Your Sleep [part 1]
Good sleep is one of the most important things when it comes to your health and well-being.
In our society today with increasing stress, many people have difficulty sleeping. Lack of sleep, disturbed or poor sleep, over time, can deplete your energy, disturb your digestion, and weaken your immune system. Your mental and emotional health will also suffer, especially if your sleep is interrupted during the second part of the night.
According to Ayurveda the optimal time to sleep is from 10 pm to 6 am. Optimal sleep is when you fall asleep easily and have an uninterrupted deep sleep, wake up feeling refreshed and filled with energy, and have some excitement and curiosity for a new day (might be gratitude as well).
The first part of the night is Pitta time
The first part of the night, from 10 pm to 2 am, is governed by the pitta dosha, and the element of fire. This means that your pitta and inner fire are increasing after 10 pm. Therefore is it beneficial to go to bed a little bit before 10 pm (15 minutes or so), to keep pitta calm
In this first part of the night, your body’s cleaning process is active. You need to be at rest, and sleep so that your inner organs can properly cleanse and purify your body. If you’re doing other things, such as continuing to work, cleaning or washing, and even doing things such as watching television or scrolling your phone, this process will suffer since much of your energy is spent on other things.
This can lead to:
😖 disturbed digestion
😟 bloated belly
😒 skin disorders
🥱 lack of energy
😡 bad temper, anger, frustration
The second part of the night is Vata!
The second part of the night, from 2 am to 6 am, is governed by the vata dosha, and the element of air. This is your dream phase, meaning your soul is active with your spiritual being. More, and important, is that your mind and your emotions are processing what you’ve experienced during the day. They are also preparing for the next day, and what you will come to experience.
When this part of the night’s sleep is disturbed and interrupted it will affect you negatively on a psychological and emotional level, which often is harder and more profound.
This can result in:
🥹 emotionally unstable
😔 low self-esteem
😥 no energy
🤯 brain fatigue or foggy mind
😬 restless, or stressed
I hope this was valuable for you, to get an understanding of the different parts of the night and why it is so important to sleep well, from 10 pm to 6 am.
In the upcoming parts 2-3 about your sleep, I will write about how to prepare yourself with good sleeping routines, and what you can do if it’s hard to fall asleep, your sleep is poor, or interrupted.
Sleep tight, with sweet dreams!
