In Ayurveda, sleep disorders are called Alpa nidra and Insomnia is known as Anidra. According to the Ayurveda, the doshas (biological energies found in the body and mind that govern all physical and mental processes) responsible for this disease are Tarpak Kapha, Sadhak Pitta or Prana Vata.
I spoke with Dr’s Poornima Sreelal and Sreelal who are experts in Ayurveda at CGH Earth’s Kalari Rasayana in India.
Healing Insomnia Caused By Poor Diet
Tarpak Kapha is a sub-dosha of Kapha (Water). It nourishes the brain cells and facilitates a good night’s sleep.
The imbalance of this dosha causes poor nourishment of brain cells, leading to Insomnia. This happens to those who are deprived by food faddism. Top Tips:
- Take carbohydrate and fat-rich food at night before 8:00 PM
- Drink fat-rich milk with nutmeg and jaggery or sugar before bedtime
Healing Insomnia Caused By Overworking
Sadhak Pitta is a sub-dosha of Pitta (Fire) and is located in the heart. It controls emotions, desires, decisiveness, and spirituality.
Its imbalance makes a person exhibit workaholic tendancies, thereby leading to situations that may cause a lack of sleep. Top Tips:
- Drink ash gourd or sugar cane juice, after dinner
- Take 5 soaked almonds at bedtime
- Drink 100 ml of lukewarm almond milk at bedtime
Healing Insomnia Caused By Stress
Prana Vata is a sub-dosha of Vata (Air). It is linked to insomnia, worry, anxiety, and problems like depression.
Prana Vata makes the nervous system sensitive; this sensitive nervous system coupled with an aggravated Prana Vata lead to insomnia.
Top Tips:
- Wash your legs with warm water and massage your feet with butter
- Make a paste of milk and butter and apply that paste over your bregma (Crown of Head) and feet
Ayurveda is considered to be one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems, Ayurveda (‘ayur’ meaning life and ‘veda’ meaning knowledge or science), seeks to balance the mind, body and spirit with a therapeutic approach that gets to the core of our personality, behaviour and lifestyle.
This ancient approach is more than a mere system for curing ailments; its curative outlook charts out a complete lifestyle for disease-free living. It is so effective, the NHS revealed that it will be trialling Ayurvedic medicine to help reduce our reliance on antibiotics.
Meghan Markle was even revealed to be a fan for a topical endorsement!