Do you just pass out when it’s time for sleep? Are you physically exhausted or mentally drained before sleep? Are you suppressing and postponing sleep pressure? Do you wake up rested?

There are seven kinds of sleep, but they are not all equal! If after a night of sleep, you’re not feeling rested, it’s time to examine which type of sleep you’re getting. Read on!

1. Swabhavika: Natural, healthy, complete, timely night sleep comprised of REM and non-REM sleep. This type of sleep is experienced when doshas are balanced, the mind is restful, and when we make sleep a priority by leaving time to wind down and gently allow the sleep pressure to take over. Read about 3 ways to sleep smart.
2. Tamobhava Nidra: This sleep results from an increase in tamas (mental dullness, difficulty concentrating, clouded mind) due to emotional exhaustion, sadness, grief, and/or depressive mental states. This kind of sleep is not dependent upon nighttime, it can take over in the morning, afternoon, early evening, or night. No matter how much you sleep, it is not enough.
3. Kaphaja/Shleshma Bhava Nidra: This sleep is due to an increase in kapha. The increased kapha is due to diet (heavy, creamy, stale, difficult to digest foods), sedentary lifestyle, vitiation of the dosha due to seasonal change, etc. This kind of sleep leads to grogginess, lethargy, heaviness, and fullness of the stomach, as if dragging the body.
4. Vyadhi Nidra/Primary Insomnia: This sleep is characterized by a chronic condition of insomnia leading to disturbed sleep-wake cycles. This includes—but is not limited to—when one cannot fall asleep until late at night, then gets up late or in the middle of the night or very early morning hours and finds it challenging to fall back asleep
5. Vyadhi Nidra/Secondary Insomnia: This sleep is caused by disease when the body is fatigued due to chronic illness leading to depleted energy and eventually to insomnia, light sleep, restless sleep, and/or segmented sleep.
6. Manah-Sharira Shramabhava Nidra: This kind of sleep is caused by overexertion of the mind, body, and senses (overstimulation of senses, overstimulation of emotions, overthinking).
7. Agantuki Nidra: This is the sleep before death, sleep that is coma, or becoming unconscious (losing consciousness/passing out) due to other pre-existing conditions.

Healthy nighttime sleep is considered a pillar of health, intake of lunar nectar, and that which keeps sickness at bay, improves immunity and lifespan, provides happiness, strength, and removes misery, ignorance, weakness. —Charaka Samhita Sutra Sthana 21.36

If all of the above isn’t enough to validate the importance of sleep, also keep in mind that sleep is one of the non-suppressible urges in Ayurveda.

How often do you suppress, repress, postpone sleep? What is your kind of sleep from the list above?

My suggestion: PPP—->> Prioritize, Prescribe, and Practice Sleep! And do it starting tonight!

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