A good night's sleep is crucial to one’s well-being. In an effort to gain the most positive energy, people have turned to ancient principles of Vastu Shastra and/or Feng-Shui to set up their comfortable spaces in their homes to gather the most beneficial energies.
While that works for many, there could also be an issue with your mattress causing your restlessness.
See if Feng-Shui or Vastu Shastra works for you or if you may need to talk to a representative from Polysleep to find out how a Polysleep mattress could assist you in a peaceful slumber.
The impact of bed orientation on your sleep: myth or reality?
This might seem strange, but the question is well-founded. Indeed, millenary traditions such as Feng Shui, from China, or Vastu Shastra, from India, insist that the cardinal orientation in which we sleep affects us. Given the age of these Asian philosophies, it’s only natural that we should consider the question: if these traditions endure, there must be some valid truths among them, right?
But what is the basis of Chinese Feng Shui and Indian Vastu Shastra to support the previous assertion? On the idea of the magnetic field generated by the earth.
Indeed, according to the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, it’s first created by the horizontal and vertical convection movements taking place inside the earth's core, which is 90% iron in liquid state.
The result is a dynamo phenomenon that creates this bipolar magnetic field. This doesn’t coincide with the Earth's geographic North since it’s inclined at about 10° to the Earth's axis of rotation.
The above-mentioned philosophies start from this observation and lead to the following postulate, which you have surely heard: if you sleep with your head to the North, you make your positive pole, which is your head, coincide with that of the earth.
According to both Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui, this creates a magnetic repulsive action between the two poles. And this "struggle" between the two would be responsible for your sleep problems.
However, none of these theories has a scientific basis. Indeed, to date, the enormous amount of data we have on terrestrial magnetism tells us that its impact on us is nil, this field being far too weak to affect us.
But if it doesn’t disturb us, what’s wrong with putting into practice what Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui propose to help us sleep better? Nothing! So we might as well give it a try, right?
But if it doesn’t disturb us, what’s wrong with putting into practice what Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui propose to help us sleep better? Nothing! So we might as well give it a try, right?
Which direction is best to sleep in according to Vastu Shastra?
Below we discuss the principles of Vastu Shastra and the factors behind the best direction to sleep according to these principles.
The principles of Vastu Shastra
In Sanskrit, vastu means habitation or building whereas shastra means teaching. To put those two together, you get the concept of designing your home.
The concept believes that your body is made up of five elements, or Pancha Tatwa.
These elements, sky, air, water, fire, and earth, when positioned correctly, will emit positive energy. Additionally, these elements are connected with your five senses and, when in sync with the five elements of Pancha Tatwa, will provide you with overall positive well-being and balance.
Things you should know about your biological clock!
What are the recommendations of Vastu Shastra for the bedroom?
Your master bedroom should be in the southwest, or most stable direction, of your home. If that isn’t practical, it’s wise to at least put the bed in the southwest, avoiding the north completely. Additionally, your mattress should be a single mattress on a double bed.
Vastu Shastra suggests warm colors to signify fire. It recommends that while they’re often loved, avoid cold colors in your bedroom because they’ll negatively impact the direction of fire. In your warm room, having aromatherapy also helps create a relaxing space.
Vastu Shastra suggests not having items that no longer work in your bedroom, specifically electronics. As for other electronics, you should avoid having a television or aquarium, if possible. Air conditioners and wall clocks are acceptable, but should be on the northern and eastern walls and the western and southern walls, respectively.
Which direction does Vastu Shastra suggest sleeping in?
Vastu Shastra has specific guidelines on which direction to sleep in to obtain optimal well-being.
In fact, the focus is on which direction your head should be while sleeping.
For example, sleeping with your head west will make you drowsy, and north is detrimental to your body and your mind.
If you sleep with your head to the south, you should gain strength and great sleep.
However, if you sleep east, you will gain energy and harmony.
Which direction is best to sleep in according to Feng Shui?
Below we discuss the principles of Feng Shui and the factors behind the best direction to sleep according to these principles.
The principles of Feng Shui
Feng Shui comes from the Chinese language and culture. Meaning “wind” and “water”, the concept implies that humans are connected to the environment around them. Setting up your environment allows positive energy and balance to flow not just in your space, but in you.
Historically, Feng Shui was used for buildings and tombs. However, modern times more closely associate it with interior design.
To use it inside, one uses a Bagua Map over their floorplan to determine which areas of their home are associated with the principles of Feng Shui. Each area of the map has descriptions and attributes associated with it that should be incorporated such as colors or shapes.
What are the recommendations of Feng Shui for the bedroom?
One of the most important aspects of Feng Shui is setting up the command position, which allows the person to relax in an area where the energies will work with, not against. This would require attention to the placement of couches or even beds in the bedroom.
A principle that applies to the bedroom is having open space on each side of the bed. Having something up against the sides prevents you from having and keeping good luck.
Additionally, there should also be space in the front of the bed that helps positive energy congregate.
There needs to be a back on a bed or a sofa. For a bed, you can simply add a headboard to provide support. The backing allows support not just for you but for the elements.
There are a few things to avoid when setting up your bedroom environment for Feng Shui. The bed should not be in line with doors or under beams. Additionally, you should not have any other spaces that can be considered command positions.
What is the best direction for sleeping according to the principles of Feng Shui?
Like Vastu Shastra, Feng Shui for the bedroom has very specific directions that you should sleep to obtain the ultimate positive energy.
To get creativity and confidence, sleep with your headboard in the southeast.
To achieve peace and calm, put it in the southwest.
Need to feel content and get a good night's sleep for work you love? Go west. Need to be ambitious? Go east.
The north and northeast are also negative towards Feng Shui. By putting your head north, you are causing a disruption to your body, causing insomnia. Avoid south as well, since that is where the energy tends to be the highest.
Which direction to sleep in according to science?
That is up to you. Based on the ancient philosophies of Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra, the best way to sleep is determined by what you hope for and need. But Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra do agree that you should not sleep with your head to the north.
However, scientists are also saying that the best way to sleep is south. In conjunction with the Earth’s magnetic fields, your body’s position in sleeping does have an effect on your sleep. A study from 2019 also stated that sleeping in a north/south position was more beneficial than an east/west position.
With all those determinations, it seems best to have your head south.
Is it bad to sleep in other directions?
There are many factors that might contribute to poor night sleep. Which direction to sleep in may have more to do with your own body rather than your sleeping position.
You may have some health issues that are causing restlessness, need a new mattress, or be under a lot of stress.
No matter what the reason, you may want to consider which direction your head should be while sleeping so as to not take a chance of sleeping in a position other cultures believe to be “negative.”
What Polysleep says: some principles are valid, but maybe not for the reasons mentioned!
So, even for these two sister disciplines that are Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui, one main guideline remains: avoid the North at all costs.
Important differences also remain, like their very varied points of view on the South: Feng Shui recommends avoiding it for the orientation of your bed, but proposes more solutions than the simple South orientation of its Indian equivalent.
But beyond the energy considerations not proven by science, it is perhaps in the few recommendations associated with these two age-old disciplines that their true value can be found.
For example, it’s undeniable that a tidy and organized room will tend to provide a sense of freedom and space that is very beneficial mentally.
In terms of eliminating electronic devices from the room, this is also a good thing. But not for electromagnetic radiation, at least scientifically. To be sure, when equipped with screens, electronic devices are important sources of blue light, a type of light that disturbs sleep.
Unscreened and intense light is also to be avoided because it’ll tend to keep us awake, as in the case of a lamp that is too strong or if you’re placed too close to a window.
Thus, some of the recommendations of these venerable disciplines can be considered accurate and beneficial, even if the reason for implementing them is not necessarily the right one.
The Bottom Line
Sleep is incredibly important to ensure your emotional, mental and physical well-being, and positive functioning throughout the day. If you want to have that, it might be worth trying to set up your bedroom and sleeping position in a way that may provide that positive energy for you.
If you have laid out your bedroom based on Feng-Shui or Vastu Shastra and still have trouble sleeping, the first thing you should do is take a look at your mattress.
As your mattress gets older, it starts to sag, which could put a strain on your body. You may need to consider purchasing a new one.
If you seek out a new mattress, consider the benefits of a Polysleep mattress that offers you not only foam for comfort and support, but also antimicrobial properties to ward off allergens that might keep you up at night.
The Polysleep mattress provides you with a safe and healthy sleeping surface, no matter what direction you sleep in.
Learn more about the Polysleep mattress!
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