Question for Shaykh Yasir: Sleeping Less?

[ashiq]

As-salaamu 'alikum,

Shaykh Yasir mentioned (almost as a footnote?) that 6 hours is absolutely the MAXIMUM you should need for sleep. Less is even better.

I've been struggling with this since the class, without success; what's the right approach for this? Aside from making du'a and listening to "In the Middle of the Night," what's the right path? Is it:

1) Force yourself to wake up after 4 hours; in a week or two, your body will adjust?
2) Cut back gradually, maybe cutting 30 minutes of sleep per week?
3) Something else??

[Solange]

Salaam. Maybe apply the sunnah of napping mid-day, to refresh yourself? Even a cat-nap at your desk, with your door closed for a few minutes, might help...

i'm glad you shared this note with us.. i didnt know sh. yasir said that..

although sleeping more than 6 hrs is usually nice, i find that i'm more productive when i sleep less.. i was thinking about that recently..

I agree with solange.. if you feel that you need a midday nap, then go for it! also going to bed earlier is better. I heard, and i have no proof of this, that the night hours before midnight are more restful than the ones after.. so try to get to bed earlier..

and.. caffeine in the morning should give u the extra boost!!

I'm gonna challenge myself to sleep less now!!

[Rabiah - la Voyageure ©]

3) I've noticed that when I watch my diet, I don't oversleep.

[1/2AWiseMan]

Ashiq - glad u brought it up. it's a big area to be improved on for most people, and i'm on the same boat.

i heard the same thing about sleeping less from Sh. Tawfique Chowdhury, Sh. Waleed Abdulhakeem, etc.
the interesting thing, it's really a characteristic of successful people to sleep less and be more productive. whether financially, health, deen related etc.

may Allah make it easy for us.

[1/2AWiseMan]

sr. Sally - Caffeine in the morning? ...it boosts for a bit and then crashes, taking away the purpose. may Allah make it easy for you to reduce your sleep.

sr. Rabiah - that's a key point, diet has a lot of impact. i've been experimenting with food and sleep habit for a past few wks and it's made a big difference.

as for a healthy boost alternative - drink fresh juice in the morning; just throw in a bunch of fruits and vegetables in a juicer/blender and chug it down at the start of the day. -- boosts energy, and makes you feel good too (although, maybe not when u r drinking it)

hoping sh. Yasir gives his input here.

Originally Posted by 1/2AWiseMan

sr. Sally - Caffeine in the morning? ...it boosts for a bit and then crashes, taking away the purpose. may Allah make it easy for you to reduce your sleep.

sr. Rabiah - that's a key point, diet has a lot of impact. i've been experimenting with food and sleep habit for a past few wks and it's made a big difference.

as for a healthy boost alternative - drink fresh juice in the morning; just throw in a bunch of fruits and vegetables in a juicer/blender and chug it down at the start of the day. -- boosts energy, and makes you feel good too (although, maybe not when u r drinking it)

hoping sh. Yasir gives his input here.

mmm juicing!! I've wanted to get into that for a while..

and caffeine... runs through my veins like blood!! lol!

[Asha]

This is taken from an interview with the wife of shaykh Al-Uthaymeen rahimahUllah after his death..

These answers are relevant with the question addressed and can maybe help us figure out how to sleepless and be productive during the day like Sh. Uthaymeen rahimahullah inshAllah!

Here is the rest of the interview http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?p=359400#post359400

Question 20: What was his daily program? For example, when did he sleep and wake, and when did he eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner?




Answer: The Shaykh used to get up in the last third of the night, praying as much as Allaah wished and then make the witr before the adhan of fajr. Following the adhan, he would pray the regular sunnah of fajr. Next, he would wake his family before going to perform salaat al-fajr at the masjid. He would then return home to read his daily remembrances in the courtyard as well as some of the Qur’aan until about sunrise. He would then sleep till about 8 am. This was on the days that he was not teaching at the university.
After waking again, he would eat some breakfast and then finish his work and readings in his study. He would also pray salaat ad-duhaa before going to the masjid for salaat adh-dhuhr. Upon his return, he would eat lunch with his family at about 1:30. Next, he would take phone calls until about 20 minutes before ‘asr. He would then rest for fifteen minutes or less before going to the masjid to pray ‘asr and meet the needs of people who went to the masjid knowing he would be there. He would return to his study after addressing the people’s needs to read before going again to the masjid for maghrib and his daily classes that would last until isha. Usually he would return home after that to eat a light dinner before going to his study to either give lectures outside of the Kingdom via telelink or hold meetings. This was almost his regular schedule throughout most the year, although it would change during some seasons such as Ramadan, Hajj, and the summer break.
There were also some weekly commitments, and these would take place either at home or outside. Some of his weekly commitments included: Wednesday night meetings with the judges, meetings with the imaams that were scheduled to give the khutbah of jumu’ah in the masajid, meetings with university staff and professors, and meetings with the people of hisbah (those that enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong) until 11 or 12 pm then he would go to sleep.

Question 21: What was his schedule during Ramadan, especially after iftaar?

Answer: During Ramadan, the Shaykh ( ) had a different schedule. He would spend most of the time at the masjid reciting Qur’aan and meeting the needs of the people. Also, he would invite some of the students of knowledge and the poor to eat iftaar at our home. After salaat al-isha, he would return home for dinner and to give fatawa over the phone. In addition, many people would visit our house to either say salaam to the Shaykh or seek a fatwa.

Question 22: Where did the Shaykh like to spend his rest time?

Answer: In reality, the Shaykh did not know rest time; all of his time was busy. Even when he was sitting with us, the phone sometimes would ring, and he would spend a long time addressing the call. His rest time was in propagating the knowledge, meeting people’s needs, and fatawa.

Question 23: How many hours a day did the Shaykh sleep?

Answer: The connected time did not exceed 3 to 4 hours. In total, it did not exceed 6 hours daily.

[Dawud Israel]

^ Good post.

I just remember that there will be plenty of time to sleep in my grave.

The trick is this: Wake up at an EXACT time everyday, and this will quickly become ingrained. But go to sleep whenever you feel sleepy, whether it's early or late. You'll find that you need less sleep and days go better when you have less sleep.

A big part of this is, as I am discovering, is how active you are in the day on a regular basis- if you are more (physically) active, you need some more sleep. And the Asr time siesta helps, even if its for a few minutes of deep rest- just don't let it make you miss salah!

Baraka Allahu feek.

[Dawud Israel]

Originally Posted by Sireen~

Not sleeping after fajr helps a lot.

This is UNBELIEVABLY good advice guys. Don't let it pass you by!