SUNNAHS OF SLEEPING AND SCIENCE
the Prophet slept for a part of the night, and late in the night he got up and performed ablution from a hanging water skin, a light (perfect) ablution and stood up for the prayer."...(Bukhari)
Modern Studies have shown that this may be the best advice for many people:::
* SLEEP STUDY...a 6 year study of more than a million Americans showed that a good night's sleep is 7 hours. It also showed that people who sleep for 8 hours or more tend to die prematurely. Study leader, Daniel F. Kripke, says, "You really don't have to sleep for 8 hours and you don't have to worry about it. It is evidently very safe to sleep only 7, 6 or even 5 hours a night."
*STATISTICS...In the study the death risk for people with excess sleep was 34% compared to only 12% for those who slept 8 hours and only 22% for those who had too little sleep!
TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION
*up to 60% of depressed people will show a 30% improvement after just one night awake.
* Sleep inhibits the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) that helps control our metabolism and indirectly our levels of energy. An estimated 25 to 30% of depressed patients have low TSH levels. Recent research shows that staying awake through the night and the early morning hours boost it.
The holy Prophet would sleep shortly after Isha and wake up in the very early hours of the morning, sometimes as early as midnight to pray.
Shaykh Abdul Haq in his book Madarijun Nabuwa states,
"because the heart is on the left one will not be satisfied with the sleep and the person will sleep heavily not knowing his state. If one sleeps on the right side the heart dangles meaning a person cannot sleep heavily. This benefits a person as he can look after himself and his family if anything happens. A major benefit is that one will not miss the morning prayeras one is not engaged in heavy sleep.
Imam Shafi states that there are 4 types of sleep;
1.to lie on the back-this is the sleep of the Prophet's .
2. to sleep on the right side-which is the sleep of the WORSHIPPERS (us!)
3. to sleep on the left side-which is the sleep of the rulers.
4. to sleep on the stomach-which is the sleep of the devil.
HADITH; Hadhrat Aisha radhiallahu anha states, "Whosoever sleeps after Asr salah and loses their intellect only has themselves to blame. "
SCIENCE; A gas exits from the earth at the time of Asr salah which is heavy and can effect a person's mind and heart. If a person sleeps before Isha, the body also sleeps and cannot fight this gas hence causing illnesses.
Washing hands after waking up
SCIENCE; Germs may accumulate on the hands during the course of the night.
HADITH; Abu Huraira narrates, "When you wake up from sleep to pray, wash your hands before youput them in the wudhu water, for you do not know where your hands have spent the night."
sleeping on the floor
SCIENCE; Doctor Nixon says, "When a healthy person sleeps his
muscles become relaxed. A comfortable bed is bad for the spin