Circadian Rhythm
Hello Friends,
Some of the questions I have been asked about by a few different people in our community revolve around SLEEP. There are some who are having a hard time falling asleep (Ayurvedically speaking, this is considered a Pitta Imbalance) and the other main is those who have no trouble falling asleep, but then wake up in the early morning hours and can’t fall back asleep (a Vata Imbalance). Regardless of whether or not you know or follow Ayurveda, following a Circadian Rhythm is something that both Ayurveda and Modern Science agree on.
In Yoga & Ayurveda one of the main ideas is that we don’t need to overcome nature. We just need to learn to work with it. Many indigenous people’s did just this for thousands of years. But then here we come with our handy dandy technology where we live more with artificial air, artificial light, screens, automobiles, etc… where we have gotten further and further out of touch with nature. We control it and make it what we want it to be. This is allowing us to stay up late (artificial light and screens) and it allows us to sit in cool atmospheres on hot days. Although that may sound great, it is actually screwing with our MindBodies.
Following an Ayurvedic lifestyle encourages us to fall asleep before 10pm and wake up a touch before 6am. This may sound crazytown to you. “But I’m a night owl!” I understand you. I worked in the food service industry, was a partier in my youth, AND did theatre for 20 years. I didn’t go to bed before 12am for the majority of my life. I loved night life. But I was working against nature and my body was paying the price.
And before you shun me and this “Ayurvedic crap” - I’d like to remind you that scientific studies are proving this out over and over again. If you are on Instagram, I recommend following @hubermanlab out of Stanford University as a fantastic resource for their Brain Research & Education. They also speak a lot about the Circadian Rhythm as they navigate sight, sleep disorders, insomnia, melatonin production, etc….. And the lab director, Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., who makes videos to educate us is not too bad on the eyes either :-) There are other sources to be sure, but I think he breaks it down into terms that, we the commoners, can understand. Sure, some of it is over my head, but much of it is not.
One of the main things we are doing with finding a Circadian Rhythm is balancing our sleep/wake cycles. Most people who shift there bedtime/waketime end up “curing” their insomnia. The other thing that is highly suggested to help with sleep disorders is super simple… wake up 10 minutes before the sun rises and gaze at the sun. Do it again as the sun sets. Take a few moments to watch the sun as it sets. (Not looking directly at the sun if it’s hurting your eyes of course.) One of my favorite ways to do this is to find a patch of sun in the yard and close my eyes while I stand in the sun’s rays and feel it on my face. I say, “Good morning Grandfather Sun.” in the morning and, “Good night Grandfather Sun.” in the evening. I also often practice gratitude by thanking Grandfather Sun for all he does.
Too corny for ya?! Just simple gaze at the sun as it rises and sets. This starts to regulate your melatonin production and your sleep/wake cycle.
For my Friends who are going to sleep at 2am every morning.. take it slow. Don’t go whole turkey and just start waking up at 6am. But use 15-30 minute increments over time. Go to sleep at 1:30am for a 3-7 nights and then go to bed at 1:00am, etc… to gradually ease yourself in.
When we stay up past 10am we are using the energy that the body needs to use during sleep to detox and rejuvenate our MindBodies. If we are staying up and using that energy to watch movies, look at FB, do the dishes, etc…. Oh dear, how will our body stay healthy if it can’t detox and rejuvenate itself?!
I could also go through a list of helpful things for falling asleep from drinking warm milk (not just an old wives tale peeps), to spraying lavender scent on your pillow, to meditating for 5-10 minutes, to giving yourself a scalp and foot massage before bed, to turn off/down all lights as the natural light outside starts to get dark, to turning off ALL screens at least an hour before bed, to…. think of ways you can send signals to your Central Nervous System that it is time to sleep and try them.
One more thing on this…if you are running yourself to the ground and exhausted every evening before you go to bed - this could also be a reason you can’t sleep. “What?! How does that even make sense?!” Your body needs energy to do all of the work to detox, rejuvenate, restore, build tissue, etc…. while you are sleeping. If it doesn’t have enough energy - this may be one of the reasons you are waking up in the middle of the night and unable to fall back asleep.
Anyone brand spanking new who wants to look into Ayurveda more, Banyan Botanicals has been one my favorite resources since I started on this journey. Also on their website - you can take 2 quizzes which will help you figure out what your “doshas” are (your constitution) as well as what your current imbalance may be.
May you sleep well Friends!
Christel Joy