A couple of years ago I read a post by Bryan where he said he slept a lot for a few months. His health improved dramatically. I was really inspired by this post. Inspired to do something similar someday. That day seems to be approaching.

I recently quit my job teaching English at a private English language school. It was incredibly stressful for me. I'm living in South Korea at the moment. In a couple of months I expect to go to Thailand. There I expect to stay at the home of friends and get a lot of sleep.

So, Bryan, (if he's not reading this then I'll PM him), I've got a few questions for you.

1. What do you do when you have no interest in sleeping? Say you've slept 10 hours today, and you are slept out, do you just lie there, resting? Do you play some soothing music to lull you to sleep?

I've read that resting in this way, by Natural Hygiene, anyway, a person doesn't read, watch TV, etc. A lot of don'ts. Only do what is necessary. So, maybe a little reading, or whatever will be necessary. I raise the idea of reading as a way to get to sleep.

So, yeah, the question again, what do you do when you aren't able to get to sleep?

2. With so many don'ts, what do you do when not sleeping? Daily things like bathing, for sure, I suppose a little stroll in a quiet, peaceful place with green plants or trees. I intend to meditate and do a bit of chatting with friends. I suppose I'll fast part of the time but the rest of the time I suppose I'll do a bit of eating. Food will be a stimulant so I'll have to keep it to a minimum.

Bryan, or anyone, can you give me suggestions where to go for information on how to do this? In a way, I suppose it's the easiest thing in the world - sleep and rest / relax. But, you know, the thinking mind doesn't always let things be so easy.

I guess it would be fitting to mention briefly why I want to do this. I've underslept for years and years. Not long before I quit the job I really felt exhausted. I've never felt GREAT. Life has been pretty blah for most of the past 35 or so of my 45 years. I never wake up in the morning READY FOR A NEW DAY!! My digestive ability seems pretty darned weak. I have read that digestive fire comes from nerve energy, which comes from adequate sleep and rest.

Now that I've quit the job, I think I'm living most of the basics of Natural Hygiene. Sleep seems to be the one that would do me the most good. So, that's where I am putting my attention now. I've also been getting more sleep lately though still not enough.

Enough - Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

I suffered for years with extreme fatigue and constant exhaustion due to my heavy work schedule and long commute and caffeine-overload. I recently changed jobs to one MUCH closer to home, but took a 2-week break before starting the new job. I spent the first week de-toxing from caffeine completely and literally SLEEPING round the clock for the entire week! I never knew how entirely worn-out and destroyed my body had become. By the second week I slept alot less and started feeling amazingly better..... especially after the caffeine de-tox. Started needing fewer and fewer naps and had a little more energy.

It's been a challenge to re-program my body to this new schedule, but it's WONDERFUL!! I don't get nearly as tired and don't need naps hardly as often. I sleep good at night and can wake up pretty good during the day. And I've noticed HUGE improvement in energy and overall feeling-GOOD since going raw about a month ago.

That one week I spent sleeping was sooooooo healing, because my body was SCREAMING for rest so it could start the healing process. I definitely think it is a major requirement for the healing process, and probably one of the FIRST requirements..... REST REST REST. I've always felt and believed that my body will tell me what I need when I need it.

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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

I personally need 9+ hours of sleep a day, and will sleep 10+ if left unhindered. Before I used to think it was unnatural, that there was something wrong with me, that there was something wrong with how I was eating etc. But I now just accept it as a part of me, it's just how I am.

SI, I agree. Some people just require more sleep than others to maintain balanced health and others require less. I think each individual body will tell the person what it needs. Plus, you may or may not notice a decreased need for sleep once your body is healing or healed. Each person is different.

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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

So, plainlydressed, you only needed a week to get better. How many hours did you sleep that week? You say literally around the clock, but c'mon, surely you didn't sleep 24 x 7! I'm grinning now because .... Surely, more like 19 or 20 hours a day. Yeah?

Did you feel like you'd had enough after that week? Did you decide beforehand to give it a week, then you'd resume a more typical life?

Why did you sleep anyway? Did you just feel like it's what you needed? Was it someone's advice?

Maybe I ask too many questions. I've never really developed the art of following intuition over a good long period of time. I get bored easily and wander on to other things. I don't want that to happen this time.

I've got an idea. One of my friends at the house I will stay at in Thailand is a nurse and has personal experience fasting, and probably experience in supervising other's fasting. I'll send her an email asking her to NAIL down so I can't get up and distract myself with any of 10,000 things.

SuperInfinity and plainlydressed, I appreciate your answers. I'll tackle this thing one way or another.

Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

*LOL* That's ok Troy. I don't mind questions. I ask alot of them myself.

I actually had no CHOICE, but to sleep because it's the only thing my body would let me do. Once I was relieved of the shackles of driving 2 hrs to work every day, working 12 hr days, and living on Venti Quad Mochas from Starbucks every day (and 5 Hr Energy drinks at work just to stay awake), it was like my brain told my body that I could now COLLAPSE and sleep until I was finally fully-rested and healed. Plus, I knew I wanted to take the opportunity to detox from caffeine since I had the extra 2 weeks to endure whatever difficulties I might experience in the process. Fortunately for me, I only experienced extreme fatigue and sheer exhaustion and the only thing I could really DO was sleep.

I was in bed by 8pm every night and would sleep straight through til 10 or 11, get up and muster some energy to drink or eat something, but exhaustion usually sent me back to bed anywhere from 12-1 and I would sleep straight through til 5 or 6, thinking I would be awake all night. But instead, I was exhausted and ready for sleep around 8 again, and would follow the same routine every day. I knew that's what my body needed, so that's what I gave it, and figured I would eventually be rested enough at some point!

I finally started re-gaining some energy by the weekend and could tell the effects of the caffeine were out of my system and I felt AMAZING !!! Literally like a new person! The following week I slept very good and regular and only needed a nap occasionally. Ever since then, I've been on a good schedule and not fatigued or exhausted any more unless I stay up too late the night before. It's awesome and I'm soooo thrilled.

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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty."
—Thomas Jefferson

You've got yourself a cool story there. I appreciate your telling me. I'm that much more inspired to do this myself. I especially like the part of your story where you said that you figured you'd eventually be rested enough at some point. Getting out of the way. This is so ... Zen. My practice is Zen practice. Boy ... I could go on and on, but, why don't I just step aside now!

I applaud you heartily. And, thanks so very much for sharing.

Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

You may want to look into a program called centerpointwhich is a series of cds that are said to realign your neural pathways, its kind of a regrouping of the brain,to to help with emotions and such. I used to use them when I flew long flights or just could not sleep.Suz

This is what I need to do. I need to sleep for a month. I get up at 8.30 and get home at 9.00pm. I find traveling on the tube tiring, then I have to sit around at work all day, which I am doing now. I sooo tired today. I feel a bit traped in what Im doing. I need the money so thats why Im still working. Im traped in london as we don't have our place in bexhill yet. I wish I could get a job closer to where I live. But the money is good in cental london. Were trying to buy a flat but it is taking longer than I thought. Sometimes I feel like I am going to just keel over. I keep making excuses to be in the office or go out side of the office so that I can sit in a park. Im soo tired today Im strggling through this work day, I just want it to end

Boy, Kitty (or whatever your name is!), I am glad you posted this. It gives me the chance to send you some encouragement! So, hang in there girl. Hang in there! And a smiley face :-) or two :-) :-)

Ya know, when I was a teenager, I decided I didn't want a "regular job". I have held this ideal for about 25 years or more. A few years ago I told my sister-in-law that I didn't want a "regular job". She asked what that was, and added that she hoped she never got one of those because it sounds scary! She was already working and loved her job so she was just joking.

But it gave me the opportunity to articulate what I had meant. Well, what I meant was a job that I hate. Getting up in the morning to an alarm clock, yanking myself out of bed, then getting ready for work. Then commuting to work. Then spending a day doing whatever that I had no passion for. Then commuting home. Then winding down from work. Hating Mondays. Seeing Wednesdays as, what is it, hump day, I think I've heard. Then, of course, TGIF. And I guess I should mention taking work home, whether just thinking about it, or actually doing some work at home.

It seemed to me then, and it seems to me now, that work takes an enormous chunk of a person's life. So, if we aren't doing what we are really pleased to do, if we have that "regular job" that I outlined above, then, boy .... No thanks, I think I'll starve to death.

I graduated university at 35 years old, after fumbling around doing this and that for some years. Then, just before graduation, I decided I didn't want a career in anthropology. That was my major in uni.

The year before I finished I studied in Thailand for a year. While there I met up with a Buddhist group through the veg restaurant they run in Chiang Mai, the big city in the north. I went back to the US to finish school. Then, after deciding I didn't want a career in anthro, I decided to head back to Thailand. I ended up living with the group at a couple of their temples for four years. Then left the temples, and did a few things on my own for a few years.

After 7 years in the country, I really had quite little money. So I came to South Korea to teach English. That was about three years ago. I really have no job skills to speak of so what else can I do but teach English? All you need in order to do this is be a native speaker, and have a uni degree. So, I'm qualified.

But, it seems to me, that more than those two qualifications, the important thing is ... patience. The ability to let things go when they aren't going the way you want. In the classroom ... boy, I so so so hated the way things went.

I found myself dreading Mondays, looking forward to the end of the day, looking at the clock to see how much longer until the end of class, hollering for the end of the day, and looking forward to Fridays.

So, for two years, I had a "regular job". And I was really tired. My contract was to finish in October. But after a little incident at the school, and then a terse discussion with the boss, I decided I was really ready to call it quits. I quit a couple of months ago. I've been living at this Zen Buddhist temple for about 2 1/2 years. I've been getting more sleep but not nears enough. I've been doing various things on the temple grounds and loving it. People ask if I'm bored and I give them a hearty NO.

Ever since reading Bryan's post a couple of years ago, I have been thinking about taking this long nap. I don't think I'd ever heard or read of this sort of thing before. It's been on my mind ever since Bryan's post. He said he slept a lot for several months. Even then, I was pretty tired. But that discussion with my FORMER boss hit the spot!

I was thinking I'd also probably sleep a lot for several months since I've been tired for so long. But then after reading plainlydressed's story, I wonder if I won't need that much after all. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this Rip van Winkle stint.

I realize my situation is pretty unique. I have saved a pretty good amount of money after a bit more than two years of doing a "regular job". As for my future .... An American raw fooder I met in Thailand once told me he wished he could find a way to live like a Buddhist monk without actually being a monk. So, to not need his own money, to have the freedom to not "work" ....

I haven't yet found a way to do this myself, but I keep this in mind. I have two thoughts. One is to actually become a monk myself. The other is much more fuzzy. I keep thinking of intentional communities. But I don't know that much about them. Ideally, wow ... ideally, I'll find a raw food / Zen Buddhist community. And, there will either be a person right there who has fully awakened (Buddhist language) and will accept me as a disciple, or, someone nearby who is fully awakened and will accept me as a disciple. Also, the ideal community will be one where I don't have to earn money from the outside, and won't need a ton of money to get in.

Also, (boy, sorry, I'll finish real soon!) I prefer warm climates. So, I'm thinking Hawaii. I've been looking around on the internet for Zen Buddhist temples there.

Anyway, that's enough. And that was a lot.

I wish you the best. I wish you tons of restful sleep. If you can't get as much sleep as you'd like ... maybe you have 30 minutes a day for meditation?

:-) Troy



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha