How Ayurveda Can Help You Sleep Better?

Do you suffer from irregular sleep? Or do you sit up all late at night and then feel impossible to sleep??

Sleep is a biological process indispensable for life and for optimal health. It is also the best natural meditation to calm our mind. All of us might have faced sleeplessness, or irregular sleep at some point of time. Or to meet your daily workloads and tight schedules most of us might tend to shrink or often omit that essential sleep.

If you have noticed, the days we don’t get a complete sleep we are more prone to be grumpy, restless and all the more tired. It really pulls on our cognitive abilities and keeps us distracted. Sleeplessness can really be a nightmare. Once we get accustomed to the sleep deprived schedule, it begins to do more damage to the systemic function of the body, than we can ever imagine. Both long term and short term sleep disturbances can negatively influence your wellbeing.

Researchers¹ have established that people with lowered and much disturbed sleep cycles are more prone to anxiety. The short term health effects include mental instability, defective memory and retaining capacity, and general performance diminutions. On the other hand, long term sleep deprivation issues are grave including escalated stress responsivity and somatic disturbances like headache, lowered metabolic rate, improper tissue regeneration, insufficient nutrient absorption, etc. Psychological disturbances such as depression, mood swings, risk taking behaviour and academic performances appear to be the primary factors affected by sleep disturbances in adolescents.

The increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system during sleep deprivation has substantial long term consequences for adults and adolescents. Adults show increased Blood pressure escalated risk to develop hypertension.

How To Prevent Sleep Disturbances

If you have had a tiring day naturally you will tend to fall asleep quickly, to hasten this pace, you can include

Long walks before sleep, or do Yoga during the day. You can also include other activities like swimming etc., as you prefer. It is also essential to avoid drinks which induce wakefulness like coffee, or alcohol at night.
Switch off all your social media and unwanted working on electronic devices almost 2 hours before sleep, often it might not be completely possible with your work piling on one side, but you can surely avoid the social media once you are on the bed.
Make sure to sleep while the physiological Kapha stage is on, I.e.; around 10 to 11pm. Do not pull your night till 1 or 2 am, for it’s the Vata stage of the night and it becomes impossible to get a proper sleep while Vata is active.
Keeping your racing mind in check, pacing down all the unwanted energies, and going to bed with a peaceful mind without too many thoughts is most requisite to achieve optimal sleep.

Ayurveda And Sleep Management

According to epic classics of Ayurveda, sleep is one among Triupasthamba or the three pillars that support our life. Optimal sleep is vital to maintain all the systemic functions of the body. According to Achraya Caraka, It activates good health, strength, nourishment, well function sense faculties, intellect, memory and life in general.

The ideal time to achieve optimal needed sleep is understood as 10 or 11pm as it is the Kapha predominant stage of the Night. Kapha in its normal stage is necessary to incite the urge to sleep, while aggravated Vata deprives you of sleep.

To Tackle Ayurvedically

Ayurveda has mentioned simple techniques to achieve optimal sleep by balancing the vitiated Vata. This can be procured by inculcating a daily routine and massaging your feet with oil before sleeping. Taking a bath before sleep helps to calm your mind and body and provide sleep; you can also consider having a cup of warm milk as well.

Other than underlying pathological conditions which can only be managed by an ayurvedic physician, normal disturbed sleep due to errors in your schedule can surely be tackled.

Herbal Products For Better Sleep by Planet Ayurveda

Planet Ayurveda has come up with effective natural formulations that support in inducing optimal sleep, if you suffer from disturbed sleep or sleeplessness. A few of these formulations are:

1. Sleep Naturals

This effective blend of Withania somnifera, Nordostcus janamansi with other equally potent herbs which helps to relieve anxiety and induce proper sleep.

Dosage – 1 capsule twice a day with plain water after meals.

2. Calm Easy Tea

A calm mind is necessary to secure an optimal sleep. The presence of Bacopa monnieri, Glyrirriza glabra and Withania sominifera helps to keep the aggravated Vata at check and induce sleep.

Dosage – 1 cup of this tea is daily recommended.

3. Detox Tea

The equilibrium between the body and mind in terms of its biogenesis is equally important and yet unnoticed vital for sleep. This unique blend of natural herbs helps to calm the mind, offer a detox and helps to provide you the much needed sleep.

Dosage -1 cup of this tea is daily recommended.

4. Brahmi Vati

This authentic formulation is traditionally prepared using Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) and used to support in memory and retaining capacity. It helps to manage the short term effects of sleeplessness as well.

Dosage – 1 tablet twice a day with plain water after meals.

5. GR (Gas Relief) Kaada

GR (Gas Relief) Kaada includes saunf (foeniculum vulgare), Dhaniya (coriander sativum) etc troubles are often a very common cause for sleeplessness in many. This beautiful blend of carminative herbs helps to keep all the gas troubles out of the way, ensuring a better sleep cycle.

Dosage -1 cup of this tea is daily recommended.

6. Saraswatarishtam

This very old and authentic formulation prepared using Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Vidari (Pueraria tuberosa), Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), Abhaya (Terminalia chebula), Usheera (Vetiveria zizanioides) etc. and is used nervine tonic in conditions of the brain including memory weakness, circulational errors and other issues. This calms the mind from within and supports establishing optimal sleep wake cycles.

Dosage – 2 tsp twice a day with equal amount of water after meals.

Deprived sleep is a pervasive problem with numerous contributing factors from lifestyle, environment and iatrogenic effects. Despite having tried the above said methods to optimise your sleep, experiencing further night wakefulness may be indicative of some pathological intervention. Given the detrimental impact of disturbed sleep it is also important to eliminate the underlying pathological interventions under the guidance of an Ayurvedic physician to optimise sleep continuity.

While Ayurveda offers a number of effective tools in managing insufficient sleep, working with an ayurvedic practitioner can be clarifying and help deliver the best for your particular situations. While lack of sleep can be extremely frustrating, our rich ayurvedic tradition will help to attain that needed balance.