So last week we focussed on the morning habits. This week we’ll skip to our evenings. Before we start I’ll just say that the gross part of the day is basically where Ayurveda makes the time for working and playing and basically “do-all-the-things”. An important note to remember is that it is recommended to take the largest meal of the day at lunch time when digestive power is at its highest during Pitta cycle, this means before 2pm in the afternoon, no later otherwise you don’t only miss the benefits of a rearing digestive fire but you also push back on the optimal evening routines for wellbeing. Eating a big meal at lunch time means you have the rest of the day to digest and assimilate food properly, and you are not eating a large portion of food at a time when your digestive system is going to sleep therefore building up un-digested food in your gut.
The evening habits start early if possible and are largely based around supporting the digestive system and preparing for a good night sleep. Sleep being another pillar of wellbeing in Ayurveda. When good sleep hygiene is insufficient, a person’s lack of synchronisation to night and day can actually have health consequences. Once again Ayurveda meets scientifically proven research. A good night sleep like good health is often taken for granted nowadays. Coming back to last week’s subject of “entrainment”, all we are trying to do following an Ayurvedic daily routine – dinacharya – is to entrain the body back into a healthy natural circadian rhythm, which we’ll dive into later in this lesson.
But first things first, evening rituals start with…
EARLY LIGHT DINNER
Dinner should be eaten early if possible between 5.30 and 7pm; 6pm is the ideal target – at least 3 hours before bed. A heavy or late supper will take a longer time to digest. Digestion raises your metabolic activity, which works against settling down to sleep. Also if you give your body a longer window between dinner and breakfast it will gain some of the benefits of fasting. In fact it is getting a mini-fast. The body can focus on resting and healing. You will also feel lighter and avoid weight gain from not going to sleep on a full stomach. The mini fast will support you feeling more energised on waking up, totally beating that lethargic feeling you got in the morning from eating larger portions late at night.
After dinner you want to be shutting down your kitchen as such. The policy is no snacking after your last meal. You may wish to clean your teeth as a little closing ritual to make sure you do not take any more food. If you are really struggling with going all evening without food a warm milk closer to bedtime with a little spice is good. A cardamon-nutmeg combo works well to help sleep or cardamon-saffron. In either case bring the milk to a boil to make it more digestible then remove from heat before adding two pinches of ground cardamon. Add either two pinches of nutmeg or up to 3 threads of saffron. Herbal teas are also great to fill that need for a soothing hot cup.
In order to sustain an early light dinner make sure your bigger lunch includes protein and healthy fats. You can allow a 3 course meal at lunch time so you are full for longer and feeling more fulfilled by adding all 6 tastes. In the evening, make dinner a much smaller lighter portion but again including all tastes will help curb any cravings later.
The easiest way to transit to an earlier dinner is to start eating 15 to 20 minutes earlier than your normal dinner time then continue to do so until you can reach the goal of eating supper closer to 6pm. Making small changes over a few days, perhaps weeks, will make the transition more sustainable if you have deep rooted habits of eating late due to social pressure or ingrained cultural heritage.
My teacher Cate Stillman in her book Body Thrive refers to the term krama in Sanskrit which refers to “a sequence that allows consciousness or energy to flow for optimal health” in other words the perfect sequencing of daily routines for feeling great. This is exactly what we are looking for with Ayurvedic dinacharya, the Ayurvedic daily routines. The illustration is that of a yoga class. As a teacher I am aware – and if you’ve ever been to a class you will too – that the order in which you place poses in a class makes a great difference as to how the students feel and whether it “works”, that is whether the body-mind system is benefiting from the class. Again I can’t help highlight enough that that is exactly what dinacharya, or Ayurvedic daily routine, is about.
If you need more reasons to have an early light dinner you’ll want to think what lying down to sleep does to digestion. If you have a full stomach, will you really want to lie down? Obviously it’s not comfortable. Not to mention that your metabolic system will be slowing down too.
If you are serious about supporting your digestive system which is at the centre of your wellbeing programme then you will need to tackle the biggest issue in your way: social pressure. Modern society has grown habits which are not supportive of your health and bliss and your entourage will perhaps not respond supportively to the changes you need to make to feel better. On the plus side, modern life has also made our choices more flexible. It is much easier in our modern environment to make a case for why you simply cannot sit down altogether to eat at 8 or 9pm. We all have activities and duties which keep us busy and therefore the full family sit down late at night becomes obsolete. That does not mean that we shouldn’t prioritise family time or time with dear ones but that time can be re-organised. Either you all eat together a lighter dinner at an earlier time or you eat separately as to facilitate your requirements; however whatever you chose you can still spend quality time together, doing something else. Go for a walk, tend to the garden, play a game, read or chat together, have a cup of tea or else in the kitchen and tell about your day.
If you need to socialise, find alternative activities you can do with others that support your new lifestyle. And I am not suggesting you become a monk, unless you have fallen head over heels with Ayurveda and want to live and breath that system, which many do, otherwise allow for a night away from your healthy routine now and then. But make it an exception, a treat as such, as long you care for yourself in other ways to continue looking after your energy the next day.
What to eat?
Soups and salads are the perfect evening meal providing easily available nutrition. A one-pot meal also. A slow cooker is a great idea. Certain foods require less energy to be digested. Liquid food is easier on the system but do consider your dosha as some people will do better with solid dry food. If you can though you will find your digestion less strained and elimination easier. If you take to small beans or lentils in your soup, they will provide a lot of fiber which many of us lack. If you can soak the beans, lentils or grains overnight the night before then all the better for helping digestion. With a little research you can use adequate spices to warm you up and facilitate digestion too. In general, cumin, turmeric, fennel, ginger and cayenne pepper are all good digestive stimulants. Don’t use them altogether obviously, and make choices around your taste. Cardamon and saffron are also lovely spices for taste and deliver a punch of benefits. If you have any interest in herbs and spices for health then I recommend The Yoga Of Herbs which is a fabulous little bible. After a detailed and very helpful introduction about Ayurveda and herbal energetics it then lists a range of herbs categorised by their action on the body and mind and fully details the benefits. Of course eating a warm meal is more soothing and blood circulation to your abdominal organs will be supported.
Plan your meals ahead so you have the correct grocery in the kitchen already without stressing and if you’re not really a cook or if you have a very busy schedule I think repetition works well. Once you have a few recipes you know how to prepare easily or quickly that really fit the bill of being healthy and wholesome but not too heavy then it’ll be a natural habit to cook those. You’ll rely on them. Variety is good too if you have more time. It’s a balance between making it easy so that you will continue the good habit and interesting so you don’t get bored but feel inspired.
HOW TO GET A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP
In our modern lifestyle due to social pressure many people suffer, often without even realising or being fully aware of it, from either insufficient amount of sleep or poor quality sleep. This means that you are probably surrounded by sleepy people during your days or that you yourself may be feeling sleepy during the day.
You will certainly experience different levels of sleepiness and alertness during the day and these patterns are regulated by two body systems: a sleep/wake homeostasis and the circadian biological clock. The sleep/wake homeostasis is what tells the body it is time for sleep after a long period of being awake, it is also the system that keeps you asleep for long enough to make up for the time you have been awake. It creates a drive to balance sleep and wakefulness. If this restorative process was all we had to go by then in all likelihood we would start the day full of energy and as the day enfolds we would feel more and more like sleeping. However the circadian biological clock regulates the timing of periods of sleepiness and wakefulness throughout the day. The circadian rhythm dips and rises at different times of the day. In other words modern science and Ayurveda have made similar conclusions about energy cycles during the day and night. The cycles of nature are intimately related to our sleep patterns and energy patterns.
Still, good sleep provides you with a sense of vitality that lasts throughout the day. However modern lifestyles intervene often negatively. There is a condition called “Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome which means that your internal biological clock has become mis-set over the years due to irregularities in your daily schedule, your diet, and other areas of your life.” The result is that your system functions on a different setting than the natural setting and you are basically suffering jet lag without the pleasure of travelling. This can explain drops of energy during the day, sudden drowsiness and feeling fine one moment, exhausted the next. Sleep is in fact essential for bodily repair and regulations, it supports good mental and physical health. On the other end, the lack of sleep can affect mood negatively as well as damage good immune function and memory and lower pain sensitivity – not to mention side-effects such as weight gain due to less self-control and succumbing to temptation, being more likely to fight with spouses due to lower moods and giving reasons for procrastination.
Of course many of us suffer other sleep disturbances, finding it difficult to go to sleep or waking multiple times during the night, even suffering insomnia.
Creating healthy sleeping conditions is of the utmost importance, this means re-aligning with natural patterns.
It is highly advised to be in bed and have the lights switched off ready for sleep for 10pm. This is so that you go to sleep in a supportive Kapha cycle. Remember that Kapha is an energy oozing a slow pace, heaviness, contentment – perfect for going to sleep. From 10pm you enter a Pitta cycle synonym to the dosha of activity, lightness, sharpness and heat responsible for that second wind which sends you into overdrive, mind racing and is counterproductive to going to sleep.
I know it sounds tough but it is tough love. An early night gives you deep rest and a normal sleep pattern. Perhaps you won’t be able to sustain this every day but you could start with 2 or 3 or go to 4 nights in the week. You could also start with doing it religiously for the remaining time of our course, at least so that you can feel for yourself in your body the result of adhering to the practise. Then you can decide if it’s worth giving it a go on a more regular basis. It could be a target with flexible margins around it, but a target nonetheless. Trying in as much as possible to stick to it whenever the circumstances allow you.
In order to be asleep for 10pm you will need to prepare early.
A short walk after dinner of up to 15 minutes is ideal to help digestion and promote relaxation.
Start having quiet time by 9pm or at least head for the bathroom/bedroom for your ablutions by 9.30 at the latest. You need to unwind for at least half an hour. Reading is the perfect way to unwind but do what works for you. Note that it is not advisable to do dynamic activities (and that includes reading) outside of the bedroom, so as to keep the bedroom solely for the purpose of sleep. The bedroom should be associated with sleeping and not with any mental activities so you can leave them behind when going to bed. For that reason TV in the bedroom is a very bad idea, not too mention that it is so easy to let time slip by if you just flick the TV on. It might seem very difficult but if you suffer a sleep disorder this is a big no, no. Watching even a relaxing programme is a process that engages the nervous system and stimulates mental functions including sight and hearing. Examples of truly relaxing activities include playing with children, listening to music and reading.
Don’t get wound up: avoid dynamic activities or activities that require your focus after 9pm. To sum it up nothing too physical and nothing too brainy. You need to settle down and relax to give yourself time to go in sleep mode.
For a lot of people it is difficult to go to bed early or to fall asleep because they feel, strongly, that they have left things undone that they can’t stop thinking about whilst they are about to go to bed/sleep. They may be small things like the kitchen is a mess or bigger positive things like reading a book they really want to read or finishing a project they’re working on, organising a trip. The obvious response to this issue blocking your healthy sleeping is that you need to re-organise your life around a schedule that allows you to do those things that matter to you during the day. Only then will sleep improve. This is quite big. We are not just talking about being on top of your daily chores but truly going for what you want in life! As in big lifestyle overhaul to chase your dreams. It’s both the little things and the big things you need to focus on. Unsatisfied aspirations will otherwise nag at you at bedtime so go for it, live the dream. I’m aware that some of you who are painfully tired and perhaps chronically exhausted will really resent and fight the very unoriginal suggestion to go to bed earlier. Why? Because you have not scheduled any other time in the day for yourself. You’re racing around the clock without break or leisure until evening time. Whatever you use your evening for, whether to catch up on work or household duties or for a little fun and downtime, you must try and carve time in the day time, even for 5 or 10 minutes so that you are not piling everything up at a time you should go to sleep for rest. Again if you are working all day either for yourself or a big firm and feel like you’re giving it all away then you need to rethink your priorities. Either your work must become fulfilling in itself and bring you the satisfaction you crave (change job, make your job work better for you, make changes to your work to gain satisfaction from it) or cut time out of it to either rest, do something you love or work on creating a new situation/job/environment that will give you the sense of happiness you need.
Start waking up earlier in the morning so that you will feel tired enough to go to bed early. If you keep to a strict routine of waking up early – and you might want to do this gradually too – but if you do start waking earlier even if you miss going to bed earlier in the long run you will find it easier to go to bed earlier since of course you will be more tired comes your new bed time. Regularity is important especially in terms of waking up as it sets your body on a habitual schedule which your body then starts expecting or relying on.
If you have sleep issues, the best policy is to rest in bed with your eyes closed rather than get up to do something else. Take an attitude of not minding whether you’re asleep or not, feeling relaxed whatever the outcome. You are giving your body some rest.
Some people say that they are night people. Ayurveda teaches that there are no night people but just people who have gone so far away from healthy natural rhythms that their body has adapted to operating on a different time schedule which is detrimental to their health and wellbeing, certainly detrimental to them feeling full of energy in the day time. These people may experience a high or thrill at being awake late at night whilst others are asleep but again this is purely due to exacerbation of unnatural routines which results in sleepwalking during the day. If you’re sleepwalking during the day, tired and drained, you are not making the best of your time, you are not fully present. If you re-adjust to sleeping early and soundly you will experience a surge of energy and buoyancy in your day like you haven’t experienced since childhood.
A few helpers to get set up:
Optimize your environment:
Sleep in a cool, quiet room that is completely dark and switch off phones and other screens for a while before sleep, a 2 hour period would be perfect but I realise not always possible. Just make sure you give yourself a margin before bedtime. Also dim the lights about 2 hours before bed.
Support your blood sugar levels throughout the day and leading to bed avoiding sugar, sodas of any sort and excess processed carbohydrates.
Practise mindfulness and/or meditation in your day to improve sleep quality. Focus on being fully present in the moment and in your body several times during the day (set up a reminder in your phone if you need to), be aware of your breath and releasing attachment to things being a certain way and rather feel the flow of where you are, what you’re up to just being completely aware in the situation.
If you feel that you do need to process your day or go over tomorrow’s day then do it early and bring closure at the end. Do it outside of the bedroom, say in your office, living room, at the kitchen table. Have a notebook to make notes about what to take from your day or write down your don’t-forgets for tomorrow. Be thorough but bring the process to a completion and then close the notebook and do any little ritual you feel to do – perhaps simply taking a deep breath or saying thank you for something you are grateful for (very important & effective) then move to preparing for bed completely leaving behind the past day or tomorrow’s plan. Enjoy being with yourself or your family.
Regular strong physical activity, sport or exercise in the day (but far away from bedtime) positively supports sleep quality and quantity.
Take supplements in the form of 200mg of magnesium in the evening which is calming and nourishes the nervous system and the adrenal glands. It helps ease anxiety, fear, nervousness, restlessness and irritability. Passionflower is also powerful as a natural sedative and helps to treat mild anxiety. It’s good if you feel tense, restless or irritable at night. Your pharmacist will be able to advise on dosage to take before bedtime.
Use your senses to come back to your body and relax into sleep. Use scent in your room, lavender essential oil is great for grounding and calming or go for something a little warmer in the winter such as vanilla. Soft music or recorded meditations will anchor into sound therapy to soothe you into sleep. Physical touch or even sex is a great relaxer before sleep.
So here is to supporting healthy sleep hygiene. Ideally you would try and create a minimum 7-hours sleep pattern to feel rested the next day.
Sleep Cycles
Namaste,
Anne
Evidence-based + Holistic 