🔗📝notes on sleeping, wakefulness (jāgara) and sloth and torpor (thina-middhaṃ🥱)

Friend asked about my sleeping setup, correctly guessing that I have some optimal minimalist arrangement.

In east asia, where it was super hot, 

I did experiment for some time with just sleeping on basically a slightly elevated bedframe with no mattress, just sleeping on the flat wooden surface. 

It's not as uncomfortable as it might sound, except for part of the lower back spinal vertebrae that would bruise and hurt. 

I sleep lying on my back for about 4 hours, from 10pm through 2am (AN 3.16).

I had experimented with lion posture on side, but it tended to cut off circulation to my right arm, right hand, right finger would get hang nail from decreased circulation, and also a pain developed on part of my muscle that took years to go away. So I keep the lion posture for naps, but the main 4 hour sleep I lie on my back.

To deal with the lower back spinal pressure point, I started using a thin foam tile about 1ft x 1ft square x a few cm thick.

Then I was fine.

The neck would feel a little bit weird, I'm not sure if this messes up spinal alignment in the long run.

I did that for many months, just to know my limits and that I could get a perfectly good nights sleep with the absolute minimum.

Living where things get cold

Then it's important to have good heat insulation. 

I sleep on the floor, with a backpacking/camping foam air mattress 2 inch thick fully inflated. The foam inside self expands, has good heat insulation, so if you just open up the valve it self inflates. 

I have a very old model version of this thermarest (A very reputable brand, I highly recommend). 

It's about 6 ft. long, 25 in. wide. 

https://www.amazon.com/Therm-Rest-Basecamp-Self-Inflating-WingLock-dp-B07YL7YV4W/dp/B07YL7YV4W/ref=dp_ob_title_sports

Sleeping on the floor, on this air mattress, is actually the most luxurious, comfortable, bed that is possible IMO, better than the most luxurious hotel bed that I've ever slept in. The flat floor gives you support where you need support, and the 2 inch of air cushion gives you softness so no bones are impacting the ground. I'm thin and light weight, average American or westerner might need a thicker cushion to achieve the same effect. 

In contrast, a water bed feels nice for a few minutes, but after a few hours you feel like your posture and body is out of whack. 

The beauty of this setup, is it's about 80$ for the mattress, I've used it for decades, I get to use the same exact luxurious bed when I'm camping in the forest, sleeping at home, traveling with backpack gear,  it packs away in under a minute (instant murphy bed pick up and line up along wall), freeing up your floor space to to yoga and taiji. 

If it gets to freezing or lower temperature at night, 

I slept in a tent at night in Nepal in the himalayas with an additional foam padding (about 5-6 in high, not that dense but traps lots of warm air for more insulation) underneath my regular setup.

Another idea to consider that I saw but have not tried, is putting a smaller tent inside a larger tent. 

You'll also probably prefer to have some good face covering, wool neck gaiter to pull over your face, baclava, a couple of wool beanies to pull over your eyes.

The secret to good sleep

Jhana, good diet and exercise. If I'm not sleepy, I sit and meditate. If I'm sleepy, I lie down and fall asleep in under a minute. Even if some loud noise wakes me up every 30 minutes, 4 hours later I wake up refreshed as if  normal person got 8 hours of sleep in a luxurious fancy hotel bed with all the fancy linen and trimmings.

People are misguided spending 1000$ or 2000$ looking for some perfect mattress. It doesn't exist. 

Jhana, good diet, exercise and your sleep will improve immeasurably.

Blankets for my bed

I have a wool shawl that I use for upper body warmth in meditation, blanked for hot nights sleeping.

I have 4 different sleeping bags I've accumulated in my lifetime. 

1. down backpacking sleeping bag that I use most of the time

2. and old thick down sleeping back with busted zipper, so I now use that as a down comforter blanket

3. a thin synthetic material sleeping bag for camping in warmer and hotter weather

4. thick synthetic material sleeping bag for cold weather

If it's really cold, then I experiment with the right combination of the layers to get the right comfort level.

If it's really hot, then having the sleeping bag partially or mostly unzipped,  in combination with blanket is usually the go to move. 

Pillow

I have a klymit inflatable lightweight backpacking lengthy pillow thingy that wraps around your head and ears, which I then fold in half, stuff into a normal size pillow case, then fold the pillow case in half. Then I add an extra layer of cotton or wool between the inside of the pillow case and the inflatable air cushion for extra heat insulation and comfort. 

Height of bed

Sleeping on the floor is the easiest, most convenient, and the thin camping air mattress makes it as soft as any luxurious hotel mattress.

But I see nothing wrong with sleeping on a more elevated height if you're worried about spiders, scorpions, snakes, etc. 

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🔗📝notes on sleeping, wakefulness (jāgara) and sloth and torpor (thina-middhaṃ🥱)