Priya Sharma Priya Sharma Asked 7 months ago

Don't sleep with the dead?

Aaj kal I'm finding it so hard to get proper sleep. My mind is always racing, even when I'm tired. Sometimes I feel like I'm not even sleeping at all, just lying there awake. Is it normal to feel so exhausted all the time?

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10 answers

Devendra Joshi Devendra Joshi Joined Apr 2026 6 months ago
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This is mostly an old cultural belief or superstition passed down through generations. Practically speaking, it is just about hygiene and giving the family space to grieve. There is no need to overthink this or get scared.

Rohan Deshmukh Rohan Deshmukh Joined Jun 2026 4 months ago

Honestly, I think you would have a hard time getting any sleep anyway with all the relatives crying and rituals going on! It is just a cultural thing to keep the living and the deceased separate. Relax, ghosts are not coming to kick you out of bed.

Manpreet Singh Manpreet Singh Joined Jun 2026 5 months ago

When we lost my grandfather last year, we had to keep the body at home overnight. Honestly, we stayed awake out of respect and did not sleep in that room at all. It is better for your own mental peace and basic cleanliness to sleep in another room.

Ananya Sen Ananya Sen Joined Jun 2026 4 months ago

Medically, there is a very practical reason for this. My doctor uncle told me that after death, a body starts breaking down and can release bacteria or pathogens quite fast. That is why it is advised to keep a distance and not sleep in the same room, purely for hygiene and health reasons.

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Consult a internal medicine specialist

Vikram Sethi Vikram Sethi Joined Feb 2026 7 months ago

Let us be practical here. Keeping a dead body in the house requires a cold environment to prevent decomposition, so it is usually kept under ice or a cooling machine. Sleeping right next to it is highly unhygienic and mentally draining, so just sleep in another room.

Neha Sharma Neha Sharma Joined Jun 2026 5 months ago

Hey! Don't worry at all, it is just an old traditional saying to keep things hygienic. It's best to sleep in a separate well-ventilated room so you get some peaceful rest during a difficult time. Take care!

Siddharth Verma Siddharth Verma Joined Jun 2026 5 months ago

Whenever we have a tragedy in the family, elders always tell us to stay away and not sleep near the body. I think it is also because you need your energy and should eat properly to deal with the stress. Better to rest in a clean room after a light meal.

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Shalini D'Souza Shalini D'Souza Joined Jul 2026 4 months ago

As someone who works in healthcare, we always advise families to maintain distance from the body after a point. Post-mortem changes happen quickly and bacteria can multiply. It is purely a sanitary precaution, nothing supernatural about it.

Karan Malhotra Karan Malhotra Joined Jul 2026 4 months ago

It is all about sleep hygiene and physical safety, guys. Sleeping next to a deceased person can cause extreme mental stress which will completely ruin your sleep cycle and elevate your heart rate. From a biological standpoint, it is best to keep your sleeping environment clean and stress-free.

Gopalakrishnan Nair Gopalakrishnan Nair Joined Jul 2026 4 months ago

In our younger days, when someone passed away at home, the elders always insisted we sleep in a different hall or at a neighbor's house. It was their way of protecting our minds from grief and keeping us safe from any infections. Listen to your elders, it is for your own good.

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