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Do you regularly wake up feeling groggy and like you didn’t sleep enough? In our fast-paced existence, adequate sleep can feel not only elusive but like an act of radical self-care.
Many of us are accustomed to an emphasis on how long you sleep, with the recommended dosage being 7 to 9 hours. But a 5,000-year-old system of medicine, known as Ayurveda, asserts that when you sleep is equally critical.
Originating in India, Ayurveda emphasizes understanding your body’s rhythms in pursuit of a more harmonious existence. According to this ancient belief system, your body has a unique biological clock influenced by many things, including the five natural elements—space, air, earth, fire, and water. These elements come together in varying proportions to create different constitutional types, known as doshas.
Your predominent dosha—whether vata, pitta, or kapha—affects everything from your personality to your sleep tendencies. There is also the concept of doshic hours, which assigns a predominant dosha to each hour of the day. Understanding which dosha is prominent at a particular hour allows you to optimize your well-being, from your morning routine to your nighttime rituals, by aligning your activities with these natural rhythms. Depending on which doshic hour it is, your digestion may be strongest or weakest, you may have the greatest capacity to tackle challenging tasks, your energy levels may peak, your creativity may flourish, and your sleep may be most rejuvenative.
Ancient Ayurvedic Wisdom on Sleep
According to Ayurvedic principles, the hours between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. are considered crucial for physiological rejuvenation and an ideal time for the body to be at sleep, and it is now proven by science. These hours are associated with the pitta dosha, whose inherent ‘heating’ quality aids in the metabolic processes necessary for detoxification, deep cellular repair, and rejuvenation during sleep.
“It’s best to be asleep around 10 p.m. so that pitta activity can be directed inward for detoxification and cellular digestion and metabolism,” explains Sheila Patel, MD, board-certified family physician and Ayurvedic expert. “If not, we miss prime healing time.”
For example, sleeping between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. is considered more rejuvenating and vital to cellular repair and renewal than sleeping from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Even though the total hours of sleep are the same, the benefits are not.
Staying up late disrupts these vital processes and causes our bodies to rejuvenate inadequately, leading to increased anxiety, stress, and digestive issues.
How to Fall Asleep Early (Well, Earlier)
Falling asleep earlier than usual can seem like an almost impossible goal, especially if that means breaking a habit of late-night screen time, not consuming caffeine late in the day, or maneuvering around responsibilities that require you to stay up late, whether you’re a new parent or work the late shift. Ayurveda respects that. Everyone’s situation is unique.
However, if you would like to change the habit of staying up late, you can. “If our body is used to falling asleep late, it is because we have trained it to do so,” says Dr. Patel. “We need to retrain it.”
Patel suggests going to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier every one to two weeks. Or you can take it more slowly if you like. The most effective approach to changing your sleep schedule is a gradual one. The body will adjust.
Benefits of Falling Asleep Earlier
Most people find themselves more focused and less irritable during the day after just a few days of falling asleep earlier. By prioritizing an earlier bedtime and aligning with your biological rhythms, you unlock profound benefits. Even a small shift in your bedtime can unleash a cascade of these positive effects, including:
How to Fall Asleep Earlier
It becomes even easier to adhere to your new routine once you begin to notice a difference in your mood and mental state. Begin by establishing a relaxing evening routine, such as removing electronics from your bedroom and trying some gentle stretching or yin yoga. Then, try moving your bedtime earlier by 15 minutes each week. Be patient with yourself if it takes longer. You’ll find this makes the transition much more doable and long-lasting.
The following approaches can help you step back from constant connectivity prior to falling asleep:
- Avoid screens by keeping them in another room
- Take a warm bath
- Read a book
- Practice meditation
- Limit caffeine, alcohol, and food before bed within a few hours of bed
- Drink ashwagandha or brahmi tea
- Listen to soothing music
- Massage your feet with oil, similar to the Ayurvedic practice of abhyanga
- Try some restorative yoga poses, such as Legs Up the Wall and Supported Bridge
- Practice calming pranayama, or breathwork, techniques that release tension and promote relaxation
By aligning your sleep schedule with timeless Ayurvedic principles, you will discover more restorative sleep and a happier you.
