question to long time practitioners: How much sleep do you need each night?

4-5 hours, it’s gradually decreasing.

Right now I get anywhere from 4-6 hours. I have made myself though — take at least one night a week where I will get a 3-4 hour nap along with the 4-6 hours.

When I first started I went on an energy high and took only 4 hours sleep along with 4-6 hours martial arts/taiji training and/or teaching per night. However my employment work did suffer. A case of not balanced I think and not knowing how to handle the surges.

I did 45 minutes to 1 hour of the Hunyuan qigong (neigong) every day for 3 months. Took off like wildfire. I have done the neighong 36 times for each of the 13 sets – took me 3 hours and 45 minutes. I wouldn’t advise that unless you have a way of discharging the energy. I had a buzz for a week and I had to do a lot of sword work to get the energy moving and to discharge it.

Now in the cycle that I am, I require more sleep at intervals but then other times I can operate quite fine at 3-4 hours. I have gone 2 to 3 days without sleep – I could do that before I started seriously practising though so not so much of a leap there. This cycle I think is to help me learn to listen — when do I need more sleep. Not so much what my mind says but what I know. My body goes into preserve mode very quickly, almost too efficient so I will actually start gaining weight or not lose if I am trying to tone down. My body will start preserving and working on minimal for just about everything. I have learned that sometimes I just have to force myself to lay down for a bit. Sleeping is never a problem. I fall to sleep in seconds, wake up and off I go. Usually, unless I am travelling or “dreaming”. Sometimes those adventures take a little energy out of me and can leave me a little disoriented for a few minutes when I first wake up.

The way I look at it now is that the spirit is strong however the understanding between the spirit/soul and phsyical does not always run to par and I have found that if you let it the spirit can run you to death. I have found that it is necessary to temper the connection. Asking for and working for a stronger body so that spirit can reside more strongly connected. If you don’t rest though your body just cannot keep up with knowledge input. It requires rest to process. Qigong does help but I find that tempering is still required.

How to get there?

Neigong practise for sure.
Listen to higher self – for sure (that means meditation) and letting go of mind and ego to let the higher self tell you what you need to heal: more sleep, more vitamins, less cheese, etc. You may even have many allergies that are hidden and are hinderancing your progress. This happened to me. Trust your higher self and ask it to direct you to health. Then listen.
Balance in all things.

Eventually over time and this may take a couple of years, maybe longer, maybe shorter but to be truly not needing much sleep and not fool yourself you must run a tight ship. I mean in that — this is your body, take care of it. Get rid of the karma and self doubt that may hindrance you to love it.

After that it is a breeze. Life flows and then you realize you are working and playing 18-20 hours of the day and each day is full of life.
Listen to your heart, that is the trick. And knowing what is talking to you … mind or heart. Mind can be not so good sometimes. Tricky dicky.

Oh, and in times of need, short 10 – 20 minutes naps are incredibly reviving.

One thing to say to you and others – the spirit has stronger connection to you when you re tired and resistance is less. So sometimes in your journey it may be that you need to be tired for awhile, just part of the process. Just learn to live with it and know that it will pass. I look back and realize that I have been guided thru development. Circumstances were given that made me tired and less resistant, circumstances were given that gave me more rest time. Circumstances were given to give me time to train or not to train. So step back and look at your life. What time do you think you have been given to do what? We think we have control or sometimes we just want control over everything we do and we think taht we can change so much by doing exercises, etc. But really, when you are doing the right thing at the right thing — that is magic. That is the real magic, because nothing can get in your way nor stop you. It is then that you have truly listened to your higher self and spirit.
Tools are great and that is what qigong is — a tool. Just remember that part. There are also many other tools so do not limit yourself. One other tool is compassion. Compassion is an energetic shift that can open many, many doors. Lift you higher so fast your head will spin. So do not get too caught up in “exercises” in the way that we tend to think of them. Open mind to ALL exercises of life and learn to work them with ease and grace. With flow. Qigong is so great to help us do that. Just do not get caught up in the “that is all there is”. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

And in saying that, in the quest of knowledge, understanding, enlightenment, power do not forget to give you what you require. LIke .. live your passion. For if every day is drudgery for you, every day is just another exercise how much happiness would you have. But if those exercise you do give you more of what you need to perform your passion, wow! What a gift that is. In all of this energetic shifting and understanding – learn to understand yourself and what gives you most joy. And do the things that are required to give you that joy. Really sit down and write it out. And if you don’t know what it is then just write down what makes you happy. The rest will work itself out on its own if you just let your higherself take care of it.

I use white light always. Always, always, always. For answers, for guidance, for help, for comfort. Always. With grace, with wisdom, with love, with understanding, with truth, with compassion. I find the best of answers come back if I ask within that context. They come gently and are best to understand.

Rainbowbear

Some interesting things said by others in this threat. Thanks.

My own sleep cycle fluctuates depending not just on my practice but on other aspects of my life (e.g., how hard I’m working at my job, how much stress I’m under, how much exercise I’ve gotten).

I generally hover between 6 and 7 hours a night. this is down from between 7 and 8 a few years ago. I’m not sure if the difference is practice, age or other factors.

I do know that when I start integrating a new practice (or re-integrating a practice that I’ve stopped, like iron shirt), I tend to need a bit more sleep until I assimilate it, and then that blip evens out.

Regarding meditation. I notice that if I meditate over an hour a day over regular periods of time, I tend to need less sleep. E.g., if I’m meditating 2 hours a day I might drop an hour off my nightime sleep.

I will say that most of the people that I have met that look younger than their years tend to get a lot of sleep. I think sleep is a tremendously
beneficial activity and that all of us should strive form more of it.

Wow! do you really do up to 7 hours meditation every day?
Thaddeus