What are sleep disorders?
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 30-50percent of the country suffers from short-term sleeplessness. Researches also have demonstrated that 75-90 percent of those experiencing insomnia are also at risk of developing various pain conditions, neurodegenerative ailments, and gastrointestinal illnesses. Proper sleep is essential for our desire and satiety hormones (ghrelin and leptin) to manage cortisol, insulin, and the pituitary control of thyroid hormones.
Ayurveda understands sleep in one of three pillars of healthful sustenance of life, together with Aahara (meals ) and Brahmacharya (conscious relationships). The ancient textbook of Ayurveda by Acharya Charaka clearly mentions the importance of sleep in various physical and psychological health parameters. Sleep is crucial for the perception of pleasure, appropriate physical growth and tissue nourishment, immunity, fertility, retention of acquired knowledge and
leading a healthy life
It is clearly known in Ayurveda that sleeplessness isn’t just an illness, but it’s a symptom of an underlying imbalance. It indicates a number of chronic behavioral, cognitive, physical, and psychological problems that may appear in the future. The remedy for insomnia in Ayurveda assists with:
a) the quality and quantity of sleep and
b) to deal with the root cause and prevent complications.
In Ayurveda, sleep disturbances are primarily attributed to Vata and Pitta. The two doshas address light, fast, and cellular qualities. These are the opposite qualities needed for sleep: heavy, nevertheless, and dense. Throughout the summer and spring, both Vata and Pitta qualities gain in the environment, affecting the entire body in various ways, with sleep being one of those things.
Vata and Pitta naturally have up energy. Sleep requires balancing these doshas to getting the rest you want to take on the following day. Digestion is just another bodily process that’s influenced by the changing doshic condition of the environment. If digestion is weak, sleep is profoundly affected. When digestion is weak, providing the building materials for your pitta period of recovery becomes problematic, and the body becomes stressed, interrupting sleep.
Ayurvedic remedies for sleep disorders
There are many effective Ayurvedic treatments for sleep disorders:
– Calming Herbal supplements and Teas: Licorice, chamomile, cardamom, and hibiscus-based teas are excellent calming agents helping to enter a healthy sleep routine. Supplements like Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is also prescribed as a grounding milk drink at bedtime to improve the quality of sleep.
– Remedies for soothing the nerves: There’s a range of different treatments, using herbs and oils that can help reduce anxiety and muscular tension. Shirodhara is the perfect treatment for this matter. It involves the rhythmic pouring of herbal medicated oil to the forehead of the individual. It can help to control the hyperactivity of nerves, reduce anxiety, calms the mind, and stimulate the pituitary gland (master gland). Additionally, it will help the correct operation of other endocrine glands and cause better sleep. Another remedy is thala-pothichil: covering of entire head with herbal paste as a head package for a specified time frame.
– Sleep hygiene: it’s ideal for preventing all stimulating drinks like coffee and black tea in the day to aid with sleep. Similarly, it’s also vital to avoid stimulating television programs and cellular usage, particularly an hour before bedtime.
– Sleep routine: The sleep ritual includes actions, diet, and/or herbs, which will cause a pleasant, profound, and nourishing night’s sleep. When done correctly, these rituals guarantee a harmonious body balance and a productive day ahead.
Plan your dinner beforehand. Dinner is a double-edged sword. Too light can cause you to feel unsatisfied/hungry and disturb sleep. Too heavy may ruin the quality of sleep and make one feel tired in the morning.
– Body-type based lifestyle and diet: so as to deal with the underlying imbalance causing sleeplessness, Ayurveda recommends a diet routine based on your body type. This diet pattern is referred to as a dosha based diet or just an ayurvedic diet. Try to add more relaxing and wholesome activities like yoga and stretches to relax and balance the doshas in precisely the identical time.
– Identify the root cause: When the Insomnia is a consequence of an underlying health condition like apnea, hormonal variations, aches and pains, the long-term remedy should include approaches to deal with those as well.
Ayurvedic herbs to induce sleep
Herbs to help you sleep
Why can’t you sleep? Here are some sleep-inducing Ayurvedic herbs which will not just help you get sound sleep, but will also alleviate excessive tension and anxiety that triggers various sleep disorders. Natural herbal beverages can support and promote the body’s natural processes before and during sleep, to help us have a restful night. Whether you are trying to adapt to a different sleep pattern or just need to get a great night’s sleep, you will find a vast selection of herbs that nourish the nervous system and helping you relax.
– Ashwagandha: A tonic root used to assist the body under long term stress. Ashwagandha improves energy and cognition by acting on relaxing neurotransmitter systems and protecting brain cells from damage. As stress is a key element in elevated cortisol levels, helping to keep stress under control is important in fostering sleep quality. Ashwagandha is known to promote sound sleep. Scientists have found an energetic compound called triethylene glycol, which works wonders to cause sleep. Ashwagandha treats individuals from their everyday woes like anxiety, stress, and fatigue.
– Cinnamon: Cinnamon provides a gently warming, sweet, yet sugar-free flavor while helping boost glucose levels. Sleep deprivation increases cortisol levels, which may cause elevated levels of insulin resistance, the chief cause of type 2 diabetes. Cinnamon is said to protect against this insulin resistance, in addition to helping improve glucose tolerance. Cinnamon has also been reported to enhance indigestion, which may often wind up, keeping us awake at night. Sprinkle some over your pre-bed bowl of porridge and drift off peacefully.
– Brahmi: Brahmi or Bacopa is one herb that encourages restful sleep, calms emotional turbulence, and helps improve concentration and alertness. Brahmi, in Ayurveda, is known as a brain tonic and is well known for curing digestion issues. Additionally, it enhances blood circulation, further encouraging the body’s natural recovery process. Brahmi or Bacopa is one such herb which supports restful sleep. Bacopa monnieri is a neuroprotective herb, nurturing and reducing the chatter of the mind. This herb eases Vata from the mind, reducing anger, anxiety, and worry.
– Shankhpushpi: Shankhpushpi is a herb that has flavonoids, glycosides, and alkaloids that help soothe your nervous system by bringing relief to mental fatigue. It serves as a natural tranquilizer for anxiety neurosis that further assists in sleeping better.
– Vacha: Vacha has calmative effects on your mind, assisting you in healing tension and sleeplessness. It serves as a coolant that calms the nerves, thus causing sleep. Scientifically called Acorus Calamus, this herb is a nervous system tonic that will ward off anxiety and several other issues.
– Sarpgandha: Also called Rauwolfia Serpentina or Indian Snakeroot, Sarpgandha comprises over 50 alkaloids inside. These alkaloids assist in reducing high blood pressure or hypertension, which could cause sleeping issues.
– Lavender: This violet miracle is high in essential oils that relieve stress and enhance sleep. Lavender’s relaxing effects are thought of as primarily due to the vital oils found, whether inhaled, ingested, or applied topically.
– Chamomile flower: It’s not merely lavender that provides relaxing essential oils; chamomile flower also does. These oils help calm our sympathetic nervous system, improving sleep quality. Chamomile flower also comprises an antioxidant called apigenin, said to help ease anxious thoughts. What is more, chamomile tea has traditionally been used to alleviate digestive ailments linked to nervous conditions.
– Valerian: Valerian has been used by people for centuries. It has a remarkably calming effect that is a wonderful comfort to individuals struggling with everything from sleep and sleeplessness to nervous anxiousness. This is one of the popular herbs for sleep.
– Nutmeg: (Jaiphal) This whole or grated nutmeg is a common ingredient in south Indian cuisine. It is ground along with sesame, poppy seed with other spices, and toasted to make masalas (spice mixes) for Keralan chicken curries. This spice has a reputation for its relaxing and settling properties in traditional herbal medicine. It’s believed to help you remain asleep in addition to fall asleep.
– Saffron: Though also a culinary herb, saffron can be taken in supplement or tea form to act directly on the brain tissue, activating dopamine, and pleasure centers.
Always consult your doctor before using any herbs if you have any medical condition.
Sleep disturbances for menopausal women
For women experiencing perimenopause or menopause, sleep disturbances may be caused by the hormonal level of the human body. Estrogen levels plummet in this period of life, hormones levels of cortisol increase (which carries a body clocking function). Cortisol increases create endurance, which makes sleep more difficult to attain. What’s more, women in this time of life are more sensitive to neighboring temperature-they feel overly hot or may become very chilly, arresting the body in its rest procedure.
Summary
Ayurveda views sleeplessness to be not just an illness, but a symptom of an underlying imbalance. Healing the imbalance provides relief not just for sleep but for other related problems that may appear in the future. The remedy for sleep disorders in Ayurveda assists with the quality and quantity of sleep and to deal with the root cause and prevent complications.
