Dr. Shivani Gupta, thank you so much for being on the Balancing Busy podcast. I am so excited to dive into this conversation about sleep. So before we really jump in, will you just take a moment and introduce everybody to you and your, your 

[00:00:51] Dr. Shavani Gupta: expertise? Sure, so I teach something that most people have never heard of called Ayurveda.

[00:00:59] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And Ayurveda is an entire system of health, healing, and medicine from India that’s over 5, 000 years old. So I am born and raised in Houston, Texas. I grew up a typical American child, immigrant family. You know, living in two worlds, I had my Indian food at home and I had my American food at school. And I realized very early on that as I live in these two worlds, one of them wasn’t helping me be healthier.

[00:01:25] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And one of them was definitely a healthier life plan. And so I dove into yoga and Ayurveda every time I went on my trips to India. And I realized, wow, as I deal with my gut health issues, my immune health issues, and I’m trying to stay fit and healthy, Ayurveda has this like, Treasure chest of knowledge when it came to gut health and self care rituals and sleep rituals and herbs and spices that could so powerfully help us.

[00:01:52] Dr. Shavani Gupta: So I did my Masters in Ayurvedic Sciences. I did my PhD on turmeric, so I love turmeric and what it can do for us in our bodies. And then eventually I wrote a book on Ayurvedic pregnancy and I founded a whole supplement company called Fusionary Formulas because I wanted to show that turmeric can be effective for orthopedics and all the different areas of our health that matter to 

[00:02:15] Leah: us.

[00:02:16] Leah: Oh, okay. There is going to be so much to talk about because certainly this is one of those conversations where a lot of us don’t know much. So I’m so excited for you to educate us and help us. So… Today we were really thinking about talking about sleep because obviously sleep is so critical to our overall well being my audience knows this and I had shared this with you but being someone who used to forgo sleep in order to try to get all the work done and then.

[00:02:47] Leah: Had my, my body literally go on strike and end up in an ambulance after blacking out and realizing I need to solve this. I have got to make sleep a bigger priority. And now today, if, if I do not get my eight hours, I, I am very displeased. In fact, my whole family knows the kids know if it gets to 9 36, that is my moment where I am like, no one is allowed to speak anymore.

[00:03:13] Leah: I am going to bed. 

[00:03:15] Dr. Shavani Gupta: I feel the same 

[00:03:15] Leah: way. Do you? Okay. So. Talk to me, first of all, just in case there’s anyone who is 10 years ago me, trying to like go without sleep. Can you just talk to us about why sleep is so important? Sure. 

[00:03:29] Dr. Shavani Gupta: So according to Ayurveda, our job is to live in harmony with nature. And a lot of times in modern day society, we just assume that all these new decisions we’re making about how we want to live and how we want to behave with our bodies is going to be just fine, and there’s no punishment to it when, in fact, our bodies are made of nature.

[00:03:52] Dr. Shavani Gupta: We’re meant to live with nature. We have something called a circadian rhythm. And the circadian rhythm is something that exists inside of all the cells of our body. Our body has this schedule, and it knows that we’re supposed to rise with the sun, that when the sun is highest in the sky, we are the most supported.

[00:04:12] Dr. Shavani Gupta: To digest our food and process our food and use our energy so powerfully. And then by evening, we have a different hormone cadence that comes into place. Melatonin is released. All of these different things are happening as we ease into the evening hours so that we get that ideal sleep. And a lot of people just think, you know what, I’m a night owl.

[00:04:34] Dr. Shavani Gupta: You know what? I’ve got a lot of work to do. You know what? I’m going to hustle and win now. Because then I’m going to win for the rest of my life. The thing is, sleep is a debit. We can’t just keep pulling from and pulling from and expect that the body’s going to recover. There’s no recover. Either you’re sleeping now or you’re not sleeping now.

[00:04:53] Dr. Shavani Gupta: You can’t make up today’s sleep tomorrow. It’s not the way that credit balance works. So I encourage everyone to really understand that sleep is when the body clears inflammation. Sleep is when we clear the glymphatic, which is like in our brains, our lymphatic system of the body. Um, so many processes need to rejuvenate and cleanse and process overnight.

[00:05:15] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And if we’re not going to let that cleaning crew in, We’re going to be in trouble when it comes to our health. 

[00:05:21] Leah: Okay. So one of the things I want to touch on really quick is you mentioned how these new ways that we’re living that we want to live a certain lifestyle, but it is not really in alignment with being able to show up as our best selves.

[00:05:36] Leah: Will you kind of touch on what, like get into the nitty gritty with me? What are some of the things that we’re doing that are. Are contrary to us feeling good. 

[00:05:48] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Well, I’ll give you an example. Setting an alarm really early. So, I know that there’s this culture of, Alright, let’s wake up at 5 a. m. and let’s go.

[00:05:59] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And we’ve got to fit everything in. Especially as women, we’re like, okay, well, I’m a mom. The only time I can fit me time in is really early. So I’m going to do my journaling, my reading, my coffee, my quiet time, my exercise, my yoga, my meditation, my breathing, everything on earth is going to be really early.

[00:06:16] Dr. Shavani Gupta: If that’s true for you, that bedtime needs to move up accordingly. It can’t be that I’m sleeping at 10, but I’m going to wake up at four to start that journey. So really analyzing what are you doing to your day to give up on you. That’s the bigger issue here is we give up on ourselves. We never give up in any other area of our lives.

[00:06:37] Dr. Shavani Gupta: We don’t say, okay, kids, I’m going to give you less of a life work. I’m going to approach you with less energy and less time or household. Yeah, sure. I’ll take away from that. Usually, as women, we say, Oh, I’m I will find a way and the sacrifices on us. And so I think the big lifestyle habits that we’re not addressing are how much we’re trying to cram into a day, how much stress we’re putting on to our physical and mental and emotional body that the body can’t handle while we’re awake, and then we’re not even giving it the time at night to process through it either.

[00:07:12] Leah: Hmm. Oh, that’s so true. Okay. So first of all, how many hours is the right amount of sleep? And does. Is there a difference? Are some of us just able to run on less sleep and some of us need more? How does that work? 

[00:07:27] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Sure. So, in Ayurveda, we have a concept called the doshas, the individual mind body constitution.

[00:07:33] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And I like everyone to take a dosha quiz and know for themselves what they are. Because it gives you such awareness. Either you’re more vata, your wind energy, or you’re more pitta, you’re more fire, or you’re more kapha, which is earth. And that kind of dictates how much you should sleep. The vata people can sleep less.

[00:07:50] Dr. Shavani Gupta: They’re just little energizer bunnies. They don’t need that much sleep to function. They need a good amount, but that range between seven and nine hours, they can go towards the seven. I’m a pitta. I’m a fire. I need my eight hours or it’s, it, there’s a lot of prices that are paid on the side of my kids and everybody else because I’m not as happy if I don’t get my sleep.

[00:08:10] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And then the kapha crew, they’re more earth energy. They need that more sleep. Eight to nine hours. And oftentimes we don’t give ourselves the forgiveness to take what we need when it comes to sleep or our pace throughout our day. And that’s where I think the element of understanding our individual constitution kind of helps.

[00:08:31] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Ayurveda gives us that elemental understanding of our bodies. And then we can say, okay, you know what? I’m in the middle. I need my eight hours. I’m going to honor that. Or I’m a guffa. I need the ninth. Yes. 

[00:08:43] Leah: Okay. And you have a quiz on your website where you can find out which one you are. I took your quiz, so I am also a pitta.

[00:08:52] Leah: Is that, am I right? So, so, okay. Correct. So I’m like that, that eight hour. Okay, so one of my questions is, I’m thinking of two different types of women. Okay, I’m the type of woman who, honestly, at like 7 p. m., I just start going downhill. I mean, I, I do, I am so, I just feel like I’m like, mom is… Is no longer capable.

[00:09:19] Leah: Okay. Like I just I really feel like I just lose it in the evenings. And then I have friends who they that is when they come alive, right? Like they get the kids to bed and they’re just up and up and up. Some of them too. I think an unhealthy level. Um, Right? But like, is that normal? Is that, is, is that just each of us our own?

[00:09:44] Leah: Or are you going to be like, actually, Leah, sounds like you need, I don’t know, you’re probably going to say like turmeric and like, give you that energy to like, get you to, to the end of the day. 

[00:09:55] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Well, you know, it’s so funny. I’m laughing because I am the same way. Are you? Around 7, it just goes boom. We go down real fast.

[00:10:05] Dr. Shavani Gupta: By 7, 8 o’clock, I want the house set. I want everything put away. Yes. I want all the discussions about tomorrow handled. If I have said, get your snacks and stuff ready, I want it done or I’m pretty much going to lose my mind. And I want to be able to just sit on my couch and relax. I want no drama, no questions.

[00:10:22] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And then I want to magically have myself do my Ayurvedic self care and then ease into blissful sleep. But I just want less and less happening after seven in my home. Nevermore. Like we should walk, shower, and like, I imagine blissful nights and they never happen. Um, but yes, I hear you that after seven, I’ve become more and more of a vegetable.

[00:10:43] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Um, I think there’s two different types of people because of this one concept we have in Ayurveda called the doshas. So when it comes to the doshas, I teach that 10 to 2 is when the sun is highest in the sky. So if you look to the clock, 10 to 2 is that time of the day. During the day, when the sun is highest, we have the most support to digest our food, process everything, all of our nutrients and everything.

[00:11:08] Dr. Shavani Gupta: In the same way, 10 to 2 at night is the most important time for the body to be asleep. And that time slot of 10 to 2 is twice as important as 2 to 6. Twice as effective at detoxing the body, rejuvenating the body, and clearing out our systems. So, it’s funny, because so many of us will hit 10 o’clock, and say, okay, I’m doing everything I can to be asleep soon, between 10 and 11, I’m going to bed.

[00:11:37] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And usually it’s us pithas, because we have blown through all of our energy, all of our reserves, all of our brain capacity for the day. We’re not gonna… Stay up, usually, but the people might have a harder time. They’re more wind energy. They’ve got that energizer bunny energy. They can just keep going, going, going, going, going.

[00:11:55] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And they have less settled sleep. And then the Kafa people definitely love their sleep. So they do sleep on time. So if you go. Too far past 10, the closer you get to midnight or one o’clock, you’re in that window where you could have taken the energy for sleep and processing inside the body. You instead used it outside the body.

[00:12:16] Dr. Shavani Gupta: So now the body’s like, let’s go. Let’s work. Let’s produce. Let’s build things. You get that night owl fired up energy. Interesting. It’s even harder to go to bed. So sometimes on a weekend, I’ll be up and it’ll be 11 and I’ll say, don’t you dare go near midnight or you’re never going to sleep. You’ll be straight up until 2am and then you know what’s going to happen tomorrow.

[00:12:40] Dr. Shavani Gupta: So it’s interesting when people say I’m a night owl. I say, no, no, no. You’re just. Leveraging the power of the sun, and you’re using it in the wrong way, and you could use it for your internal health instead of for that output of 

[00:12:52] Leah: energy. Okay, so I happen to be, and I’m so sorry to everyone listening who is not, but I am one of those people where I can put my head on a pillow and I am gone.

[00:13:02] Leah: Like there’s there’s no there’s no period of waiting to fall asleep I am just out but I know there are so many who struggle to fall asleep so talk us through what we can do to create. Better habits or, uh, rituals or, or whatever, what, how, for those who are struggling to get into sleep, what can they do for 

[00:13:27] Dr. Shavani Gupta: themselves?

[00:13:29] Dr. Shavani Gupta: So I created a whole series of videos, I have a whole seven day sleep challenge I’m building right now. Sleep is a big topic and people are suffering with it. When it comes to sleep, I think the most important thing is to create a good sleep environment. Keeping it just about sleep not having our desk in there.

[00:13:48] Dr. Shavani Gupta: I never take my laptop into my bedroom That’s a hard one because usually I’m like, oh my god Just one more thing and I want to take my Mac on my bed and I’m like no Finish it in the family room finish it in the dining room finish it wherever but the bedroom is for sleeping And so blackout shades, cool sheets, an environment that’s conducive to sleep with less distraction and clutter would really be your stage one, step one for better sleep.

[00:14:15] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Another big one is, what are the different rituals you have before you go to bed? A lot of people have this huge big screen TV in their bedroom. A lot of people fall asleep watching TV. They fall asleep to noise or white noise. So it’s interesting to see the patterns that people have created around sleep based on their family history, their upbringing.

[00:14:37] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Um, I meet people sometimes where I realize there must have been trauma in the house. And that’s why their sleep habits are the way they are. They weren’t taught how to sleep. They just kind of go to sleep and that’s a big misnomer as we assume we all know how to sleep, but there are ways to really improve our sleep quality.

[00:14:56] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And one way is the sleep habits and sleep hygiene rituals that we do before bed. So really setting yourself up for bed could include, you know, starting some essential oils before, you know, next to your bed so that you sleep. You smell those smells of relaxation that help you relax mind, body, and spirit.

[00:15:13] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Then there’s journaling before bed, reading before bed. Ayurveda teaches us that whatever we consume before bed is what our mind will chew on all night long. And so instead of consuming violent movies or the news or negative things, what if we instead read something spiritual, something uplifting, something self help?

[00:15:34] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Then the mind is going to chew on that very pure, positive thing all night. And in the morning, you’re going to wake up that much more rested and healthy and happy. And then from Ayurveda, we also have the Ayurvedic self care rituals. And so I love teaching about all the self care rituals that we can do because it helps detox the body, detox the gut.

[00:15:55] Dr. Shavani Gupta: It supports a more enhanced detox process while we sleep. 

[00:15:59] Leah: Okay. Okay. So I’m loving this concept in this. Idea. I feel like if we all just took this one thought about what are we consuming just before we fall asleep and is it Aggressive, negative, confrontational, or is it uplifting, light, it helps us to grow, or is even funny, but just positive, right?

[00:16:28] Leah: Goodness versus negativity, and the effect that that can have on our sleep, and it makes me think the effect of how we’re going to wake up. Now, for falling asleep, if I’m hearing you correctly, first it’s having a good routine, well, first it’s making a space. That is truly for sleep and not multi things. I remember reading once how you don’t want to fall asleep in the same things you do other things in because your body will recognize and know, Oh, we’re getting on our pajamas.

[00:17:03] Leah: That means it’s time to relax and go to sleep versus if I was wearing, I don’t know, yoga pants to sleep, but it’s the same thing I work out in and my my mind is a little bit confused. Like, wait, are we? Okay. Are we supposed to pump up and get a workout in or are we relaxing and going to sleep? So this idea of creating this space, creating this, these, um, routines or rituals around going to sleep.

[00:17:26] Leah: I love the idea of like the essential oils. I have a little spray that is a rest spray that I’ll spray and, um, and I always think about that. Just every time I put my pajamas on, I think about like, sea body, we’re going to bed now. Cause Pajamas are on. So exactly. So those are things that we’re doing to, to get ourselves into fall sleep.

[00:17:48] Leah: Now for the person who lays down, they did all those things. They laid down and they’re like, I’m just laying here wide awake. Is there anything that they can do? 

[00:18:00] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Yes. So there’s a concept called sleep pressure. And sleep pressure means, did you create enough sleep pressure during the day so your body is supported to go to bed when it’s time to go to bed?

[00:18:12] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And if we didn’t exercise, move our bodies physically, a lot of times that’s why we’re not falling asleep at night. And nowadays we have so much going on with the schedules, the busyness, etc. It might not be that people are fitting enough. Physical exercise into their days. So I have sat down with clients and said your homework is to walk three miles a day.

[00:18:34] Dr. Shavani Gupta: No, you walk the dog, walk more. And so once they do that, sleep can be fixed. So really, yes, if you’re going to lay, it’s not good to lay in bed forever and struggle with falling asleep. They say if you can’t fall asleep, get up, go do something and come back. Or if you’re going to lay there, don’t do anything.

[00:18:53] Dr. Shavani Gupta: So I used to, when I had insomnia, don’t pull out your phone or whatever. Exactly, because the blue light from your phone is going to impact your sleep, but it’s hard because after a certain point, you’re like, I can’t lay here forever and stare at my ceiling. And so for me, if I do wake up in the middle of the night, I do three things actually.

[00:19:10] Dr. Shavani Gupta: One, I turn on my heating pad because if I put my heating pad under me, it’s going to comfort me and that helps me fall asleep. Number two, I do read a book, but I’ll read like a nonfiction book that will teach me something, which means I’m going to get sleepy faster and I’ll put it down faster to go back to sleep.

[00:19:27] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And then number three, I created something called deep sleep formula, and it’s sublingual drops that you can take in the middle of the night so that if you need just a little bit more sleep, you can take that support. So for me, I’m constantly playing with sleep tools, whether they’re mine, whether they’re somebody else’s.

[00:19:42] Dr. Shavani Gupta: I always want to have every tool on hand for sleep because to me, to miss sleep is insane. 

[00:19:49] Leah: Yes, I agree. It’s so true. What are your thoughts around melatonin? So, you know, there’s the melatonin gummies, and as more and more research has been coming out, I’ve really been paying attention to, years ago, it was like, oh yes, melatonin is great, give it, give it, give it, and then they’re like, actually, we shouldn’t be giving it to our girls, and you know, as different research has come out.

[00:20:11] Leah: So what has, what’s your, your take? 

[00:20:14] Dr. Shavani Gupta: You know, I think when we look at science, so many times things come out as like, Oh my God, it’s the best thing. Oh my God, it’s the worst thing. Then it comes back as okay, it was good. This is how it’s good. And I try to be really moderate. IRV does all about moderation. We teach look, whatever it is.

[00:20:30] Dr. Shavani Gupta: good or bad. It can be consumed in a moderate form and still be fine for the body. If the body is healthy, it’s going to tolerate and want to stay in homeostasis no matter what. And so when it comes to melatonin, you know, vitamin D is kind of like the sunlight hormone. It’s the hormone that dictates how our health works, how our hormone system works in so many ways.

[00:20:51] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Melatonin is like our night hormone. It’s that hormone that gets released that helps our body go to sleep, get into the REM cycles it needs, get into the deep sleep states we need. And I have no problem with melatonin. I have no problem with people consuming it if it helps them. I have taken melatonin plain and simple.

[00:21:11] Dr. Shavani Gupta: It doesn’t keep me asleep. So if you’re using it as a tool to go to sleep, use it. I’m about every tool, honestly. Um, I just think it’s about finding it in the form that works for you in my formula. I have a little bit of melatonin that I put in there to help that falling asleep effect, but I didn’t do like 10 milligrams melatonin.

[00:21:31] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Uh, it’s just like a very therapeutic small dose. So, you know, people come to me with all sorts of sleep problems and I tell them, look, if it’s a gummy that helps you great cream, a formula, a drop, a tea, whatever it is. Use it. Build the sleep cycles, like build the sleep habits within you that you’re in that rhythm, and then you can let go of the tool.

[00:21:54] Dr. Shavani Gupta: But use whatever tool you need to to get into those healthy sleep habits that you can maintain from there. Hmm, 

[00:22:00] Leah: okay. Alright, I love that. So, we’ve got some systems to help us and some tools and some strategies to help us fall asleep. And, and have better sleep by making sure what we consume is positive as we go to sleep.

[00:22:16] Leah: What about the process of waking up? Is there any strategies that make waking up easier, better, I don’t know, more effective? 

[00:22:28] Dr. Shavani Gupta: You know, everything that we do the night before and the day before adds up to how we’re going to feel the next day. My goal when I wake up is I want to wake up happy. Like I want the, my eyes to open and me to say, nice, like, I’m, I’m excited for today.

[00:22:47] Dr. Shavani Gupta: That’s to me is a measure of great sleep. I hate when I wake up and I’m like, Oh my God, I’m tired. I have to go to the gym. What did I say? I’m like, Yeah, I hate that feeling if I wake up on the wrong side of the bed and I’m not looking forward to the day. That to me is a sign of, okay, well, what, what happened here?

[00:23:09] Dr. Shavani Gupta: What did we not do to invest in great sleep? What are we going to do better so that we get phenomenal sleep tonight? And so when I wake up in the morning, if I wake up happy, I’m like, okay. If I wake up rested, that’s my sign that I got it right. Um, I think a strategy for waking up in Ayurveda, we teach one ritual first, which is touch the floor, touch your forehead, and just like…

[00:23:33] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Tune in and set an intention for the day. So really before we reach for the phone, before we jump out of bed and do 18 things, tuning in and bringing that second of mindfulness I think can be very powerful. Um, and then we also recommend that soon after waking up you hydrate with water. So one simple habit from Ayurveda is keep a copper lined cup next to your bed.

[00:23:56] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Can be a regular glass of water too, but hydrate first, like literally drink water first to move the system and create peristalsis and get your system moving for the 

[00:24:06] day. 

[00:24:07] Leah: Hmm. I love that. So I’m, as I’m hearing this, I’m like, yes, I’m doing so good. So my, uh, wake up ritual is I I literally, literally roll off the bed and I roll straight down to my knees and I’m gonna say my morning prayer and just have that moment of just setting my intention of what I want the day, checking in, gratitude, all of that.

[00:24:36] Leah: And then I have, um, about 14 to 16 ounces of water with one full lemon squeezed into 

[00:24:44] Dr. Shavani Gupta: it, 

[00:24:45] Leah: um, just to like boost that hydration. And so that’s like, the first two things that I do every single morning before, before I go, you know, put my workout clothes on and, and I definitely, my workout clothes, you know, it’s, I feel like it’s all these things that we stack on top of each other to give ourselves little wins, that when you add all these little wins, they make big results, right?

[00:25:09] Leah: So it’s, Instead of looking for what I used to look for was like easy buttons, that one thing that was going to fix it all. 

[00:25:18] Dr. Shavani Gupta: They just don’t exist. It’s 

[00:25:19] Leah: not there. It’s when we take all of these little things and when we stack them. Big things happen. So it’s having I I’m thinking about all the different things with with my sleep And I think a lot of people could relate to this, right?

[00:25:34] Leah: I have this satin pillowcase and I have the spray and If I feel like I’m having a little trouble going to sleep, I’ll either do a cup of tea or I’ll do a melatonin gummy sometimes I Make sure that I’ve tried to End feeling positive i read some research once that i was so fascinated by that talked about how one of the biggest indicators of if you are going to wake up feeling rested the next morning after the study was not how much sleep you got but the mindset you went into sleep so if you went into sleep saying i am going to be tired when i wake up guess what whether you got up 10 hours, 8 hours, 6 hours, 3 hours, all of them were tired.

[00:26:21] Leah: But when they said, I am going to wake up rested, I’m going to wake up feeling good, even on days where something happened and they had to get far less sleep than normal, they woke up rested. So I’ve, I’ve thought about this and it goes in alignment with what you’re saying about, you know, what we go to sleep thinking about and what we’ve been consuming and where our thoughts are is going to bring us through with how we wake up.

[00:26:43] Leah: And then, When we wake up, like, what are all the little things that are going to help us to win that day and feel in empowered and in control? And so being able to start with your intention. I don’t think there’s anything more powerful like you saying that. I’m like, yes, starting that And claiming your intention for the day is going to be the first step and then for me, it’s like, like, I know I want to work out.

[00:27:10] Leah: I also know that I don’t know if I am ever going to turn into a person who loves exercise. I just don’t think it’s possible. Like, maybe, maybe someday I’ve learned to like it where I used to. If I’m being 100 percent honest, I loathed it. So I mean, okay, we’re making progress. We’ve gone from loath to like, I don’t know if like to love even this morning.

[00:27:31] Leah: I had this moment where I was like, Oh, you have so much on your schedule. I mean, maybe you’re just going to try to do your workout in the afternoon. Maybe you’ll do it this evening. Mind you, I know that is a big fat lie and I am so not going to do it. If it doesn’t happen first thing, right? But I’m like having this conversation where I’m kind of trying to talk myself out of how I don’t need to.

[00:27:54] Leah: And then I was like, no. You need this and you’re proud of yourself when you do it. And so I’m like, I always have my workout clothes ready. I mean, down to the hair tie, because if I can’t find a hair tie, I will be like, Never mind, it’s over. I can’t work out. And so, you know, it’s all there. I got it on. I did the workout.

[00:28:10] Leah: And I just felt so, honestly, like, proud of myself. Like, I felt like, yay, me! And so all of these different things that just… Give us this edge, these little wins, when we stack them, they’re so powerful. 

[00:28:26] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Absolutely. And you know, one thing you mentioned in there was each little habit stacks on another. You know, a lot of times we have kids, we think of the kids sleep rituals when they’re babies, and there’s a whole song and dance around it.

[00:28:41] Dr. Shavani Gupta: All of a sudden I’m like, okay, bedtime’s going to start. We’re going to turn off the blinds. We’re going to turn off the lights. We’re going to diffuse the essential oils. We’re going to give them a massage. We’re going to, you know, play the sleepy time music. So they know that sleepy time’s coming. Warm bottle, pajamas.

[00:28:58] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Bath. Bed. Imagine the whole song and dance. All we’re doing is we’re training their minds to know, you better freaking sleep or else. There’s no choice. No choice in this matter or mommy will explode. Right? So that’s why we’re willing to do the song and dance. But isn’t it funny that for ourselves as humans.

[00:29:20] Dr. Shavani Gupta: As adults, we’re like, hey body, don’t you know, sleep time, like just do it. So that’s where I love the Ayurvedic rituals because I do about an hour before bedtime. I’m like, okay, bedtime everyone. What I’m also saying is bedtime, Shivani, please go take a shower. Get that hot shower and relax your muscles for the day.

[00:29:40] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Chill out. Okay, time to brew some sleep time tea. Have a tea that’s going to relax the mind and relax. The digestive system invest in what’s going to indicate to your body and your mind in bed that sleepy time is coming. Okay, do you have a physical book next to your bed? Any book, that’s positive, that you can read now so you’re not staring at blue light on your phone right before bedtime.

[00:30:06] Dr. Shavani Gupta: All your sleep tools, have them right there next to the bed. For me, I have a quick and dirty. If I have no time, it is Yeah, I wanted to ask you that. Yeah, so I have like the beautiful version, the beautiful version is oh for an hour I had time to do an Epsom salt bath and an up young massage and do my dry Brushing and these things do happen whenever I’m feeling depleted I’ll start there.

[00:30:31] Dr. Shavani Gupta: I’ll say, you know what? Go take an hour before bed and pamper yourself and do a face mask because that’s a very quick way to reset your energy, your fatigue, your mood, your body. Like a lot of people are reaching out to me and are saying, Hey, I need help. Can you help me detox? I’m like, a detox starts with fixing your sleep.

[00:30:49] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Let’s, let’s fix your sleep and then we can detox the system because that’s when you detox is when you sleep, so you have to fix that regardless, but if I’m not going to make the time to do all the beautiful things I want to do, I will just have sleep time tea. My heating pad, a hot shower, pajamas, and go to bed.

[00:31:09] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And that also works 99 percent of the time. So it just depends on you. Like you said, I don’t have a hard time falling asleep usually. Um, some people have a hard time staying asleep. Everyone’s got their different issues. But for me, if I can just warm my body and relax my body, it’ll sleep. 

[00:31:28] Leah: Okay. Oh, so good.

[00:31:30] Leah: This is amazing. Okay. Any final thoughts for us about sleep that I haven’t thought to ask you? 

[00:31:38] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Sure. So there’s just that last thing is circadian rhythm, which is also called chronobiology from Ayurveda, shows us that sleep time at night is from Around sunset is when we’re supposed to wind down, sleep all night, like I said, that 10 to 2 is double as important as the 2 to 6 time slot.

[00:31:57] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And then when we wake up, waking up that rested, healthiest self gives us that mindset that we want for the day. So, living according to circadian rhythm teaches us to… constantly live with nature, whether we walk in nature more, breathe in nature more. When you wake up, another big tip from Ayurveda is go out in the sunlight and kiss the sun.

[00:32:19] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Say high five to the sun, like literally go outside. And I find a lot of times we’re so used to our air conditioning and our comfort, we’ll have our morning coffee inside. But can you take it outside just because You’re aligning to the sun, like your body needs the sunlight to touch it for your body. Say, okay, we’re awake and now that sleep pressure clock that I mentioned can start and you’re often running for the day so that you have the support to go to sleep on time again at night.

[00:32:50] Dr. Shavani Gupta: So I would just say that as busy moms, as busy entrepreneurs, as women, as hustlers who are out there trying to balance it all, if we can just remember, sleep is our recharge of not just our iPhones and phones, it’s also the way to recharge. our battery to a hundred percent, then the next day we will run with a hundred percent battery because we invested in optimal, high quality sleep.

[00:33:18] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And that’s the best investment we can make for our longevity, for our energy, for our capacity, like our productive focus brain to give us what we want the next day and the next day. 

[00:33:30] Leah: Oh, that’s so good. So last night, My phone actually two last two nights in a row. My phone did not charge to capacity. I put it on the charger.

[00:33:42] Leah: It started at 9 percent and I somehow somewhere throughout the night it stopped and it was only at 23 percent throughout the entire day. Yesterday with this stinking phone at only 23%. I had to shift and adjust. I’m constantly trying to figure out. Can I get it to charge for a few minutes, but it’s never quite enough.

[00:34:04] Leah: And the way I even wanted to use my phone. I couldn’t because I had this lower charge all day. And I’m thinking about that. And I’m thinking about sleep. And I’m like, that is the difference between the days where I don’t get the rest and the sleep I need. It’s like that entire next day. I am the equivalent of the iPhone at 23 percent where you’re constantly can’t utilize it the way that you want to because it’s just, I personally am just not charged up the way I need to be.

[00:34:33] Leah: Exactly. 

[00:34:34] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Exactly. And that’s, it’s just such a good analogy because literally, and, and I feel that way today too. I, um, I had that happen to my phone. And then also I slept late and woke up early because I was so determined to fit in this workout that I wanted to do because my kids camp schedule threw off my schedule.

[00:34:51] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And I was like, you know, I don’t believe in waking up for that ruining sleep for a workout, but I really need the workout. And I can tell my brain is less shit. I play like 70 percent capacity inside my brain couldn’t focus and finish my work that I told myself I would do today since one of those things if we can just realize that we are kind of like a plant we have to charge in the sun we are kind of like our phones in the sense we have to charge ourselves another big thing I say is treat your body like a Maserati you know our body is this.

[00:35:24] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Vehicle, and if we honor it and refill it to the max capacity, then all of a sudden, we have that ability to win when it comes to our health, our longevity, and everything that we’re doing. Mm. So 

[00:35:37] Leah: good. Thank you so much. Shivani, where can people find you? 

[00:35:43] Dr. Shavani Gupta: Sure. So my website is shivanigupta. com, S H I V A N I G U P T A.

[00:35:49] Dr. Shavani Gupta: And then I’m on Instagram as at doctor. shivanigupta, and Facebook, YouTube, and all the fun places. 

[00:35:55] Leah: Perfect. And we’ll have links to everything in the show notes. So if you want to find Dr. Shivani, if you want to go take that quiz and find out where you stand and where you are, then we’ll have all of that available through the show notes.

[00:36:11] Leah: Okay. Thank you so much for 

[00:36:12] Dr. Shavani Gupta: being with me today. Thank you. Thanks for having me. 

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