Sleep is still quite a mystery in some regards - some aspects of it are well understood but the science is still out in a couple of areas.
What exactly does sleep do for the brain and body? Sleep essentially allows the brain to rest, repair and recycle out unnecessary information. The brain also seems to flush out some very real toxic fluid accumulated throughout the day during sleep. In fact, we see a lot of neuronal activity in the brain during sleep - and not just because of the phenomenon of dreaming.
From an Ayurvedic perspective sleep is a restorative and integrative process governed by Pitta Dosha. Pitta - the Force which is involved in all transformational processes across your mind-body system - supports the “metabolism” of the day’s activity during nighttime. Roughly 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. is a time of night governed by Pitta dosha according to Ayurveda and as such we see the value of that intelligence expressed in this way: restoration, purification and integration.
Modern science looks at the brain organ, chemicals, hormones and many other aspects when analyzing the nature of the phenomenon of sleep. These aspects of sleep have their level of Truth but often reflect (as the anatomical reality tends to) a deeper level of processes.
From the Ayurvedic perspective sleep can be understood like this: During the day our systems are online and processing our Life’s experience. We work, meditate, exercise, participate in relationships - all with a balance of wholesome and unwholesomeness. Some of our relationship dynamics are wholesome, some not so much. Some of our workplace dynamics are enriching, some not so much. During the day it is the strength and condition of our Pitta dosha which can reflect the degree to which we metabolize our Life’s experience into bliss. The very same condition of Pitta dosha also determines the efficiency in purifying and recycling out of our mind-body system that which is not needed for our evolution. Say we had some unpleasant interaction with a random co-worker during day - it most likely left an impression that your Pitta dosha will process out of you during the night - assuming your asleep during Pitta time of night.
This brings out an important point: that according to Ayurveda - our mind-body system has to be asleep during this precious time of night (~10 p.m. - 2 a.m.) in order for Pitta to perform this function. We understand from modern science that the quality and quantity of our sleep to a large degree determines the operation of our brain. Cognition skills, memory, recall and other primary functions of the brain can be compromised by a fatigued state. Ayurveda agrees in expressing the principle that unresolved threads of experience can weigh down the system.
Essentially, one way to understand sleep problems is in terms of the relationship we have with Life. If our ongoing relationship with Life has many complicated and unresolved threads, even a decent night’s sleep might not be enough - especially if sleep has been compromised for some time. The concept of “sleep debt” is a real one, and for those with sleep troubles we often find a certain amount of time to adjust and “reset” one’s sleep-wake cycle.
Melatonin is a well known hormone secreted by the pineal gland which regulates the sleep-wake cycle. This hormone is invaluable in establishing healthy sleep patterns - but the research is still not clear about the degree to which supplementation helps, some studies show that it is altogether ineffective. The Ayurvedic perspective on this provides some nice insight into why - essentially the very sophisticated compound of melatonin is best produced by one’s own inner intelligence - and the conditions for the production of this hormone are clear - lights out, avoidance of electronic lights and a healthy relationship with one’s Life and day-to-day activities.
There will be more articles on this site dedicated to unraveling more and more the mystery that is sleep as well as many other aspects of life. We hope this article has shed some light on this phenomenon and we wish for you all a peaceful and restful night's sleep tonight.
Thank you
