I’m currently working on an info graphic about how the daily cycle is influenced by the doshas (will post here as soon as it’s finished). So according to the recommendations, one should go to bed before 10pm and rise with the sun or earlier to make use of the Vata time of the day. If one sleeps longer, it’s getting into Kapha time, meaning this Dosha accumulates and makes it hard to get up and running in the morning and you’ll feel slow and lazy… Well; that’s what I usually experience; to me it just feels way easier to work late into the night (probably using the energetic Pitta time around midnight badly) than waking up in the morning.

But if you do so; maybe like me working late into the Vata hours (starting around 3am, depending on sunrise and -set) – which should be a time of awakening, not going to sleep – you’ll experience the unbalanced side of Vata: difficulties focussing and easy confusion for pretty much the whole day. Only 3 to 4 hours sleep each night for weeks and energy drinks as quick fix don’t help either, little surprise… That’s what my days and nights look like at the moment and although I’ve got an awful lot to do (trying to build a business next to my full-time job) and feel like I just don’t have the luxury of sleeping I sense this is not the way to go. Of course you’d know, your body knows and screams out loud enough for you to be aware of it so it’s “just” a matter of listening instead of ignoring.

Doing changes slowly so they don’t seem as hard and make you give up I aimed for going to bed at midnight and getting up at 5 in the morning. Well it’s 0:45am at my place now, so at least I’m close and considering the time I usually go to bed (4am or later & getting up at 7am) this is still a huge improvement. If I’m more productive in the morning this is certainly worth it!