Sleeping is the Most Beneficial for Health – Pay Attention to These 5 Points to Prevent Diseases
Replenishing the energy consumed throughout the day relies on a good night’s sleep, making ample sleep a powerful guarantee for overall well-being. Ancient health practitioners emphasized that “sleep is the primary key to health,” and traditional Chinese medicine also states that “sleep is the body’s foremost replenishment.” However, there are five points to consider to effectively prevent the occurrence of diseases.
- Sleeping Before Midnight Doubles the Benefits
Experts warn that staying up late at night can have significant adverse effects, not only harming the gallbladder but also potentially leading to depression.
The ancient saying, “Sleep is the first step in health, and a night without sleep cannot be compensated for even in a hundred days,” holds merit. This is because the cells in our bodies renew approximately every 100 days. The classic Chinese medical text “Huangdi Neijing” states, “The eleven organs depend on the gallbladder.” The body’s vitality and the proper functioning of the organs are influenced by gallbladder qi. The period from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM is when gallbladder qi is most active. Not sleeping during this time not only prevents gallbladder qi from accumulating but also depletes it, which is detrimental to health. Late-night sleeping can lead to anemia, insufficient blood supply, eye fatigue, and weak lower back and knees.
Sleeping before midnight enhances the effectiveness of sleep. One hour of sleep before midnight is equivalent to the benefits of two hours after midnight. Night owls can gradually adjust to an earlier bedtime by going to bed 10 minutes earlier each day, restoring a normal sleep schedule in no time.
- Optimal Sleep Times
During the Hai hour, the Sanjiao meridian is flourishing, and since the Sanjiao meridian connects to all the other meridians, entering a sleep state during this time allows the body to nurture and rejuvenate, contributing to a healthy life. Therefore, the ideal sleep time is from the Hai hour (9:00 PM to 11:00 PM) to the Yin hour (3:00 AM to 5:00 AM).
Chinese medicine also believes that “Without the ascent of the Shao Yang, the world remains dim.” Shao Yang corresponds to the gallbladder. If one sleeps late or has poor sleep quality, the Shao Yang qi may not ascend the next day, leading to fatigue and a lack of energy.
- Bedroom Size Should Not Be Excessive
In feng shui, it is advised that individuals should not live in excessively large houses as insufficient yang energy may be present. The size of the bedroom matters as well. Traditional health practices recommend closing doors and windows while sleeping to create a protective yang energy layer on the body’s surface. Opening fans or using air conditioning during sleep can disrupt this yang energy layer, causing a lack of vitality, a yellowish complexion, and a feeling of listlessness upon waking up.
During the summer, after cooling the bedroom with air conditioning, individuals can enter the room immediately after a shower to sleep.
- Avoid Overeating During Dinner
Overeating during dinner can increase the burden on the stomach and pancreas, leading to the production of toxic substances, which is unhealthy.
Given the short interval between dinner and sleep, overeating or binge eating can burden the digestive system, continually sending work-related signals to the brain, potentially causing insomnia, vivid dreams, and, over time, nervous system disorders. For middle-aged and elderly individuals, overeating during dinner can stimulate the excessive secretion of insulin, potentially triggering diabetes.
Overeating during dinner can result in undigested protein, which, under the action of intestinal bacteria, produces toxic substances. These toxins remain in the body for an extended period during sleep, potentially promoting the development of colorectal cancer. It may also induce acute pancreatitis, causing shock during sleep, posing a life-threatening risk if not treated promptly.
Additionally, overeating during dinner consumes more qi, leading to insufficient yang energy at night, which may result in indigestion. Moreover, accumulating heat in the stomach during prolonged storage of food in the stomach can affect sleep quality.
- Maintain a Regular Wake-up Time
Even if staying up late, it is advisable to wake up before 5:00 AM. Taking a short nap during the Noon hour (11:00 AM to 1:00 PM), when the Heart meridian is active, is recommended to prevent “double harm.”
To ensure eight hours of sleep, some people who sleep late tend to wake up late in the morning. However, this sleep pattern is unhealthy. Staying up late consumes yang energy, and waking up late in the morning seals yang energy. This is referred to as “double harm.” Both excessive and insufficient sleep can lead to mental fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced metabolic rate, slower heart rate, muscle relaxation, and, over time, lethargy, weakness, and cognitive decline.
