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Transforming Sleep, Not Suppressing It · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  In the Bhagwad Gita Sri Krishna explains to Arjuna quote, verily
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  this yoga is not for him who eats too much or sleeps too
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  much, even as it is not for him who gives up sleep and food.
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  O Arjuna from the Bhagwad Gita and it's message translated by
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  Sri Aurobindo, Chapter 6, verse 16.
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  It is interesting to note that one of the epithets linked to
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  Arjuna was Guta Keisha, the master of sleep, one who
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  overcomes the force of Thomas so that he can remain alert and
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  focused to achieve whatever he was destined to achieve.
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  Sri Krishna therefore underlines that this does not mean what is
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  frequently understood, that Arjuna did not need to sleep.
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  When an individual takes up spiritual practice, the action
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  of the gunas is not suspended. Rather, they influence the
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  manner and process the individual follows in trying to
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  achieve his objectives. When the guna of rajas is
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  predominant, it tries to push things along, sometimes with
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  harsh methods. When these methods go beyond the
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  limits of the mind, the vital being and the physical body,
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  various types of breakdowns can occur.
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  Thus, the excess of rajas leads to the rise of tamas.
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  The guna of sattva tends to lead with an emphasis on balance,
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  harmony and light. This provides the basis for
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  steady development and leads the seeker to an understanding of
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  the need for an approach that respects the nature of the mind,
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  vital, and body. The seeker can avoid the
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  disruptions that occur with either the excess or the
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  deficiency and the resultant oscillation between ambition and
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  indolence. Rather than attempting to
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  artificially suppress the body's need for and utilization of
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  sleep as part of its normal processes, the Suffolk method
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  tries to appreciate the use of sleep and how to balance and
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  harmonize it with the other needs and priorities of the
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  life. For the practitioner of the
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  Integral Yoga, the objective is transformation of human life.
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  To accomplish this, a strong and balanced physical body, vital
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  being, and mental power are necessary.
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  In order to transform life, a certain understanding is
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  eventually necessary. Our limited view of life and its
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  meaning and our purpose in life represents an obstacle that can
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  be overcome through a constant growth of consciousness and a
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  widening to encompass the wider existence within which our
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  earthly life takes place. Gaining access to the expanded
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  field available through sleep and dream can aid the seeker in
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  achieving this understanding, Sri Aurobindo notes quote.
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  It is not a right method to try to keep awake at night.
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  The suppression of the needed sleep makes the body temasek and
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  unfit for the necessary concentration during the waking
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  hours. The right way is to transform
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  the sleep and not suppress it, and especially to learn how to
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  become more and more conscious in sleep itself.
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  If that is done, sleep changes into an inner mode of
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  consciousness in which the sadhna can continue as much as
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  in the waking state, and at the same time 1 is able to enter
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  into other planes of consciousness than the physical
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  and command an immense range of informative and utilizable
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  experience. End Quote.
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  Reference. Srioro Bindo, Bases of Yoga,
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  Chapter 5. Physical Consciousness,
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  subconscious Sleep and Dream Illness.
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  Page 101.