In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

September 6, 2008

Fasting and Your Biological Rhythms

Allah (all glory be to Him) tells us in the Holy Quran about Ramadan that, “(He wants you) to complete the prescribed period (of fasting), and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful.” (2:185)

Many benefits, in addition to the spiritual, result from completing this prescribed period of fasting. Do you know activities of fasting related to our biological rhythms.

Fasting improves the quality and intensifies the depth of sleep, a matter of particular importance to the aged who have much less stage three and four sleep (deep sleep). The processes of repair of the body and of the brain take place during sleep. Two hours of sleep during the month of Ramadan are more satisfying and refreshing than more hours of sleep otherwise!

Muslims who fast regularly and who have experienced disturbed wakefulness/sleep cycles on a daily lunar annual basis, can adapt themselves much faster to different time zones during international travel and do not suffer from the ill effects of jet lag. Moreover, the social contact during the Tarawih congregational prayer and the other social-cum–spiritual activities act as zeitgebers which regulate any desynchronised biological rhythm. (source from here)
adopted from Dr. Ebrahim Kazim article, a medical doctor and the founder and director of the Islamic Academy in Trinidad

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