Are you a morning person or a night person? Is your digestive system working normal? Or do you have Constipation or maybe diarrhea?Did you know your body has a rhythm and so are all the organs in the body? I tend to ask my patients whether they wake up in the middle of their sleep at nigh and if so, at what time, because that tells me which organ is calling for help!
It does matter if you are a morning person or a night person. In Persian culture we have a say “ Aashegaan” stay awake at night and “Aarefaan” are awake in the morning. As poetic as we Persians are and love to ponder upon the feeling a word gives us, as well as how beautifully rimed, we use them often in poetry and in our daily conversations. However we may sometimes miss the physical meaning and its practicality in our daily life.
“Aashegh” means “lover” the singular for Aasheghaan and
“Aaref” mean the “mystic” the singular for “Aarefaan”.
Since a lot of people either love or had loved someone very passionately in their life and have had sleepless nights, it is easier to think of oneself or associate oneself with a “lover” and that makes it ok for them to stay awake until late even if there has not been a passionate love in their life since 173 years ago. The answer to the question of why do you sleep late is that I answer my e-mails, I watch a movie, I do things I had not time to do during the day.
Now we need to consider that our body has a rhythm. Our adrenal glands produce cortisol which is called stress hormone. It is usually high in the morning and it decreases in the evening.
The balance of cortisol level is important for our overall health. The effects of having too much cortisol in the body can include weight gain, high blood pressure, muscle weakness, and severe mood swings that manifest in anxiety and/or depression. On the other hand, people who have an extremely low amount of cortisol are susceptible to experiencing problems such as dizziness, fatigue, weight loss and a peculiar darkening in certain parts of skin.
To be sure about this you can have some tests run by your doctor. Do not suffice to the blood test in the morning since in about half an hour after you have been awake it can be very high, sometimes abnormally high but you need to add the amount of stress one has to actually go to a blood test for an additional cortisol production. Therefore it is clever to check the cortisol level in the urine sample as well as spit if you are chronically tired or over stressed. There are way too many other reasons for tiredness as well.
Now going back to whether you are a “lover“ or a “mystic”, observing the human body, its rhythm and function it seems to be that we are supposed to sleep early, as early as before 10:00 p.m. and wake up early, as early as between 4:30-6:30. Looking at the philosophy and religions, so to say at the intellectual and / or spiritual aspect of the matter we are supposed to sleep early and wake up at dawn and meditate, pray, reflect and be the receivers of inspirations. The practical wisdom we read today and sometimes share on Facebook have been written by those “mystics”, “Lovers” mostly wrote poetry that touches our heart beautifully and resonates with what we may have felt or are feeling towards a loved one. “Mystics” enrich the mind. Don`t we need both? Yes we do.
Are you a morning person or a night person? Are you a Lover or a Mystic? If you are not in love at the moment, I suggest try the Mystic and next time you will fall in love it will be in a mystic way .) Which one has a healthier body? Probably the “Aaref” conditioning he/she eats a healthy breakfast when wakes up that early.
Sleeping is one of the main aspects of a healthy lifestyle. The right diet, movement as of physical activities, regular meditation, and of course learning how to deal with emotions are all important in having a healthy lifestyle.There is no one key to health, no magic remedy, at the end of the day everything that is out there with the doctors, healers and, therapist, are just tools for an individual to help oneself. They are all outisders whereas the real health begins from within when “ I “ decide I want to help, support and nurture myself.
Do I want to stay awake until late or do I want to sleep early and wake up early? Do I want to start meditating? Do I want to socialize with people in a healthy way? Do I want to help others? Do I want to eat healthy regardless of how people around me are eating? Do I want to learn how to mange stress in this modern life? Or do I think and really believe I have no stress?
The bottomline is I really really can not make great decisions and help the world if I am not even helping myself. Where do I start? Hmmmm start sleeping early and wake up early. Have a sound diet, you can consult with nutritionist but before that make sure your body is functioning well, have it checked with skillful doctor. You can always cut refined sugar, carbonated drinks such as cola and sparkling water. Eat more fresh vegetables and some fruits.
Observe your cravings and see how beautiful they can change for healthy cravings after your doctor has fixed your minerals and vitamins.
Approach people with love and enthusiasm!
Do not feel despair if they do have your enthusiasm, we are all at different places in life.
Wear a “Simle" after you have put on your clean clothes! A smile goes a long way in the depth of the heart of every observer.
Health is way wider and deeper concept than the level of blood cells and cholesterol in a test paper. Health starts with a connection between “yourself” and “ your (higher) self”. The connection is free no charge : )
