Those who have work hard during the day and are genuinely tired desperately need sleep for rejuvenate. There are others who get time to themselves only in bed, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. People who have sensual enjoyment on their minds wait eagerly to be in bed. And the ones who readily fall asleep and generally get a good night’s sleep, welcome hitting the sack.

Contrarily, there are some who are apprehensive of going to bed. These include people to whom sleep does not come readily. They toss and turn in bed, their mind is on an overdrive, and negative thoughts take charge. Some need alcohol or even avoidable drugs to be able to get some sleep. In fact, sleeping pills are routinely consumed by a fare percentage of city folks. Some surveys have claimed the figure to be as high as 25 per cent.

This brings us to the question: Why is proper sleep such a major problem for today’s human being given that comfort levels have gone up substantially, what with widespread use of cooling and heating appliances? Some of the reasons are: The mind is not friendly; one is not physically active; sleeping habits are irregular; one is tense about sleeping; and, one does not allow oneself enough time in bed.

These are some ways in which to make one’s time in bed blissful. One, people connected to God are blessed; they don’t have sleep problems. Therefore, get connected to God. Two, develop control over one’s mind. This includes practising positive thoughts and banishing negative ones-that is, go into a samadhi mode of pleasant thoughts. This becomes a habit after a while.

Three, one must be physically active during the day. Not only is this healthy, it also helps one in getting a good night’s rest.

Deep breathing while in bed is very helpful. Do not look for diversions like a book or even television; these habits must be given up. One must have a healthy routine that allows more time in bed than the amount of sleep required. Treasure the privacy available on the bed for one is a king here; enjoy the feeling.

Finally, a human body has many pleasure points besides the genitals; explore them. Try to enjoy sleep rather than treat it as a chore. Isn’t the time in bed your own, and only your own? The old adage, that one must never go to bed unless quite sleepy, is not true. What happens when we get up in the morning? Do we want to get out of bed then? Why can’t we develop the same feeling while going to bed?