Sleep

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, verse 17: yuktāhāra-vihārasya yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu — which is practical for today’s sleep-deprived world.

Krishna’s formula — Gita 6.17

Yuktāhāra-vihārasya — for one who is moderate in eating, recreation, work, sleep and wakefulness, yoga destroys sorrow.

Why sleep is yoga

Sleep is anabolic: the brain clears toxins, tissues repair, memory consolidates, and the immune and endocrine systems reset. Chaotic sleep → chaotic mood → chaotic life.

How sleep works — 90-minute cycles

1. Non-REM: light → deep → restorative. Deep sleep is physical repair and growth hormone.
2. REM: the brain is active and dreams. Essential for learning, mood and creativity.

Seven rules for yukta-nidra

1. Time: the same sleep and wake time, even at weekends.
2. Cave: a cool (≈20 °C), dark, quiet, clean bedroom.
3. Digital sunset: screens off an hour before bed. Blue light blocks melatonin.
4. Fuel: not hungry, not stuffed. Cut caffeine after 2 pm; alcohol disrupts REM.
5. Move: be active in the daytime, but no intense exercise in the 3 hours before bed.
6. Unwind: a hot shower, journal your worries, set boundaries after 8 pm.
7. Nap: under 20 minutes, and only before 3 pm.

Fall asleep in five minutes — the military method, plus the mind

Relax the face → drop the shoulders → let the hands, chest and legs go heavy → clear the mind. If thoughts loop, say “don’t think”. Breathe slowly.

Pressure points for sleep

• Heart 7: on the inner wrist crease, below the little finger. Circle it for 2 minutes.
• Pericardium 6: three finger-widths below the centre of the wrist. Calms anxiety.

Food as medicine

Magnesium glycinate before bed. Foods with melatonin: tart cherries, mango, pineapple. Warm milk with nutmeg — sattvik, and sleep-promoting.

When to see a doctor

Insomnia more than three times a week for three months, snoring with gasping (sleep apnoea), sleepwalking, teeth grinding, narcolepsy. Don’t self-treat chronic dyssomnias.

Krishna’s moderation

Destruction of sorrow comes from moderation, not from caves. Yukta-nidra is yoga.