How much sleep do I really need?

What Gurudev says

You know the feeling: one night you feel completely fine after six hours, the next night you're wiped out even after nine? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar makes it clear that sleep isn't about a fixed number — it's about balance. Too little and too much both do harm.

" Like everything, sleep must be in balance. With Insufficient sleep, the intellect and body don't function properly. While excess sleep causes laziness and a heavy head.

From the official Art of Living website — "Sleep and Insomnia"

Looking at meditation too, Gurudev draws the same line in both directions — too little sleep and too much sleep disturb it equally.

If you don’t sleep at all, there’s no meditation. If you sleep too much, there’s no meditation.

From a talk on the Ashtavakra Gita — "Dissolving the Doer", 00:09:23

And what if you've been sleeping too little for a while already? Gurudev then describes sleep almost like a debt that has to be paid off before anything else can deepen.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Your body needs certain amount of sleep. If you have deprived the body of sleep, it will take it. After certain amount of sleep, meditation becomes deeper. First, you have to fulfill the body of deprived sleep. Profit is only counted after the debt is cleared!

From the official Art of Living website — "An Insight Into The Science Of Yoga" (Apr 18 2013)

So for Gurudev, "how much sleep do I need" isn't a question with one general number as the answer — it's one where you pay attention to balance: enough for body and mind to function clearly, but not so much that you feel sluggish and heavy.

What you can do

1. Pay attention to your own balance rather than a fixed number of hours. Notice how you feel after different amounts of sleep — alert and clear, or sluggish and heavy.
2. Take sleep deprivation seriously instead of ignoring it. If you've slept too little for a longer stretch, consciously give your body the chance to catch up before adjusting anything else.
3. Don't overdo it in the other direction either. Noticeably more sleep than you need tends to make you sluggish rather than rested, Gurudev says.
4. Bring rest periods during the day into your balance too. Short breaks and conscious relaxation can help so the night doesn't have to carry all the recovery on its own.
5. Have persistent sleep problems checked by a doctor. If you sleep poorly over a longer period, or feel permanently exhausted despite enough sleep, that's a reason to get it checked medically.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get out of a disrupted sleep rhythm? Gurudev teaches that sleep has to be in balance: too little affects how the mind and body function, too much makes you sluggish and heavy. He also advises bringing balance to activity, food, rest and sleep, as a way to restore inner equilibrium.

What can I do about stress? Gurudev recommends training the mind to live in the present moment and to drop unnecessary stress and tension — once the mind stops racing, you experience complete rest along with full alertness. He also describes meditation as keeping new stress away while releasing tension already present in the system.

What does it mean to simply witness your own thoughts while meditating? Gurudev names the common inner reaction of immediately pushing away an unpleasant feeling as resistance — and makes clear that this very resistance tends to hold the feeling in place instead of letting it go. His alternative: simply observe, with an attitude of wonder, rather than fighting it.

Why does emotional stress drain more energy from me than physical work? Gurudev compares a mind that keeps circling around small praise or small slights to chewing gum — it keeps you busy but gives no nourishment, and in the end just tires you out. He also describes an emotional stress "storm" as a feeling that's practically burning, one that gets more agitated the more you try to force it to cool down.

Related questions

• Why can't I switch off at night?
• How can I sleep better?
• What helps against racing thoughts before falling asleep?
• What can I do when worries keep me awake at night?
• Does meditation before sleep really help?
• Sleep — overview

Sources

The quotes on this page come from:

• Official Art of Living website — "Sleep and Insomnia"
• Ashtavakra Gita — "Dissolving the Doer" (AG 15), 00:09:23
• Official Art of Living website — "An Insight Into The Science Of Yoga" (Apr 18 2013)