In Bed By Midnight and at least 7 hours of sleep! Most doctors will tell you that most adults need about 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day. Studies actually show that not enough sleep can cause memory problems, depression, a weakening of your immune system, increasing your chance of becoming sick, and even an increase in perception of pain. A recent study shows that men who go to bed after midnight show increased hardening of the arteries compared to men who go to sleep earlier.
It’s a fact that staying up late is bad for your body and mind! Did you know that your body has a built in clock?
- 5 AM to 7 AM – time for Colon to release the debris of the past 24 hours.
- 7 AM to 9 AM – time for Stomach to break fast.
- 9 AM to 11 AM – time for Spleen to process the products of digestion.
- 11 AM to 1 PM – time for the physical heart to think, and plan, and execute.
- 1 PM to 3 PM – time for Small Intestine to filter the pure and pass on the impure.
- 3 PM to 5 PM – time for the urinary bladder to pass out toxins.
- 5 PM to 7 PM – time for making physical love, sexuality.
- 7 PM to 9 PM – time for higher thought, introspection, meditation.
- 9 PM to 11 PM – time for the 3 cavities, chest, abdomen and pelvis, to balance.
- 11 PM to 1 AM – time for revising decisions made and preparing for next day.
- 1 AM to 3 AM – time for Liver to detoxify and process the debris of the past 24 hours.
- 3 AM to 5 AM – time for Lungs to breathe deep in sleep, and ready body for dawn.
This is called the Circadian clock it can also be used to wake you up at a particular time. According to this the best time for sleep would be from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM and 3 to 5 AM is the time for Pranayam or breathing. However to get a good 8 hours I’d say it’s between the hours of 9:00 PM – 5:00 AM. While not everyone can reach this sleeping goal for those of us who can it’s well worth the effort. If nothing else at least for 30 days!
I have two small kids the ages of 2 and 4. Every morning either one or both of them wake me up around 6:00 AM except on Sundays when my wife gets up with them. Then I get to sleep in till 8AM =).( My wife gets to sleep in the other 6 days because she has to deal with the kids all day) Normally when they wake me up we go and watch cartoons in the living room for about an hour then play for an hour then eat breakfast at 8 when my wife gets up.
Our kids take a nap around 12:45 and get up between 2 and 3. We also put our kids to bed 8:00 PM. With this said the only time we get to ourselves is during nap and after 8:00 PM, so I have gotten in a bad habit where I tend to stay up till 1 or 2 in the morning to get some work or studying done.
I know a lot of the time I’m ill and easily upset because of the lack of sleep which is not good for my kids nor my marriage. I’m also tired a lot of the time and never seem to have any energy. Sense I have gave up soft drinks I find that I do have a little more energy but I’m sure with a little more sleep I would be a lot better off over all.
My goal is to start off by going to bed at 11:00 PM which will give me at least 7 good hours of sleep and work my way to 10:00 PM which would give me 8 hours. Maybe on the days I don’t work and have nothing big for the next day try the 9:00 PM – 5:00 AM schedule! In any case I’ll be going to bed before midnight and getting at least 7 hours sleep.
If your a night owl like me I dare you to take this challenge and see how you feel at the end of 30 days!
