Sleep – Its importance and Properties

Food, sleep and Brahmachary – these are the three pillars of the body. That is, the body survives and works on the strength of these three.

Taking them in right manner and quality makes the body stable, nourishes it and equips it withy strength and attractiveness.

(The issue of food has been dealt with exhaustively in earlier Rishi Prasad issues)

Describing the importance of sleep, the great health teacher, Charaka says:
When the mind is tried from work and the senses too, being tired, withdraw themselves from their respective objects, man sleep to give rest to the mind and the senses. Sleep gives maximum amount of rest to body. Such rest reinvigorates the body. Sleep plays an equally important part in sustaining the body as does the food taken by it.

Benefits of sleep:
A sound sleep nourishes the body and increases its healthfulness, strength and vital fluids. It enables the sense organs to function properly and effectively. One habitually enjoying a sound sleep lives a full course life.

Sleep should be taken at the right time and in the right quality. Oversleeping taking sleep at inappropriate time or completely foregoing sleep or taking too little sleep erodes health and longevity. Sleeping in the day is highly injurious to health but those who are engaged in excessive studies excessive hard work or are debilitated by semen-loss, who are tired on account of staying awake at night or of traveling as also children, old-aged, lean and weak people may sleep in the day.

In summers, the nights are smaller and there is accumulation of gases in the body; therefore it is beneficial to sleep for a short while in the day.

Those who consume ghee and milk in excess or are obese and those with Kapha constitutions or suffering from Kapha produced diseases should in no circumstances sleep in the day.

Disadvantages form sleeping in the day:

Sleeping in the day causes reduction in appetite. Food is not digested properly and the raw, undigested food gets converted into Toxins (āma) resulting in heaviness and cramps in the body, nausea, headache, heaviness in the heart and skin diseases etc. the Tāmasic tendencies generated by sleeping in the day lead to diminution of memory and intellectual faculties.

Measures to overcome the tendency to oversleep:

Fasting, Prānāyām, exercise and avoiding Tāmasic foods (garlic, onions,) radish, horse-beans, stale and fried foods) help overcome the tendency to oversleep.

Insomnia:
Causes: Aggravation of Vāta or Pitta, semen-loss, mental agitation, worry and sorrow disturb the sleep.

Symptoms: Sleeplessness causes Vātta related symptoms like itching pain, giddiness, yawning, gloominess and indigestion etc.

Remedies for insomnia:
Massaging oil into the head, massaging ghee into foot-soles, regularly putting oil into the ears, getting the body pressed, taking ghee, milk (particularly of the buffalo), curd and boiled rice, a comfortable bed and pleasing environment in the room these measures help in bringing the sleep back into the eyes.

Massaging the head with ‘Sahchar Siddha’ oil (available in ayurvedic) dispensaries produces deep and sound sleep.

Noteworthy facts:
Increase in Kapha homour and Tāmasic tendencies produces more sleep and increase in Vāta homour and Sāttvic tendencies leads to reduced sleep.
Keeping wawke at night aggravates Vāta which in turn produces dryness in the body. Sleeping in the day aggravates Kapha and increases oiliness of the body. A bit of snoozing in the sitting position however produces neither dryness nor oilness; it rather gives rest to the body.

One should sleep with the head towards east or south.

One should sleep with the head towards east or south.

One shouldn’t sleep with hands or feet contracted, with legs crossed or with hands behind or over the head. One should also not sleep on the stomach.

It is best to sleep 2-2 ½ hours after sunset and to get up 2-2 ½ hours before sunrise.

Reading of scriptures and protracted chanting of ‘Ñ’ immediately before sleeping converts sleep into worship.

Mantra for producing sleep:
Śuddhe Śuddhe Mahāyogini Mahānidre Svāhā .
Going to bed repeating this mantra produces deep and sound sleep.