God can help if you get sleepless nights

First of all, it must be understood that sleeping is a basic necessity of the material body. This, along with eating, is essential for the material body to exist. Lord Krishna has instructed us in the Bhagavad Gita to sleep and stay awake as required (6.17), that is, neither too much nor too little (6.16). In short, it should be yukta (just right).

What is right varies at different ages. A tiny infant sleeps almost round the clock, except when he or she wakes up to be fed. Children require seven to eight hours of sleep to rejuvenate their tired bodies. This continues into youth, although it is closer to seven hours. As one advances to middle age, the requirement is still around seven hours, but it begins to become difficult to manage, especially if the mind is disturbed. This problem gets worse in old age. There is less deep sleep; one wakes up early, and even total sleep is affected. Naps during the day are required to maintain the necessary energy level.

The important question that must be answered is: Can one manage with naps if there is deficient sleep at night, which is normally the case in old age? The answer, fortunately, is yes. A good sleep after lunch restores the body to a good energy level, and the mind is refreshed. Some older people take two or three naps during the day, which keep them going.

All this is fine, but there are normally problems in sleeping well, beginning from middle age. If advancing age is a problem in itself, most people compound it by having impossible dreams that are never going to be fulfilled. Added to this is bhogabhava (the mood of sense enjoyment), which is never satisfied. Material attractions are embraced, and the mind, which is key to good sleep, gets affected. What people do then is even worse. Rather than accepting the reality of age causing changes in sleep patterns, they resort to drinking alcohol, taking sleeping pills or even drugs to get to sleep. In developed countries such as the USA, 54 per cent of the adult population drinks alcohol, and around 10 per cent take sedatives to sleep. An overinflated ego does not allow one to look for the real solution, which is taking shelter in God.

How can God help? He begins to reform the person if one takes His shelter and decides to remain in it. Systematically, God guides one towards solutions to individual problems. As one experiences these changes, one starts to become hopeful. One begins to look after one’s health seriously rather than lamenting one’s luck. One begins to accept the reality that the Earth is a duhkhalaya (place of misery), as are the changes in sleep patterns. One becomes a devotee, and the mind starts to become peaceful. Night-time dreams are no longer scary and disturbing. There are other benefits as well to being under the shelter of God. He provides what one lacks, including good sleep, and protects what one has, giving hope for a smooth life from now onwards.

The writer is a spiritual teacher; Views presented are personal.