Working 24 hours and not getting rest, your muscles will ache, and your bones and your joints will have inflammation. Now imagine, when your heart works for 24 hours and doesn’t get rest, similar to the condition of the heart, your heart will be under strain and stress. Sleep allows your heart to recover, especially in those 8 hours for it to pump a little extra blood, because your body is not moving, or not active so less amount of blood is required for our day-to-day function. Especially, after 3 to 4 hours when our simple sattvic food gets digested, the heart gets a complete deep sound and healing rest. A fragmented staggered, scattered heart with erratic heartbeats comes back to normal, regular and rhythmic heartbeats back into the flow.
According to a study, metabolic diseases like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol may result from inconsistent sleep patterns. Adults who had irregular sleep patterns are also more likely to have other conditions, with impaired circulation in the lower body as well.
Importance of sleep
Night becomes a perfect opportunity to heal, become whole, repair, and restore. If this healing doesn't happen properly, which means not enough hours, not at the right time of the day (in the right hours of sleeping), then obviously our repair, and elimination of toxins, and impurities won't happen. Thus, leading to disorder and then diseases.
If the impurities aren't flushed out well, there is a good chance that toxins become heart problems.
Additional fat that we accumulate in our body, especially in the arteries and the visceral fat, that our body produces in the organs tends to disturb the heart
Night becomes a perfect opportunity to heal, become whole, repair, and restore. If this healing doesn't happen properly, which means not enough hours, not at the right time of the day (in the right hours of sleeping), then obviously our repair, and elimination of toxins, and impurities won't happen. Thus, leading to disorder and then diseases.
If the impurities aren't flushed out well, there is a good chance that toxins become heart problems.
People with normal sleep patterns, those who experienced nightly sleep changes of more than two hours per week—for example, sleeping six hours one week and eight hours the other week—were more likely to have coronary artery plaque. So, sleeping regularly each night is the best defence against such threats.
Good rest is good rejuvenation. Good rest and good rejuvenation is also efficient digestion. Efficient digestion means very efficient elimination of toxins.
Thus, getting good quality sleep is very necessary.
Things one can do for a good night's sleep
First is, of course, breathing. Breathing in and breathing out slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth. Large volumes of air can ease out. The stress on the heart immediately can make you circulate better immediately, and can improve your vital capacity of oxygen in your lungs and saturation of oxygens immediately.
Early dinner: One of the most crucial things is to eat before nightfall and then four hours later, when we can sleep for seven or eight hours. This will allow our bodies to heal and rebuild.
Digital detox: These days people are addicted to their digital devices before bedtime. Digital engagement on smart screens disturbs our circadian rhythm and our sleep-wake cycle. Our digestion gets disturbed when we eat while engaged with a phone or television or any digital screen. Minus the digital engagement, just before bed.
Practice Anulom-Vilom for 5 minutes and Brahmari 5 to 11 times just before bed.
Exercises definitely help you sleep better and help function your heart better, improve digestion, regulate hormones and lose weight. Yoga will certainly help you. Asanas like Balasana, inversions like Viparita Karani, Ustrasana, Setu bandh asana, Bhujangasana, Paschimottanasana (for the feeling of letting go), and sitting parvatasana (to raise your confidence high) are recommended for good sleep and improve your heart health.
So, sleep becomes important in maintaining a good health. Sleep brings a fragmented staggered, scattered being with erratic lifestyle back to normal, in regular and rhythmic flow.
(Dr Mickey Mehta is a global leading holistic health guru and life coach; website: www.drmickeymehta.com)