Lull your insomnia into submission with The Moon Project
The Moon Project is the brainchild of Jessica Henderson of Arrow To The Knee Productions and is an album of compositions inspired by the different stages of sleep. With support from Creative Scotland's Inclusion Fund, The Moon Project brings together six female composers from Scotland to produce a 9 track album, showcasing their talent and bring the important issue of sleep to the fore.
Sleep is vital for all of us but studies have shown that 1 in 10 adults in Scotland suffer from sleep issues. (NHSGCC) While I don’t intend to bombard you with statistics and boring data, suffice to say we’re just not getting enough good quality sleep! And no wonder really, we live stressful, fast-paced lives. Some of us have families and anyone who has ever had the pleasure of sharing a house with babies and toddlers (young kids in general) will know all too well the effects sleep deprivation can have on your mental health, emotional wellbeing and let’s face it, your general mood. Even if you’re footloose and fancy free, getting a good night’s sleep isn’t a given. Anxiety and stress play a huge part in stopping us from relaxing, winding down and falling into a consistent natural sleep cycle. Yet in order to have a healthy, balanced lifestyle sleep is a major factor in achieving that. So what can do to get a better night’s slumber?
Common sense would tell us that taking some time to wind down in the evening, relaxing and allowing our bodies and brains to slow down gives us the best chance of preparing for a good night’s sleep. I don’t know about you but even on the nights when I am ready to fall into bed and look forward to a delicious, dreamy sleep I’m about half an hour in and my eyes ping open inexplicably and I’m left staring at my bedroom ceiling in the dark, watching the shadows dance to the soundtrack of Darth Vadar breathing next to me (sorry husband…) The hours crawl by and I start mentally bargaining with my brain to allow me to get at least 4 hours before the alarm goes off and the madness of the next day begins only to find I have in fact fallen asleep 10 mins before the alarm goes and I am shattered for the day ahead. Sound familiar?
I often meditate, do deep breathing, practice yoga and mentally try to unwind before going to bed but it doesn’t always do the trick for me. Music (think more Sigor Ros than Rammstein) will almost always send me into a transcendent state and absolutely does something to my brain to make it switch off. So you can imagine, when the opportunity came along to be part of The Moon Project, I was so excited. I know there is an abundance of meditation and ambient playlists on the various streaming platforms but there was something about this project that felt like a secret universe just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. The fact it is a collaborative project was even more inviting because you can navigate through a world and experience the stages of sleep through the eyes of Jessica Henderson, Joanna Gill, Andrea Possee, Emily Frances Ippolito, Luci Holland and me. I think it’s pretty cool to travel through this soundscape and get to hear it from different angles. I urge you to have a listen to the preview and enjoy a taste of what’s to come, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
We all need more sleep, better quality sleep and restorative rest to live a happy, healthy lifestyle. Come and join the movement and be part of something special. Let The Moon Project envelope you in a safe, warm, dreamy marshmallow planet. Sweet dreams.
The full album will be released on 6 December 2022 and is FREE to access. To find out more follow The Moon Project.