How Quality Sleep Boosts Your Immune System

Medically reviewed by Vinaya Saunders
Medically reviewed by Vinaya Saunders on June 17, 2020
Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher
Updated on June 17th, 2020
sleep and immune system

Sleep is a big part of our life. Our body gets time to recharge and rejuvenate when we sleep accordingly. Immunity is the by-product of a well-balanced routine and lifestyle.

Good sleep is a different story, where quality matters over quantity.

Immunity is a new catchword for attention due to the pandemic; however, this pandemic has left us all to look at our life in a different perspective. Whether it is about increasing immunity or staying indoors, we are all pushed to change and adapt to the ever-changing life situation.

The NCSDR administers sleep projects, training, and educational awareness programs to have billions of funding from the government to research sleeping disorders. It is hilarious to spend so much time on something so natural. As babies, sleep came to us. We can see babies just dozing off anywhere when they are tired.

Why Did We Forget How to Sleep Naturally?

If we think about our lifestyle nowadays, we are surrounded by LED lights that disturb the melatonin levels in our bodies. Our bodies are constantly pushed to avoid routine and sleep, so we occupy ourselves by enjoying the evening with some activities: drinking, binge-watching television, or working out.

We are unique individuals living in different geographical locations. Boxing ourselves into research numbers will leave us disheartened. Measuring the quality of sleep into hours is again making our mind run behind something that is unachievable. Convincing yourself that 8 hours of lying down is the best sleep is a mind game. It is similar to “losing” weight.

Healthy human beings are ones that can fall asleep as soon as they can sense that their body is feeling tired. But our lifestyle is not as similar to our ancestors, who worked in fields and did more physical work.

Our body needs nurturing after a long day, that cannot be in front of the idiot box. Free yourself from measuring your sleep with numbers and, instead, focus on the quality.

Immunity is the by-product of healthy living and a well-balanced diet. Constant stimulation of adrenaline and stress hormones are one of the many reasons for unhealthy sleeping patterns and issues with sleep; therefore, resulting in a decrease in our immunity.

If you constantly travel and work at night, you are going against the nature of your physical and mental body. That leaves us to pick up a pattern of negligence to our living naturally.

Our mind is similar to a cow’s, which chews on what it consumed during the day. We chew on the information we have received during the day. If it is an overload of unnecessary information, then we suffer to fall asleep. People who suffer from insomnia usually have a tendency to live in denial or stuck to their past, which they revisit constantly.

Sleep is Crucial for our Health

According to scientific research, an average human is suggested to sleep 7 to 9 hours per night to function at their best. As humans, we spend about 26 years sleeping in our entire life, which is equal to 9.490 days or 227,760 hours. Surprisingly, we also spend seven years, trying to sleep. That’s 33 years or 12,045 days spent in bed!(1)

Ayurvedically, each individual is unique and has their own cycles of sleep. From an energy healer’s perspective, the earth changes its energy constants, and as humans, we also accommodate the earth’s energies and vibrations of collective consciousness into our sleep cycle. Our sleep has a unique pattern, according to what our lifestyle and habits are.

Moon cycles influence how our body sleeps. A full moon naturally gives us less sleep. It is instilled in our DNA to wake up always or have a shallow sleep cycle.

According to our ancestors as hunters and gatherers, on a fully bright moon, we encountered threats from animals, so all humans have that information engraved in us; therefore, it is absurd to measure our sleep with numbers.

We all have encountered a lack of sleep and grumpiness before, and we have also managed to function with less than 8 hours of sleep. When we have projects to finish or tests to study for, our body is capable of doing its best without sleep.

[ Read: Here &  A Simple Trick For Falling Asleep Anywhere In 120 Seconds ]

Ayurvedic Insight on Sleeping According to your Body

1. Vata Type

Craves for soft bedding with cushions to support their bony structure. They can function fairly well with less sleep. All those people that go to the gym early in the morning are Vata types, as they wake up between 4-6 am and have a hard time falling asleep. Their racing mind is hard to shut down.

Vata type personalities should add soft, soothing music to calm their mind, slow down their activities by 6 pm, and stay away from coffee after 4 pm. Allow their bodies to rest naturally.

2. Pitta Type

Prefers a little harder bed with fewer covers, as their body is already heated up. Pitta personalities can forgo their sleep if they are motivated and are working on some kind of project. They have difficulty falling asleep since they have strong ambitious personalities. Pitta types are most productive from 10 pm-2am. They should create a routine of self-care and papering by 7 pm and get to bed earlier than usual, so they can have a good night’s sleep.

3. Kapha Type

Enjoy heavy and sound sleep. Kapha types have difficulty waking up and are attached to their sleep. They love their sleep, as they have calming dreams; this in return, can accumulate heaviness in the body.

Kapha personalities should keep their dinner light and sleep earlier so they can wake up easily without dragging themselves out of bed, preferably waking up before 6 am.

Creating a good bedtime routine is very important in everybody’s lifestyle. Add a cup of warm milk, warm bath, enjoy some reading, prayers, all of them help in having a great night’s sleep.

[ Read: Why Proper Sleep Is Important for Healthy Living]

Other Points to Consider to Sleep Better

  • Wake up and sleep at the same time every day; our body loves regularity.
  • Keep your sheets, covers, and room temperature exactly the way you want according to Your body type.
  • Watch the sunset, the light of sun rays in the evening is important for our melatonin to naturally regenerate.
  • Please stop watching TV or having any kind of electronics in your room. We all know the radiation from it damages our brains.
  • Throw away all kinds of stimulating drinks. Coffee and tea seem to instantly please you, but it also leaves you with unnecessary long-term diseases.
  • Don’t eat out as much or overeat
  • If you feel like you did not sleep well, let your day go by without any stimulant or naps and Sleep at the same time at night for your body to adjust gradually.
  • Do not attach yourself to machines that measure your sleep. There is a good reason why our human body is not transparent. The mind will attach itself to different confined results, leaving you with disappointment.
  • Don’t compare your sleep; our body is constantly changing; we are different every day. As our every meal is different, our every night sleep is also different. Carrying an image to refer to your sleep will damage your sleep.
  • Our body changes constantly adapt to new changes by sticking to a good healthy routine.
  • Address all your psychological issues through meditation so you can return to sleeping like a baby again.

About the Author:

Vinaya Saunders

Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher ERYT-500 and ERYT-200 Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher RPYT Reiki Master Karuna Reiki Master SSR Integrated Energy Therapy (IET) Specialty Studies: Ayurveda Obstetrics, Dermatology, and Gynecology.

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