Are you getting enough sleep?

One thing about me, I absolutely love my sleep; and I make it a priority to get enough each night so I don't go through the day tired, and miserable. I know I'm blessed I don't have to wake up to an alarm terrifying me out of my sleep; I just wake up when my body says it's time to get up.

There's something almost... evil about the way we've been conditioned to wake up. Instead of following your body's natural rhythms, you're going to be jolted awake so you're already in fight or flight mode to start the day.

Seems intentionally harmful if you ask me...

I know people have jobs they need to get to, and children to take care of, but at its root... doesn't it seem like a bad idea?

Why are we talking about sleep? In case you've been living under a rock, or you're just new to this podcast, we talk about all things healing (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) under the guidance of Traditional Western Medicine. What is Traditional Western Medicine? It is the systematized art of traditional holistic healing practices of the West that's founded on the belief of balance and harmony; not only within oneself physiologically, mentally, and emotionally, but with the Universal Life Forces of Nature and the cosmos. Traditional Western Medicine is rooted in the understanding of how we as humans wholly relate and respond to the environment around us, as well as how we function to ensure health and well-being.

Within this systematized art, it considers hygiene as the foundation of all good health; whereas poor hygiene (in most cases) is the root source of most disease. Hygiene is the art and science of personal health maintenance and disease prevention. There are six factors it considers as the basis of proper health management and disease prevention, known as the Six Hygienic Factors.

The Six Hygienic Factors are:

• Air
• Diet
• Exercise & Rest
• Sleep & Wakefulness
• Retention & Evacuation of Waste
• Anxieties of the Mind & Emotions

Last episode, we got into the importance of air quality and diet. This episode, we'll take a deep dive into the importance of exercise & rest, and sleep & wakefulness.

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Exercise & Rest

Adequate air and a healthful diet are essential for health, but if you're not moving your body and balancing that with restorative rest, health will not remain for long. The body and all its parts are kept toned and in shape by regular usage, so if you don't use it, eventually you will lose it. Exercise is determined by how much your respiration and pulse rate increases above normal resting rates. Benefits of exercise includes:

• toning and conditioning the body so parts like our muscles don't get too flabby, and parts like our joints don't get too stiff. There's a balance of firmness and flexibility that's needed
• supporting the Vital Faculty (our ability to vitalize ourselves with basic life energy, pneuma, in order to function) to become more powerful and efficient by increasing the supply of fresh blood and pneuma in the body
• opening up various ducts and channels in the body and cleansing them of toxins and imbalanced humors by metabolizing them; thus awakening the appetite for the body to receive more nourishment
• making the mind sharp, focused, and more alert
• calming the nerves and relieving stress and anxiety
• aiding weight loss

There's a whole bunch of different ways of exercising, from going on long walks, to swimming, to horseback riding, to lifting weights. Heavy physical labor at work is even considered exercise! Again, it all depends on what level of physical activities increase your respiration and pulse rate, which will look different for everyone.

Exercise shouldn't be lame or a bother to go do, so choosing something you actually like to do and holds your interest, is best. I like a more "tamer" form of exercise, like hiking, swimming, and yoga; but if you thrive on competition and athleticism, try to find something that cultivates that (in a healthy way). Going back to our superpowers, or inherent temperaments (episode #9), each of the four superpower types has its own particular way of exercising that appeals to it. Air Benders (Sanguine temperament) seek out exercise that either involves social interaction and group play, or that plays on their aesthetically pleasing minds like dance. Fire Breathers (Choleric) are very driven and naturally athletic, so extreme sports, thrills, and exercise involving speed and skill are right up their alley. Earth Masters (Melancholic) are drawn to exercise that requires efficiency and a more inner competitiveness, whereas Water Bearers (Phlegmatic) are drawn to zero exercise and would rather chill, so light forms of exercise or exercise that involves water is best.

The key to exercise is knowing when and when not to exercise. Here are some guidelines for a good routine:

• don't exercise just after eating as your body is still in digestion mode
• if you have to poop, or pee, better to do so before exercising than after as exercising will actually disperse the waste deeper into the body (yuck)‍
• always do a light warmup stretch to loosen the body and reduce the risk of injury
• stretching and massaging your body after exercise helps promote relaxation and speed up recovery
• drink plenty of water to replace the fluids lost through sweating and heavy breathing
• eat a hearty, healthful meal when your appetite reawakens to nourish your body once again
• know when to stop

Just as the act of exercising is important, so is getting adequate rest. Abusive and excessive exercise actually does more harm than good as your body needs time to recuperate and replenish after heavy physical activity. Remember, everything in moderation. Even outside of exercise, rest is essential. Life doesn't have to be so go-go-go all the time. Taking time to just be is a necessity to continue taking on this game of life and all its stressors.

Sleep & Wakefulness

Sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to good health, according to Traditional Western Medicine. Sleep is a much deeper form of rest where all the anabolic processes (like growth and development) are able to regenerate and restore the body. The same goes for dreams; when we're sleeping, our minds are able to digest and work off all the stresses from the day, allowing it to relax and renew.

A balance of sleep and wakefulness is needed to stay healthy. Sleeping too much can actually make you more sluggish and lethargic whereas excessive wakefulness can make you more tense and restless. Going back to superpowers again, depending on your constitutional makeup and the amount of Radical Moisture, you may be more apt to have sound sleep or be more of an insomniac. Air Benders and Water Bearers typically sleep the best as they are naturally more moist (check back to episode #6 on the primary qualities of Nature). Fire Breathers and Earth Masters tend to have insomnia and sleep disorders. Fire Breathers have no problem falling asleep, but have trouble staying asleep and toss and turn all night; whereas Earth Masters have a hard time falling asleep and sleeping deeply, often waking up too early for adequate sleep.

A Medical Astrology reading is a great way to figure out your inherent superpowers (temperaments) so you know what adjustments need to be made for better sleep, better health, and a better life.

Book a session here.

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Next episode, we'll talk about the last two hygienic factors,  Retention & Evacuation of Waste and Anxieties of the Mind & Emotions. Until then, take note of how you feel when waking up to an alarm clock versus waking up on your own time.

Is the fight or flight mode really necessary every morning?

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Song I feel jives well with this episode:

Thoughts by Another Human full playlist: