| Ayurveda says that it is
best to get to bed by 10 pm. But that
can be difficult for us, given that some great TV shows start at 10 pm, and
we’re often catching up on e-mail at that time! But Ayurveda has some very compelling reasons why 10 pm is
the ideal bedtime, and these might inspire you to get to bed a little earlier
from now on. First of all, 10 pm
is the start of pitta time. If we
are already in bed sleeping, the body generates heat that can burn up any
accumulated toxins. Sleep comes
easier during kapha time, which ends at 10 pm, because kapha has the quality of
slowness, and dullness, which helps us to relax into that sleep state. Pitta time is more stimulating, and we
might even get the munchies as the time gets closer to midnight. Another reason to get to bed earlier
rather than later, is that there is a solar energy that the earth retains up
until midnight. The sleep we
experience while this solar energy is in the atmosphere is very
rejuvenating. It is powerfully
beneficial for our health. Another
way we can tell that the cycle of nature is conducive to sleep before 10 pm is
the sounds outside. Before 10 pm,
we can hear the crickets singing in a soft melodic tone, a kind of kapha
lullabye. After 10 pm it turns
into a much more sharp and piercing sound, indicative of pitta.
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