Obesity, Leanness and Sleep
Obesity and leanness are the problems confronted by many while sleep is a life nourishing agent.
Obesity
Excessive fat accumulation is the root cause of obesity. The fat accumulation is caused by the intake of rich, fatty, sweet and cold foods, day time sleep, mental and physical inactivity, genetic disorders etc. The accumulation occurs in buttocks, belly and breasts.
Tiredness, copious sweating, severe thirst, deep hunger, difficulty in movement, difficulty in sexual activity, body odour and shortened life are the handicaps.
Obese is obsessed with strong digestive power to digest the foods quickly and log for more eating. If the urge to eat more is not met it results in disastrous consequences in the form of various disorders.
Measures directed towards the de-accumulation of fat make the body slim. Austere lifestyle, medication, mental and physical activities help slim the body. Dieting too plays an important role. Food and drink items capable of neutralizing vata and reducing kapha and fat are needed. Warm enema followed by medications and massage with oil give positive result. Coarse cereal-rich diet is preferable. Honey-water and fermented drinks after meals are helpful. Less than normal sleep, increased mental, physical and sexual activities are alleviating measures. Day sleep is harmful.
Leanness
Almost all opposite measures of obesity help check leanness. Rich food consisting of fresh cereals, meat, meat soup, milk and milk products, blackgram, rice, wheat, jaggery, sugarcane etc is ideal. oil massage, sweet and fat enemas, happiness etc help a lot.
Sleep
Sleep is a life nourishing factor. Nourishment is obtained only from the normal sleep at night. Enforced sleep (due to excess of kapha, mental and physical over-activity, illness etc) gives negative results.
Sleep is not a factor to be overlooked or neglected. Many positive and negative things emerge from the sleep. While normal sleep provides positive things, abnormal (under-sleep and over-sleep) gives negative things. Potency/impotency, happiness/misery, life/death, strength/weakness, knowledge/ignorance and many more things depend on sleep.
In the absence of normal sleep, it can be induced by various measures. Oil massage and bath, gentle rubbing of the body, intake of rice with curd, intake of wine, soup or meat, gentle sounds, emollient applications to the eyes and face etc are sleep inducing techniques.
Negative sleeping can be corrected with appropriate measures. Physical and mental activity, bloodletting, fasting, medicated smoking, evacuative therapy etc can correct.
Though day sleep is generally negative result provider, in certain cases it helps by restoring the equilibrium of dhatus and helps kapha to support body parts and functions. The old, women, children, patients of injuries, indigestion, diarrhea, colic, hiccup, insanity, those involved in long journey, night vigils, constant reading or singing, drinking, walking long distances, carrying weight, doing manual work and the like fall this category.
