By Hamka Rosli
Sleep is not something that we hardly do, in fact it is a daily routine for us and we do it voluntarily. Sleep becomes essential in our lives and because of sleep, our body and mind come to be fresh again. The energy that we lost in a day could be restored with enough sleep.
However, excessive sleep is not good for our body because it will make the body becomes weak. So, how does Islam set this daily routine to become beneficial for our health? As a Muslim, the answer should be simple because the best way of sleep already being set by our beloved prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The first thing to look when talking about the benefit of sleep is the suitable time for us to sleep. Typically, students are among the group that ignore the schedule of sleep time. Most stay up all night to study and finish their assignment. This habit of not following the proper time of sleep will cause harm to the physical as well as mental health.
It is advisable for us to sleep early at night because around 11pm until 3am is the time of negative ions released from body. This is the best time for us to sleep because our body is in a state rest. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also encouraged Muslims to observe sleep time, which is to sleep early after isya’ prayer so that we can easily wake up early for tahajjud.
Another sleep time that is best for us is the evening sleep, or known as the nap time. It is good if we can fill our time around 15 to 30 minutes for a nap. Some people called it ‘power nap’ because of its efficiency to boost energy after the nap.
Nevertheless, there are also sleep time that is not ideal for human body, which eventually impact our health. The first sleep time which is not encouraging for us is early morning sleep – sleep after the dawn.
Another sleep time that we should not make as a habit is to sleep late evening – after asar prayer, mainly around 5pm until the nightfall. These are the two sleep time that will cause health implication, such as mental health and heart diseases, if we make it as routine.
Islam is concerned with sleep and rest so that all activities can be done well and balanced. In fact, from the sleep pattern, it can determine health state and fitness in a person’s body. Moreover, sleep for a Muslim is also considered as an act of worshiping. By sleeping, we got the benefit of this worldly and hereafter.
The examination week is coming, and for IIUM students, this is the time where most of them will pull an all-nighter – staying up all night. As a Muslim, we should realise by now that staying up all night to study is not good for our health, especially our mental health. Thus, the best way to prepare for the exam is to sleep early and wake up early because human brain works best in early morning, so it will be the finest time to study for final exam.***
Photo credited to Yahoo!