Sleep: A Pillar of Life

by Ram

Siesta by John Singer Sargent

According to the Ayurveda philosophy, there are three supports or pillars of life. Sleep is one of the pillars, with the other two being good digestion and sexual restraint. These pillars endow the body with strength, complexion and healthy growth that can continue until the full span of life, provided the individual does not indulge in activities that are detrimental to health. According to the Charaka Samhita, a foundational Ayurvedic text:

“Happiness, misery, nourishment, emaciation, strength, weakness, virility, sterility, knowledge, ignorance, life and death -- all these occur depending on proper or improper sleep.”

Proper sleep and rest is essential for the well-being of any individual. The body utilizes the sleep time to repair itself of any damage sustained during the waking hours. Sleep helps us thrive by contributing to a healthy immune system and balance our appetites by helping to regulate the levels of hormones that play a role in hunger and satiety. So when we’re sleep-deprived, we may feel the need to eat more, which can lead to weight gain. A good night sleep enhances the same positive feelings and states of being that we achieve through our yoga practice. Good sleeping habit plays a direct role in how full, energetic and successful our lives can be. There's no question that we feel better after a good night's rest. It seems that, if we want to live to our full potential, we must approach sleep as a personal practice.

According to the Harvard Women’s health watch, there are six primary reasons to have sufficient sleep:

• Sleep helps the brain sustain and preserve new information to memory; people who have a good sleep after learning a task do better on tests later
• Sleep deprivation triggers weight gain
• Sleep deficits contribute to accidents, falls and traffic mishaps
• Sleep deprivation triggers emotional disturbances
• Sleep disorders can be a cause of hypertension and irregular heartbeat
• Sleep deprivation lowers immunity making the individual more susceptible to degenerative diseases or infections

How sleep is beneficial and how we are affected by sleep is of great interest to sleep researchers. In a landmark study, scientists discovered that during sleep the brain clears out harmful toxins thereby reducing the risk of several brain diseases. Nina elaborated on this study in one of her previous posts Sleep, Alzheimer’s Disease and Yoga.

In another recent study, a group of researchers from the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Chicago showed that good sleep is the antidote to fear. In experiments involving 15 normal human subjects, the researchers demonstrated that specific fear memories of human beings were wiped out during the slow-wave sleep. The complicated small sample study involved exposing the human subjects to two fear contextual cues: pictures of faces accompanied by an electric shock (to generate a fear response) and specific aromas associated with the faces.  All test subjects learned to fear the faces and the aromas that came with an electric shock. The subjects were asked to sleep and all the subjects were exposed again to the specific smells associated with the fear when they entered the slow-wave sleep cycle. Interestingly, the fear response to the specific odor had significantly waned in the slow-wave sleep cycle, suggesting the importance of sleep as a therapy to boost fear extinction memory.

In addition to supporting the Ayurvedic concept of sleep being one of the pillars of life, the above-mentioned research studies appear to offer a reasonable explanation of the need to have good and timely sleep. Proper sleep contributes to psychological health and well-being. However, most of us will encounter sleep disturbances throughout the course of our lives. In fact, one out of three people will experience sleep disturbances at some point in their lives. Sleep disturbances do not allow the proper repair of injuries making the tissues more susceptible to further injuries. This leads to the body breaking down. Sleep deprivation/disturbance is also a major source of stress among adults. A mere week of unrest or sleep deprivation can cause severe mood disturbances, depression and emotional upheaval. In a multicenter, randomized controlled trial for sleep quality among cancer survivors, a yoga program consisting of breathing exercises (pranayama), 16 gentle hatha and restorative yoga postures (asanas), and meditation was found to be a useful treatment for improving sleep quality and reducing sleep medication use among cancer survivors. Yoga participants demonstrated (a) greater improvements in sleep quality, quantity and efficiency, and daytime dysfunction and (b) decreased intake of sleep medication.

For more on yoga programs for sleep disturbances check Nina’s articles on these specific topics, including Day to Night: Yoga for Better Sleep. I hope after reading this article you will appreciate the importance of good sleep. Remember, good sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, and if you are experiencing sleep problems there is quite a price to pay.  I am reminded of Mahatma Gandhi’s quote from one of his speeches:

“Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.”

Overcoming Addiction through Yoga and Meditation

by Ram

Red by Melina Meza

Addiction is a continued repetition of a behavior or practice or action despite adverse consequences that is beyond voluntary control. People with an addiction do not have control over what they are doing, taking or using and thus resort to an addictive behavior that interferes with daily responsibilities including family, work, relationships, or health. People with an addiction cannot control their addictive behavior; they become completely dependent or preoccupied with the substance or behavior, and may not be aware that their behavior is out of control thus causing problems for themselves and others. Examples of addictions include but are not limited to smoking, drug abuse, exercise addiction, food addiction, sexual addiction, computer addiction and gambling. The difference between addiction and habit is clear. Addiction is a psychological/physical component where the individual is unable to control the aspects of the addiction while a habit is done by choice and the individual is in a position to stop it successfully if he or she wants to. Habits do not have adverse consequences or a serious psychological/physical component as with an addiction.

Furthermore, with addictions, the body and the mind “wire in” the continuous repetitive task by incorporating it as a “normal” function. This creates the conditions of tolerance and withdrawal. When the addiction is to smoking or drug abuse, the body continually adapts to the substance and requires increasingly larger doses to achieve the distinctive effects. This is “tolerance” On the other hand, “withdrawal” refers to physical and psychological symptoms that arise when reducing or abstaining from the addictive behavior on which the body has become dependent. Withdrawal symptoms kick in due to biochemical and hormonal imbalances due to the lack of the addictive behavior. Thus, an addictive behavior may be associated with an immediate gratification but is also characterized by a delayed harmful effect (short-term reward versus long-term penalty).

The consequences of an addictive behavior on the body and brain include a large range of injuries, health problems, brain damage, and birth defects. Substance abuse and dependence trigger negative outcomes including injuries, illnesses, accidents, domestic violence, disabilities, medical problems and death. Treatment options include self-help groups, detoxification-inducing drugs to combat addiction, antibody therapy, vaccine therapy, and deep brain stimulation among others. However, true recovery is a very long journey. Some individuals will remain steadfast, some will relapse, and some will always be “chronic relapsers.”

But now there’s the good news that rehabilitation therapies that use yoga and meditation are likely to have a higher success rate when it comes to helping overcome addiction and relapse. The practice of yoga and meditation exert positive influence on addictive behaviors and helps addicts to understand their true nature. In addition, yoga and meditation helps addicts develop a detached awareness of thoughts since any attachment to them becomes the cause for suffering. Individuals with an addictive behavior and who have a regular practice of yoga and meditation have less blame and disrespect toward themselves and exhibit more respectful, caring, and loving behaviors.

Yoga and meditation also appear to be beneficial in specific type of eating disorders that constitute addiction as they change the addict’s perspective of their own disturbing personalities. In one such study, Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life, female yoga practitioners not only exhibited positive feelings and sense of well-being but they also reported less self objectification, greater satisfaction with their body images and reduced messy eating attitudes compared to non-yoga practitioners. Similarly in a recently published paper A computational hypothesis for allostasis: delineation of substance dependence, conventional therapies, and alternative treatments, a group of scientists used a computational model of addiction, a literature review and an in silico experiment to suggest that rehabilitation strategies that include yoga and meditation with drug and behavior therapies are more helpful than all other methods to help people overcome addiction. The authors argue that a combination therapy that include yoga and meditation alter the reward-anti-reward states of the addict’s neural network system, which in turn help to provide higher cessation rates and lower relapse rates. In addition to overcoming addiction, yoga and meditation also stimulate the three aspects of healthy aging namely: decreased morbidity, independence and mental equilibrium or equanimity (see Meditation: Effects on Gene Expression). What a cheap but effective method to empower ourselves. A perfect New Year’s resolution is to incorporate yoga and meditation into our lives! Don’t you agree?

Meditation: Effects on Gene Expression

by Ram

Yoga for Healthy Aging authors have written extensively on the power of meditation (dhyana) and its beneficial effects on so many aspects of life, including, but not limited to, disease and pain, sleep management, control of emotions, stress reduction, depression and weight-reduction goals. In all the above cases it seemed that meditation changed behavioral patterns and enhanced emotional stability. Articles by Baxter (How to Meditate, Thoughts On Dhyana ), Timothy (Starting a Meditation Practice), Brad (Stressed Mind, Stressed Cells), Nina (Meditation and Compassion)  and yours truly (Achieving Stillness in Turbulent Situations, Memory Loss: Meditation to the Rescue) have all provided lucid explanations of ways to meditate, the science of meditation and the effects of meditation on body and mind.

Vine and Wall by Melina Meza

In one of my recent posts, I also discussed meditation’s important role in slowing the progression of age-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Researchers had demonstrated that meditation reduced hippocampal (the hippocampus is one of the areas of the brain involved in memory) degeneration and improved functional connectivity in those areas of the brain that are affected by Alzheimer's disease (see Memory Loss: Meditation to the Rescue). In response to the above-mentioned article, one of our readers recently sent us the following question:

“What exactly is meditation? At the end of our yoga class my teacher puts us all in a brief meditation session. Each day is different, one day she puts a audio tape and tells us to meditate on it, another day she reads some verses from a book and asks us to meditate on them, a third day she tells us to meditate on a color. I just cannot comprehend these different methods. To me all these are nothing but distractions. So how do I meditate?”

In chapter 3, verse 2 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we are introduced to the topic of meditation (dhayana) as follows: “Tatra Pratyaya Ekatanata Dhyanam.” Swami Jnaneshvara () translates this as: “The repeated continuation or uninterrupted stream of that one point of idea/notion is called meditation.” To put it simply, when the mind remains undistracted (still) for a length of time, it is called meditation.

Needless to say, humans inherently fear stillness, as it brings them closer to their true divine nature, which they are not prepared to face. Novices in a meditation practice have a tough time closing their eyes and keeping still in mind and body. It is a very natural response. Hence, in a beginner’s class the teacher usually begins by telling the class to focus on an object, color, flower, and so on. This type of meditation not only allows beginners to focus strongly on one point but it helps to bring their attention back to that focal point when the mind wanders. Another practice might include focusing on some soft music or recitation, engaging the auditory sense. The ultimate goal of the meditation exercise is to be at ease, relaxed and at peace with our surroundings. It is important not to resist any disturbing or distracting influences that come in the way of meditation practice. Everything is a part of meditation, including noise, thoughts, emotions, and resistance from the mind.

Now that I’ve answered our reader’s question about how to meditate, I’m excited to share some news with you about the benefits of the practice. In a new study by researchers in Wisconsin, Spain, and France, mediation seems to trigger very important genetic and physiological changes in the human body. The authors of the study report the first evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of mindfulness meditation. Specifically, the study shows that meditation reduces the expression of several genes associated with inflammation. For more on inflammation, see my article Chronic Inflammation and Yoga.

In this latest study, the researchers investigated the impact of a day of intensive mindfulness practice on the expression of genes involved in several physiological functions. Blood samples from 19 experienced meditators and a control group of 21 subjects with no meditation experience who engaged in leisure activities were analyzed for gene changes. The changes in the gene expression were compared before and after the meditation session. Notably, the experienced meditators showed a marked reduction in the levels of pro-inflammatory genes, which in turn correlated with faster physical recovery from a stressful situation. There was no difference in the tested genes between the two groups of people at the start of the study, clearly suggesting that the pro-inflammatory gene changes were specifically associated with meditation. Interestingly, these same genes are the current targets of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. According to the researchers, the research findings set the foundation for future studies to further assess meditation strategies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions. I am very excited because if these studies prove successful, one can use stillness to curb almost all the present day inflammatory-associated maladies, such as, arthritis, thyroid disease, tendonitis, myositis, and neuropathies.

The health benefits from meditation are so strong that scientists are swearing by it and more doctors are recommending the practice to their patients. So it’s no wonder that meditation is going mainstream. I know if I had to choose between anti-inflammatory drugs or calmness of my mind to curb stress and inflammation, I would choose the latter. What about you?