What Does Veganism Have to Do with Sleep?
Everyone knows that our bodies can lack essential building blocks such as minerals, enzymes, vitamins, etc., which can lead to pathological changes. This is true, and these components are indeed crucial, but there’s something even more important – energy. Energy is the most vital element in the highly complex mechanism of our body’s proper functioning.
The ultimate result of every meal we consume is energy, and along the way – only along the way – are microelements, vitamins, enzymes, etc., provided. Without energy, nothing happens, and if it’s lacking, the body becomes ill and eventually succumbs.
The topic of energy and its behavior in the human body belongs to an area still not fully understood by science – it remains a mystery. What’s this all about? We know the physical body, we can see it, but there’s a second body with it – an energetic one, invisible to modern science. They closely cooperate with each other. Part of the energy extracted from our food through chemical reactions is used for the body’s needs and for supplying its own energy economy – its channels and collection points, as known in ancient China, where according to ancient knowledge, the main energy channel runs along the spine to the pineal gland, carrying energy called Qi.
According to ancient wisdom, the Qi in our bodies cooperates with the energy of the universe.
The energetic network throughout the body has been and still is used in acupuncture to treat diseases. Indian yoga, even in ancient times over 7000 years ago, also talked about energy in the human body. According to yoga, the main channel runs from the base of the spine to the Sahasrara – the main energy chakra located around the pineal gland. The dormant energy at the base of the spine is called Kundalini Shakti. Its potential is so strong that it can be deadly if awakened improperly. Together with chakras – energy centers, according to this knowledge, it is the most important element in the history of the human body. And yoga also claims that it cooperates with the energy of the universe.
Now, let’s get back to the moment of dividing energy – part of it goes to the body’s own needs, but it also has to “feed” the energetic body with energy. If it lacks, the energetic body starts to “devour” it from the physical body, and its absence weakens or kills the cells of the physical body, which translates into pathological changes in the physical body. The more energy is lacking, the greater the health problems, and sometimes even tragic. What’s missing or not missing depends on nutrition and the supply of oxygen. Nutrition should include all elements, but just as important is how much effort the body expends in terms of energy on digestion and the process of transforming our food into a state from which energy can be extracted. Dishes containing animal protein – meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products – do provide some microelements, although their range is limited, but animal protein itself is hard to digest. The body expends a lot of energy on digestion, and during the digestive process, toxic compounds are also produced, which, when fought, will require another portion of energy, instead of receiving it. The same can be said about products containing sugar. On the other hand, plant-based dishes are easy to digest, and the body doesn’t spend much energy on digestion, but it gets a lot in return, reducing the possibility of pathological changes in any form. The greatest accumulation of energy occurs during fasting, and in addition, the body, with its much greater potential, can use it to repair damage in all systems. Fasting is a great benefit.
An indirect indicator, and at the same time an argument for how important energy and its level are for the body, is the fact that vegans sleep less. The need for sleep is greatly reduced, and this has been confirmed many times in my many years of practice in treating patients who, during treatment, eliminated animal protein and sugar from their diet, switching to plant-based nutrition. Yes, there is a connection between eating and sleep because serotonin prepares us for sleep so that the body can save and accumulate energy – during sleep, most life functions slow down. Energy saved this way is kept for the body’s own needs and for charging the energetic body. This is the main reason why we go to sleep, and the less it consumes and the more it receives during sleep, the less time it will need for charging and accumulation, thus shortening sleep time.
To not interfere with the body in such an important action for it – accumulating energy and charging the energetic body – it is not allowed to eat or drink after 5:00 PM. Energy should not be underestimated; it should not be wasted. It is the energy that decides whether we live or die.