Up Your Sleep Game: Tips for Good Sleep, Ayurveda Style

Bad diets, lack of exercise, more screen time – the fast paced modern lifestyle consistently has us on the ropes. Here’s a fact for you: did you know that one in three adults suffers from some form of insomnia?

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of being alive. Just like your body needs good nutrition to give you energy and exercise to keep it fit, sleeping to allow your body the time and space to recover is crucial for holistic wellbeing.

Ayurveda and good sleep go hand in hand. Practiced and perfected for centuries, this time-tested medicinal system – and quite frankly, way of life – believes that your quality of sleep is of paramount importance.

So, if you’re looking for home remedies for troubled sleeping, and up your sleep game the natural way, here’s how Ayurveda can help you!

Improve Sleep Hygiene

This means improving the overall quality of your sleep. No, don’t fall asleep in front of a screen midway through a show. Don’t sleep immediately after eating junk food. Don’t drink four cups of coffee and wonder at 3 am why you’re awake.

Instead, eat a light, healthy dinner, and eat it early. Meditate for 20-30 minutes to give your body and mind a chance to recover from the din of the day, and gently fall into sleep to wake up refreshed early in the morning.

Maintain a routine

It’s not just about getting sleep – it’s when and how you do it that matters. But how to get good sleep?

Once your body is used to the routine, it becomes more relaxed, and helps you rest better too. In fact, Ayurveda suggests that as we are diurnal beings, sleeping early and waking up to a beautiful sunrise is the best way to stay healthy.

It’s important to rest, restore and rejuvenate, yes – but doing it the right way is more important than ever.

Self-Massage

A surprising point when it comes to healthy sleeping tips? Not really. Using herbal oils to dilate the blood vessels and calm your senses has been a long trusted practice in Ayurveda.

Release heat, loosen those muscles, feel relaxed, and drift into a long night full of deep sleep.

Calming Herbal Supplements

Your daily diet must consist of herbal supplements. If the first names that came to your mind were liquorice and chamomile, you’re absolutely right. Hot cups of tea infused with the aforementioned ingredients do wonders for your sleep.

Another ingredient trusted by Ayurveda is Shankhpushpi. It acts as a natural tranquilizer for anxiety, soothes your senses and helps you get deeper, better quality sleep.

In fact, Grandma’s Kadha contains all the goodness of Shankhpushpi, in addition to 12 other adaptogenic herbs that help you recover from physical and mental stress.

Have a cuppa every day – and watch your sleep and life transform for the better!

References:

• Worley SL. The Extraordinary Importance of Sleep: The Detrimental Effects of Inadequate Sleep on Health and Public Safety Drive an Explosion of Sleep Research. P T. 2018 Dec;43(12):758-763. PMID: 30559589; PMCID: PMC6281147. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30559589/)
• The Importance of Sleep. Postgrad Med J. 1954;30(348):511. doi:10.1136/pgmj.30.348.511, (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2501147/)
• Mindell JA, Lee CI, Leichman ES, Rotella KN. Massage-based bedtime routine: impact on sleep and mood in infants and mothers. Sleep Med. 2018 Jan;41:51-57. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2017.09.010. Epub 2017 Oct 10. PMID: 29425578. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29425578/)
• Adib-Hajbaghery M, Mousavi SN. The effects of chamomile extract on sleep quality among elderly people: A clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. 2017 Dec;35:109-114. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2017.09.010. Epub 2017 Oct 13. PMID: 29154054. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29154054/)