How many hours do you sleep?
How many hours does your body/mind really need?
High yogis are said to sleep just two or three hours daily.
Can that be achieved in a short run?
How can one know what’s the appropriate number for him/her?
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I sleep 8-9 hours, it depends on tiredness, and get up in the proper moment, when I feel rested.
If you dont go to work and meditate all day long, you wont need to sleep so much.
It changes naturally, so dont put a cart before horse. By the way, this topic is supposed to be in General section, not Spiritual, isnt it?
Hello Sasha,
Thanks for replying.
Well, you’re probably right. As I look for sleeping less in order to gain time for my sadhana, i posted it in Spirit’s Path.
Besides, sleeping three hours sounds like a kind of siddhi to me. Don’t you think?
I tend to have about 6 hours minimum on average. Of course it may vary.
I dont like to sleep too long, feel grooggy if I do.
I read a recent medical article where it suggested that people who sleep less live longer…hmmm well don’t know about that…
Yoga Nidra=sleepless sleep. Many yogi’s who practice YN daily can get by on just a few hours sleep.
Me, I wish I could sleep 8-9 hours like you Sasha! That would be heaven! As of now I’m lucky if I get 5 plus or minus a night. I think I’m in senior citizen mode going to bed early and awaking just when my girls are falling asleep! lol
Panoramix, in answer to your last 2 questions…? I suppose the bodies innate wisdom knows what it needs. Perhaps if there is less stress and more peaceful moments in one life less sleep is needed. So, that would vary it from individual to individual. Can it be achieved in the short run? I would think it takes quite a bit of practice to calm the body enough that it does not crave or need sleep. But yes, it is something that can be done.
Panoramix, yes, at the end of the day its all about Spiritual. This ability wasnt mentioned in Patanjalis list, but in the wider meaning of this word it may be siddhi. Karen, Ive read an article with an opposite opinion. I like to believe it 
Otherwise, Napoleon said that men should sleep 6 hours, women - 7 and fools - 8.
He slept just few hours and died probably from stomach cancer.
I believe that his talents and energy could be used for better purposes.
Lotusgirl, i wish you to find time and opportunity to sleep enough.
Just out of curiosity: how many yoga nidra hours do they practice?
Thanks for replying.
Sleep time is a very deceptive measure. As said in other posts, the body knows how long the sleep should be and when are you rested.
But that highlights the fact that the duration of sleep is an effect of many variables which should be targeted, if one wants to control sleep and not let sleep control you! First and foremost, it is a habit. So, any alternative has to be cultivated into a habit too. Secondly, sleep has patterns. Only deep sleep is restful, shallow phases are not. In fact, shallow sleep when one tosses in the bed and often sees wierd dreams, is stressful (to the astral body).
2 sleep cycles of one-&-half hours each, with deep sleep of about 20 minutes, is generally enough for one doing moderate physical work. To make 3to 4 hours of sleep enough, even if you cannot do yoga-nidra, the following will help:
- No solid food after sunset
- No TV-watching or loud/ excited conversation at least 1 hour before
- Shavasan for at least 10 minutes, resting not only the physical body but “watching” thoughts so that they slow down and silently reciting any mantra; eventually watch the breath
- Pushing bed-time by 5 minutes per week and advancing wake-up time by 5 minutes, helps build it into a habit
- manage exceptions: couple of late-night parties will throw this whole attempt out of the window; so return to the schedule with determination.
Good luck.
Panoramix,
I guess it depends on the amount of willingness/practice you commit to it. I’ve done a 10 minute YN and felt great, but other times I needed a much longer one. It is all about maintaining that state.
The more you practice the more you live “in that meditative state” and the body relaxes and rejuvenates in that state.
Sasha,
Thank you for wishing me sleep! It is funny though, I don’t enjoy sleeping. I love being up early in the morning when it is dark and quiet. Good time to practice! Well, maybe not at 3:30 in the morning! lol
[QUOTE=Sasha;47709]Panoramix, yes, at the end of the day its all about Spiritual. This ability wasnt mentioned in Patanjalis list, but in the wider meaning of this word it may be siddhi. Karen, Ive read an article with an opposite opinion. I like to believe it
Otherwise, Napoleon said that men should sleep 6 hours, women - 7 and fools - 8.
He slept just few hours and died probably from stomach cancer.
I believe that his talents and energy could be used for better purposes.
Lotusgirl, i wish you to find time and opportunity to sleep enough.[/QUOTE]
oh no, now I will have to rethink the whole thing, to sleep or not to sleep x
Yoga Nidra, i have been reading about this…its very interesting, when you don’t know about it and read, you discover that at some point in life,you have done it by accident.
I need 7 hours. I can survive on 6, but I feel it. On days when I have nothing to do I will sleep 8.
If I was doing only yoga practice all day, I can’t say what I need. I think the stress of having a “job” changes what we need. If you are able to practice only yoga (in its many forms) all day, without needing to make money, or fulfill some obligation, then you may be able to tell us what it is like. I imagine only practicing on self all day, you might need less sleep, because you are already rejuvenated. Or some days you may be wiped out from that task! lol
I need about 7.5 to 9 hours, of which three must be before midnight, as my mom says any sleep before midnight is double time and beauty sleep! 
Each sleeping cycle is ? 90 minutes and I also try to complete my cycles and not set my alarm to wake me in the middle of a cycle, feel grumpy when that does happen.
I normally need between 8 and 9.
But after a prolonged period of sexual abstinence, longer than a month, the night I ejaculate, I need only seven.
Curious, uh?
tmi
its true, abstinance from sex or masturbation cause your body to have more energy. so u no need 8 hours sleep, 7 hours enough
feel your natural rhythm of sleep and the quantity you need of it. and then sleep accordingly.
many people are thinking should I sleep this much or that much? 4 hours? 6 hours? 8 hours??? The truth is each person will need more or less depending on many factors such as activity level, age, diet, overall heath, and spiritual advancement. generally as people advance spiritually they need less and less sleep. one of the reasons behind this is because their energies become more and more subtle and they don’t “consume” as much energy as a person who is less advanced spiritually. also they are probably less stressed through out the day then a less aware person is…
so don’t bother too much about how much you need to sleep, just sleep until you wake up rested, that is all. respect all the different variables that go into this process and don’t try to be something your not just to copy this Yogi or that person who’s body and mind may be able to function properly with different sleeping patterns than your own.
blessings to All~
Wise reply.
Thanks!
When I was in jail I would practice chakra meditation and Hatha yoga for most of the day. Three hours of sleep was average for me. I think it may depend on the state of your ajna chakra. Without stimulating ajna, I found myself sleeping for longer durations of time. But if I had stimulated ajna, about three hours would be all I needed to feel well rested.
[QUOTE=OneWithAll;73473]feel your natural rhythm of sleep and the quantity you need of it. and then sleep accordingly.
many people are thinking should I sleep this much or that much? 4 hours? 6 hours? 8 hours??? The truth is each person will need more or less depending on many factors such as activity level, age, diet, overall heath, and spiritual advancement. generally as people advance spiritually they need less and less sleep. one of the reasons behind this is because their energies become more and more subtle and they don’t “consume” as much energy as a person who is less advanced spiritually. also they are probably less stressed through out the day then a less aware person is…
so don’t bother too much about how much you need to sleep, just sleep until you wake up rested, that is all. respect all the different variables that go into this process and don’t try to be something your not just to copy this Yogi or that person who’s body and mind may be able to function properly with different sleeping patterns than your own.
blessings to All~ :)[/QUOTE]
…