âWhat the body needs is not sleep, what the body needs is restfulnessâ ~ Sadhguru
There has been a lot of talk about the minimum number of hours a person should sleep. But I have seen people who would sleep just 4â5hrs, despite working for a minimum of 12hrs and still are bursting with energy throughout the day. This is because whatever activity they do, they do it joyfully & without any stress. Once you know how to keep your body loose & relaxed all day, your sleep quota will naturally go down. Donât trust me? Please experiment it yourself.
Body doesnât need an alarm bell to wake up, it needs rest & once it is well rested, it will come awake, be it 3:00am or 9:00am.
Here are a few tips that worked for me quite well :
1. Eating Right At Night
Eat something that is fresh and light on your stomach. Post sunset, the Agni (or Digestive fire) is naturally low. If you stuff yourself with heavy meal, your body wonât be able to digest food completely, stacking up loads of toxins and in turn creating AMA(undigested food). Give at least 3â4hrs to your body so that digestion happens before you go to bed.
2. Take A Shower -
If you take a cold (or lukewarm in winters) shower, it will not only wash off dirt from your skin but it will take away all your burdens of the day. Suddenly you feel much more alert & at peace.
3. Choose Right Direction to Sleep -
India is located in Northern Hemisphere. If you sleep resting your head to north, the blood will rush towards the brain. This happens due to the magnetic pull of the planet. This pull on the head is so strong that one can even have brain hemorrhage. Any other direction is fine.
4. Sleep Like A Child -
Keep aside all that you have gathered during the day - your body, your identities & the contents of your mind. Sleep like a child, without any burden or stress. You will wake up with much more energy & exuberance.
5. Light A Lamp -
This may look absurd to some, how can lighting a lamp result in sound sleep? But trust me, it has made a whole lot of difference for me. In Indian tradition, first thing we did after our showers is lighting an oil lamp. This sets the right kind of ambience & fills the whole place with a different kind of energy. Same can be done before going to bed.
Next Steps
do yoga and meditation