Sleep Course India: 16 Wrapping up in Gangtok

Published: Feb. 12, 2021, 9:30 a.m.

I have reached the end of my trek through Northern India. The scientific studies I looked at before my trip, mainly from Europe and the US, clearly show the connection between consciousness and sleep, can also measure and prove corresponding brain waves, but there are hardly any proven methods to influence it. I had therefore decided to make this trek through India, because people here have been dealing with states of consciousness for well over 2500 years and have developed techniques to cultivate this consciousness. Here different interesting currents meet, from Taoism in China, which probably inspired Buddhism, the Vedic culture, the Buddhist teachings up to modern Yoga. In essence, the sleep disorder is a disorder of consciousness. It is a disorder of how you perceive yourself. And we can influence this perception. I would like to shed some light on what your consciousness or the perception of your life has to do with your sleep. You can basically distinguish between two states, namely the perception that you experience while awake and the non-perception during sleep. What do you perceive at all? You can differentiate two perceptions. On the one hand, the sensations of your senses, for which you also have organs, i.e. seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling. The second area comprises the perception of your moods, i.e. sensations to which you cannot assign any organs. This includes joy, sadness, fear or shame. In the sleep state, both your sensations and the perception of your moods are limited. That means you hear nothing or little, see nothing, smell, taste and feel almost nothing when you sleep. I think one thing is clear to everyone: if you ponder on your problems or are excited, you can't sleep properly. But what I find alarming is that bad feelings and moods are not only causes of poor sleep, but also a consequence. It's not just your mental performance that depends on good sleep. What I have learned in conversations over the last few weeks is that sleep is the most important prerequisite for self-confidence and the general feeling of contentment and the feeling of happiness. So what we see is a vicious circle that is very hard to break. Above all, it doesn't go away on its own and experience shows that it increases with age. That’s why they say "sleep like a baby". If you want to break this vicious circle of insomnia, you have to tackle it actively, which bring me to my conclusion of this journey It has proven true for me that there are three most important adjusting screws for natural sleep: Light, movement and rest. Light: We need more natural light during the day and less artificial light in the evening. For thousands of years, humans have followed a fixed light-dark rhythm that has determined our sleep patterns. The circadian rhythm is strongly influenced by the natural light to which we are exposed in daytime. During the day, hormones are released by the body, controlling digestion, the immune system, blood pressure, fat burning, appetite and also sleep. The hypothalamus is is primarily responsible for controlling hormones. Light signals the hypothalamus and stimulates the body to produce the optimal level of daytime hormones and regulate your biological clock. Too little light exposure during the day and too much artificial light in the evening negatively affect sleep. When you fill up with more natural light during the day, you give your day-night rhythm a boost in (circadian rhythms). Too much artificial, blue light in the evening, inhibits melatonin production and thus sleep. Sufficient physical exercise Exercise during the day gets the body moving, promotes hormonal health and boosts metabolic processes. There are a few points you should keep in mind: If you suffer from stress, you should allow yourself to rest rather than perform additional strenuous activities.