Is man nocturnal?
Is man a nocturnal being? Obviously not. Had he been one, he would have the faculty to traverse and do all the activities in the night without the aid of electricity. And he wouldn't be doing anything during the day. This is evidently not the case.
If you ask any random person in IIT what time he usually goes to sleep, he most probably will tell some time beyond 12 in the midnight or sometimes even 4 in the morning. I thought this was the case only in hostels but only after I chatted with a couple of my friends in Bangalore who don't stay in hostels did i realize that they too sleep late; very late in the night and get up late. This seems to be the trend in most cities. If you ask them why they cannot go to bed early and get up early, they will say it is impossible for them to do so, the reason being that they have never tried doing so. And the funniest part is that some even feel that the most productive time of the day for them is after midnight when they do most of the activities. What an irony! Medical science has proved that it is important for any person to sleep during such hours and that sleep is the most productive thing to do at night. It doesn't take much effort on one's part to get up early. Any person who has enjoyed the morning calm would never like to part with it. I think it is the only time in this modern fast paced world when one can feel closer to Nature. One is really missing something if one is not able to enjoy this peace.
Personally, I feel the later I sleep, my mind is filled with more and more thoughts and there seems to be absolutely no calmness. And the following morning I feel extremely tired even if I sleep for 8 hours. You may say, it is very personal and that it does not apply to every one. But I would suggest you to do this. Just close your eyes and observe your thoughts at 10 in the night and if you are awake until 12 observe them. If you do this for a few days, you will know the difference. In the Puranas, the time of midnight is considered to be the time of the Rakshasas. Rakshasas are nothing but thoughts in your mind. And the time between 3 and 5 is considered to be the Brahma muhurtha. This is the time of absolute calmness and a person who meditates during this hour can achieve calmness of the mind very easily. That is why in the olden days, rishis used to get up by 2, take bath and do tapas during the brahma muhurtha.
I would say this tendency of sleeping late and getting up late is making man move more and more away from Nature. Just look around in Nature all the diurnal organisms. They go to rest soon after sunset and you can hear the sound of the birds chirping as early as 4 in the morning. And man , who is also diurnal, is just doing the opposite nowadays.
If you ask any random person in IIT what time he usually goes to sleep, he most probably will tell some time beyond 12 in the midnight or sometimes even 4 in the morning. I thought this was the case only in hostels but only after I chatted with a couple of my friends in Bangalore who don't stay in hostels did i realize that they too sleep late; very late in the night and get up late. This seems to be the trend in most cities. If you ask them why they cannot go to bed early and get up early, they will say it is impossible for them to do so, the reason being that they have never tried doing so. And the funniest part is that some even feel that the most productive time of the day for them is after midnight when they do most of the activities. What an irony! Medical science has proved that it is important for any person to sleep during such hours and that sleep is the most productive thing to do at night. It doesn't take much effort on one's part to get up early. Any person who has enjoyed the morning calm would never like to part with it. I think it is the only time in this modern fast paced world when one can feel closer to Nature. One is really missing something if one is not able to enjoy this peace.
Personally, I feel the later I sleep, my mind is filled with more and more thoughts and there seems to be absolutely no calmness. And the following morning I feel extremely tired even if I sleep for 8 hours. You may say, it is very personal and that it does not apply to every one. But I would suggest you to do this. Just close your eyes and observe your thoughts at 10 in the night and if you are awake until 12 observe them. If you do this for a few days, you will know the difference. In the Puranas, the time of midnight is considered to be the time of the Rakshasas. Rakshasas are nothing but thoughts in your mind. And the time between 3 and 5 is considered to be the Brahma muhurtha. This is the time of absolute calmness and a person who meditates during this hour can achieve calmness of the mind very easily. That is why in the olden days, rishis used to get up by 2, take bath and do tapas during the brahma muhurtha.
I would say this tendency of sleeping late and getting up late is making man move more and more away from Nature. Just look around in Nature all the diurnal organisms. They go to rest soon after sunset and you can hear the sound of the birds chirping as early as 4 in the morning. And man , who is also diurnal, is just doing the opposite nowadays.
1 Comments:
brilliant piece. these days i go to bed earlier, and get up earlier too.
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