Sleep Soundly: Your Ayurvedic Guide to a Restful Sleep
If you're like the majority of the population, chances are you have trouble getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep. You’re not alone. In this guide, we’ll give some tips and resources to help you in getting a good night’s rest.
In Ayurveda, the three constitutional types or doshas are responsible for sleep and other bodily functions. The three doshas are: vata (wind), pitta (fire) and kapha (water and earth). The Ayurvedic clock is divided into four-hour cycles based on the type of energy that is dominant in our body and in nature throughout each four-hour window. Every day, we go through the cycles twice in each of the doshas. While sleep is dominated by kapha as it creates the heavy feeling of tiredness, either pitta or vata is involved (and sometimes both) in interrupted sleep. Pitta gets in the way of our ability to fall asleep and vata interrupts our slumber.
Our health is affected when we fight against the natural daily cycles of energy. That's why it's important to align our daily rhythms with the rhythms of nature as this supports our well-being.
General Tips For a Restful Sleep
Stay Consistent With Your Daily Routine
Create structure in your daily life by committing to a particular time –from the moment you rise to the time you go to bed. Sleep at around 10pm as this is the time when kapha induces heaviness in the body.
Sunlight Exposure
Walk your dog, explore a nearby park or go biking and discover a new path. More exposure to the sun means increasing melatonin --- a chemical in your brain that puts you into deep slumber.
Practice Meditation
Meditation has been a life-altering practice for millenia. It increases happiness, and reduces stress, anxiety and depression. It can even fight insomnia and help you sleep better.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
A good laugh can help you to start the day right and even finish it on a relaxing one. Laughter reduces stress hormones and relaxes your muscles which ultimately prepares your mind for a peaceful night of sleep, rather than replay worrisome thoughts.
Keep Vata Digestion In Check
People who are vata-predominant are most likely to experience irregularity in bowel movements, gas, bloating, constipation, a result of vata imbalance which can interrupt your sleep. When it comes to vata's sensitive digestive system, herbal teas like ginger, licorice, peppermint or fennel offer great support. Even as simple as chewing fennel seeds after meals can help aid in digestion.
Consume a Vata-Balancing Diet
Vata body types are more susceptible to sleep problems. If you have a high amount of vata in your system, eat a vata-balancing diet which includes warm or hot meals which are freshly cooked, rich in protein and fat, and whole foods that have a soft texture and seasoned with various spices.
Vata-balancing foods include fruits like cooked apples, apricots and berries; vegetables like asparagus, avocado and beets; soaked and well-cooked grains like quinoa, amaranth and oats; legumes like lentils; spices like cumin, fennel, fresh ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom; ghee; nuts & seeds like cashew and hazelnut; and soaked and peeled almonds as a tasty snack. When it comes to nuts, choose those that are not too heavy to digest and limit the amount and as for dates, also consume just a few.
Wind Down at Night
Time to Decompress
When the sun sets, the heavy and sleep-inducing kapha period sets in which means it’s time to decompress. Have a technology-free time, read a book (an actual paper book and NOT on a screen), listen to calm music, or sit quietly, watch the sunset, spend time with family, or go for a gentle walk and take in the view.
Block Out Digital Distractions
Between 6 to 10pm, kapha becomes dominant which means it’s time to wind down and settle in for the night. In the hours before bedtime, never engage in routines that involve screens --- watching tv, checking your phone or being on your computer – as such activities activate the nervous system and stop the production of melatonin.
An Earlier Lighter Dinner
At least three hours before bedtime, eat your last meal of the day preferably between 5 to 7pm. Opt for a warm vegetable-based dish or soups as they have higher water content and are easier to digest. Dinner can also just be a smaller serving of what was consumed for lunch. Incorporate more green and non-starchy vegetables to your dinner and reduce dairy, legumes, grains or meat.
Indulge in Aromatherapy Oil
Reap the benefits of essential oils such as chamomile, lavender, marjoram, and florals like neroli, rose and jasmine. You can use your favorite essential oil with a diffuser, inhale it or add a few drops to your temples and rub gently.
Create an Effective Bedtime Routine
A Glass of Ojas Tonic
Unnecessary stress and anxiety diminishes an important substance in our body called ojas. Ojas means vitality and is responsible for a deep sleep. To help you have a satisfying sleep, combine the following ingredients and then add them to a nightly cup of hot milk: chopped dates (1 tbsp.), chopped almonds (2 tsp.), coconut meat or flakes (1 tbsp.), saffron (1/2 tsp.), ghee/coconut oil (1-2 tsp.), cardamom (1/8 tsp.), and 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon). Blend the ingredients and bring to a boil in warm milk. To make your drink even more nourishing, add ashwagandha and turmeric. Ashwagandha helps in boosting Ojas, reduces stress and increases the quality of sleep. Turmeric aids in liver function, makes skin healthier, and regulates body weight, blood glucose and cholesterol.
Ayurvedic Herbs for a Sound Sleep
If you’ve been needing to take sleeping pills, another option are herbs such as those indicated below:
Brahmi/Bracopa
Vacha
Ashwagandha
Cabbage Rose
Chamomile
Melatonin
To boost your melatonin levels, increase melatonin-rich foods such as tart cherries, almonds, tomatoes, goji berries, walnuts, oranges, and pineapples.
Abhyanga (Daily Self-Massage)
A full-body ayurvedic massage, Abhyanga is done by massaging the body from head to toe with an herb-infused oil that aids in balancing the dosha, or energies -- vata, pitta and kapha. Abhyanga not only calms the nerves and improves blood circulation but also helps you sleep better.
Apply the oil to your whole body, including the top of your head. Move in circular motions and gently rub the oil into your scalp.
Keep massaging and continue to your forehead, ears, cheeks, and jaws.
Massage your abdomen and chest and do clockwise and circular strokes. On your trunk, massage inward along your ribs.
Move to your back and butt. Once you're on your arms and legs, massage in straight, long motions. As for your joints, move in circular motions.
Massage your feet as well as your toes and soles. Let your skin absorb the oil and relax for 10 minutes.
After the massage, take a warm bath or shower and apply a gentle cleanser to remove the oil.
An Ideal Ambience for Sleeping
Make Your Bedroom Your Inner Sanctum
Treat your bedroom like your inner sanctum – create a relaxing atmosphere and break the habit of checking the news on your phone, reading, responding to emails or watching tv.
Control Your Exposure to Light
Use black curtains as this helps in covering security lights and even street lights from entering the bedroom through windows. Turn off the hallway lights and other sources of light such as charging stations and digital clocks. Wear an eye mask to prevent exposure to light throughout the night.
Temperature Matters
If you live in an area with a hot climate, open the windows to let natural air in and use natural fiber bedding as it is breathable. In order to lessen heat build-up throughout the day, close the blinds. To minimize sweating, invest in the best duvet, pillow, comforter, sheets, and mattress. For the winter season, adjust your thermostat setting between 18°C and 20°C.
Stay Warm and Comfy
Wear your favorite socks to help you regulate your body's core temperature by warming your toes. Use a hot water bottle and place it at the end of your bed specifically under your feet to keep you cozy especially during the long winter months.
Morning Habits Set the Tone For the Day
Rise With The Sun
Get up before the sun rises. Go outside, walk your dog or meditate by the window. Sunshine gives you vitamin D which can increase your serotonin levels, making you happier and energetic and ready to conquer the day.
Mornings Can Either Make or Break You
Start the day with yoga, breathing exercises, journaling, meditation or even a shower. Stop hitting the snooze button when the alarm goes off and get on with your morning rituals. This will help you control your schedule, and you begin the day feeling confident, optimistic and peaceful.
Stick with it
There’s a lot of information here when it comes to better sleep, perhaps one or more of these suggestions will be the game changer for you. It takes time to renew balance so take it step by step. If you need support with this please reach out.