Sleep is THE foundational force that establishes how all of the systems are and will work in the body. Every living animal needs sleep to rest and rejuvenate the body. Creating a deficit of sleep from overworking, staying up late watching movies, or partying through the evening, we create an absence of sleep that the body can’t recover. We have lost an opportunity for the body to do the healthy sleep response of cleaning up the body’s systems to restore for the next day.
Consider sleep as re-booting your computer. It takes time and the investment of time is worth it. Read on for why it matters to cultivate and preserve a good night’s sleep.
- Rest & Digest
- REM
- Skin’s Appearance
- Bright Eyes
- Mood Lifter
- Feelings of Joy & Passion
Why Is Sleep So Important?
Something I remember about my dear dad who worked multiple jobs to keep a lifestyle of his desire – is that he slept very little. It took a toll on his body in so many ways. I remember when he was about 40 year old he was hospitalized for Bell’s Palsy. At the time, he had chronic inflammation from being overweight. His facial nerves were taxed from over-working. His head was overstimulated by the incessant thought required of an accountant.
Later in his life, he had a stroke. These are both different, but the former was a sign of poor health. His body needed support.
I share this story because when I think about sleep, I think about how much sleep he never got in his adult life. His story is what brought me to Ayurveda and the desire to share it with the world. No one need suffer from poor sleep.
Rest and Digest
The restorative action that happens in the body with sleep is not duplicated by any other form of nourishment. As the body rests, we find our nervous system gets the opportunity to reboot and refresh itself. The kidneys get to work the filtration magic to eliminate that which is not needed in the body. The liver gets a break and can attune with the pancreas to eliminate that which is not needed in the body.
The digestive organs get to restore and release the matter we’ve eaten into the appropriate systems to nourish the body’s blood. Of course, that which is not needed is moved through the bowels and out the colon.
A vital person does this regularly and the body ages with grace in harmony with the way we are meant to rest and digest. When we are unable to sustain a routine of sleep that allows for this harmony, we will experience digestive distress and a host of issues can happen: ulcers, poor nutrient absorption, stagnant and/or too much waste in the body’s systems. This eventually will lead to poor blood creation, which impairs all of the body’s systems.
Health is complicated, but for the creation of nourished blood — it really is as simple as I have just written.
Other Factors of Nourishment
Of course, there are other factors of nourishment: breathing, quality of breath, quality of foods, environmental lifestyle, quality of thoughts and emotions, stress management, and so much more. The subtle body begins with digestion and is the seat of our thoughts. Our digestive organs house our initial “gut” feelings and this moves through the subtle body up to our brains.
Cultivating a sleep routine to be that of vitality can be simple with the checklist above. In reading this, take this as THE opportunity to nourish your body with good sound sleep. If you have a sleep disorder, please consult with your physician to see their take on how to find harmony with rest.
You can fully reset your sleep habits over the course of four seasons in my Beautify in Four Seasons course. This begins in late August and runs through May. I would love to connect with you and see if this is a good fit for you! Read more about this and how to register for this course HERE.
There has never been a better time to rest than today!
