
getting deep sleep is one of the essential thing which modern lifestyle is depriving you. in this fast paced life, ‘essential‘ is forgotten many times in return for ‘more money or enjoyment‘.
body needs are very simple. it demands healthy food and not tasty food. it demands deep sleep so that your body-mind can rest and are ready for next day work. so its wise to fulfill these basic needs of body like food, rest, sleep, clothes etc. don’t deprive yourself of sleep just because you want to watch a late night movie. remember body is your best friend and it always try its best to help in you all situations.
related – time spend in sleep is the most productive time
few tips to get deep sleep in night:
1. don’t cheat. keep your conscious clean. otherwise no matter what you do, your sleep will not be deep. even if you manage to sleep deeply it won’t be refreshing for your heart and soul. live a clean and honest life.
2. don’t think too much in day time – one of the essential condition for getting deep sleep is that your mind is not overactive in night. if your mind is too much active during night then you will have trouble getting sleep. according to upanishads (indian holy books) there are many stages of sleep. the deepest state of sleep is one when there is no thought or even dreams during sleep. this dreamless state of sleep is the one which refreshes your mind. because mind is rested during this dreamless phase. less you think during day time, more will be this dreamless phase. the night you have experienced dreamless sleep, next day your mind will be sharp and more focused. you might get creative ideas also. so what i suggest is to use your mind for doing your job but don’t keep on thinking all the time. to get the best out of your mind, you need to rest it also. so that it recharges itself.
3. body should be tired at the end of day. some amount of physical exercise like walking, jogging or lot of physical work helps. this is specially true for people who are doing sedentary work.
4. sleep in dark room – darker the room better it is for sleep. if you are scared of sleeping in dark room then you can put on zero watt bulb. but remember darkness is best for sleep.
5. trust on god – lord krishna says in bhagwat gita that “do your karmas and leave the rest on god. doing karmas is in your hand but the fruits of your karma is not in your hand”. so live your daily life honestly and give your best. rest leave it on god. its a good practice to pray to god before going to sleep. trust on god also helps in surrendering yourself to the will of god. many people who are scared of death or who don’t believe in reincarnation will have difficulty in relaxing to sleep. as you don’t know what happens in sleep because you are totally unconsciousness. don’t worry you have a soul which is ever watching and god is your mother. have trust on god and relax totally before going to sleep.
6. use bedroom only for sleeping and resting – don’t use TV or surf internet in the bedroom. no need to read books or newspaper in the bedroom. because all these are mental activities and it creates an active mental energy in the room. if you use your bedroom only for sleeping or relaxing or resting then your room will be charged with feminine relaxing energy and will help you to sleep soundly. if you want to read books in bedroom then consider reading spiritual books.
7. eat brahmi – if your mind is too much active then eat this ayurvedic medicine – brahmi. it slows down the thinking. relieves you of tension, anxiety and helps in sleeping.
8. maintain a schedule – your body has its own clock of sleeping time, waking up time and other bodily functions. if you go to sleep at a fix time then your body will slowly get used to it. so don’t change your schedule for watching a late night movie or reading a novel etc. give importance to your body clock. listen the signals which body gives to you. when body needs food then you start feeling hungry. don’t ignore this hunger feeling. pay attention to it and thats the time to eat food. if you listen to your body signals then your body will perform at its optimum and your sleep will also be sound and deep.
so don’t sleep at odd hours. if you are not in the habit of sleeping in the day time then don’t sleep for more than a cat nap. otherwise you are disturbing your body clock.
9. apply mustard oil on foot before sleeping – as per ayurveda its helps to get sound sleep. i have tried it personally and it works.
10. eat nutmeg powder milk – many people drink hot milk before going to sleep. add powered nutmeg to hot milk and drink it before going to sleep.
11. play soft instrumental music – it helps in relaxing the body-mind. unless your mind is relaxed totally you can not fall asleep. remember sleep is all about let go.
12. relax your body-mind meditation. doing meditation or relaxing exercise before going to sleep helps a lot. one such simple excercise is to relax your whole body. start with paying attention at your toes. relax it. if you find any tension in the toes then consciously relax it. after relaxing your toes, now slowly move your attention to feet and do the same thing. next move your attention to legs and this way keep on moving up till you reach to head. relax each part of body this way. also relax your breathing.
13. don’t be greedy – because if you are too much greedy then your mind will keep on thinking ‘how to make more money’. over thinking mind can not ‘let go’ and can not go to sleep. secondly, greedy invites insecurity. now how can a insecure person ‘let go’ for sleep to happen.
14. contentment – start enjoying small things of life. be thankful for the blessings you have in life. don’t crib or complain. accept things as they are. all this will change the quality of your life and the way you see and respond to life situations. your life will become more relaxed and content. this will make you a easy going person and sleep will also come easily in night.
i hope all this tips will help you to get a deep sleep. remember sleep is not a different activity. it is the continuity of the things you have done in day time. it is not separate from your day time activities. if you have done your daily jobs correctly then your sleep will also be good. thats why i say live a honest life, do some physical exercise, don’t over strain the mind, have trust in god. all this will help.
more over, help the world where ever you can. don’t live a selfish life. if you live a selfish life then you live the life of an island, totally disconnected from the world and living for just yourself. but in sleep you have to ‘let go‘ of all your defenses and ego. so its better to live in harmony with the world and have faith in god.