Solution, by Judith J. Wurtman and Susan Suffes, suggests that it’s a diet book… about weight loss.

If you struggle with depression more than your weight, it’d be easy to overlook this book.  It would also be a mistake.

Dated in some respects, Dr. Wurtman’s information is still vital if you’d rather alter what you eat than take drugs to boost your mood.  (Medications that often don’t do as much as we’d hoped.)

To achieve a deeper understanding of how food — what you eat, and when — is a key factor in  your moods, read this book.

I particularly like the chapters written for stressed moms, ex-smokers, shift workers, etc.  Dr. Wurtman seems to have thought ahead and covered the most popular “what if?” questions and objections.

Most public libraries probably have a copy of this book or a more recent edition.  Read it and take notes.

I’m not sure how well this book will help with weight loss, but you’ll learn a lot about the mood-influencing effects of food.  If you need help with depression, talk with your doctor about Dr. Wurtman’s advice.

Rating:

See larger image The Serotonin Solution: The Potent Substance That Can Help You Stop Bingeing, Lose Weight, and Feel Great (Hardcover) By (author) Judith J. Wurtman New From: $1.50 In Stock Used from: $0.01 In Stock