ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Insomnia is a condition whereby people think that if they cannot get to sleep they have too much energy. They are often wired and simply cannot fall asleep. What I have found in my clinical practice is that most people who cannot sleep at night are, in fact, exhausted. They are usually given sedatives - be it herbal or synthetic. They get some symptomatic relief for awhile but soon these agents stop working. The best way I have found to balance insomnia is by rebuilding the nervous system. Please read the information on fatigue, and many of the symptoms of insomnia will be dealt with on a causative level.

Suggested Products:
• Ashwaganda
• Brahmi Brain
• Sleep Easy

General Suggestions:

• Meditate twice daily.  Sleep research studies have shown that meditation reduces the time of sleep onset to normal in patients with insomnia.
• Maintain a regular daily routine: rise, meditate, eat sleep, work exercise and play at the same time every day.  Go to bed by 10pm, which is the end of the Kapha period when the mind and body are naturally drowsier.  If you are not currently accustomed to being regular about your routine, you may want to start by first writing down a schedule to follow for the first few weeks.
• Eat Vata-pacifying Foods:  If the mind is very active at bedtime follow a Vata-pacifying diet or light Vata diet.  Have an early, light supper, such as soup or hot cereal, toast, warm milk at least three hours before bedtime.
• Vata pacifying foods can be found on the Winter Grocery List  and are genarlly warm, moist, and oily and sweet/salt/sour such as vegetable soup, steamed vegetables, and whole grains.  Foods that are cold, dry, uncooked, and spicy can contribute to insomnia as they increase Vata – thus eat less salads, chips and salsa, crackers, cold beverages, etc.  Eat your dessert after lunch, rather than dinner, so you can burn the sugar off during the afternoon rather than have it keep you up at night.
• If you have constipation use natural and herbal remedies to treat it (i.e. exercise, Elim I, Trifala, sipping hot water throughout the day).  Constipation can cause discomfort and impair sleep.
• Enjoy dynamic and fulfilling activities during the day.
• Be sure to enjoy some light entertainment each day.  Humorous books, movies or being in pleasant situations with family and friends will all fulfill this recommendation.
• Be Calm:  To the extent possible, avoid situations which tend to cause anxiety, worry, or anger.

In the Evening:

• Cultivate pleasant and relaxing activities in the evening: reading, listening to soft music or playing with the children. A short walk after dinner is helpful.
•  Avoid work requiring energy and concentration for at least one hour before bedtime. Also avoid watching TV or being on your computer for at least one hour before bedtime, as it stimulates the nervous system.
• Use gentle and soothing aromatherapy oil in the bedroom just before going to bed.
• While winding down for the evening, let the light in your home naturally dim with the outside light.  Only turn light on at night if you need it and keep the lights turned on low (for reading, cleaning up dinner, etc.)  This will help your body regulate it’s melatonin production, and thus help you sleep.

Just Before Bed:

·    Drink a glass of warm milk. You can add a little raw sugar or honey to taste.

·    Massage your head and bottom of your feet with warm sesame oil or ghee.  Do not over-stimulate the head by rubbing it too hard.  For sever insomnia, give yourself a gentle full-body self massage followed by a warm tub bath.

·    Never take sleeping pills, which interfere with the body’s natural sleep responses.  Instead try the following natural sleep aids (use one at a time until you find the one that works best):

• Sleep Easy herbal formula is a wonderful formula if you wake up between ~2-6am and have a hard time falling back asleep: 2 capsules every 20 minutes the last hour before bed.
• Brahmi Brain is incredibly helpful if you have a hard time falling asleep:  2 capsules every 20 minutes the last hour before bed..
• Saffron: two to three threads of saffron heated in one cup milk
• Nutmeg: one large pinch of nutmeg stirred into one cup warm milk
• Poppyseed: ¼ to ½ tsp poppyseed soaked for a few hours in one cup warm water or milk. Drink warm.
• Gotu Kola (Brahmi) tea: one tsp Gotu Kola leaves or ¼ tsp powder, brewed with ½ cup water.
• Chamomile tea: one teabag or 1 tsp loose leaves, brewed with one cup water.

In Bed: 

• Make sure that your bedroom is comfortable and orderly and at the right temperature.  There should be fresh air in the room.  Natural fibers are most comfortable for bedclothes and bed linens; they breathe more easily and don’t trap humidity next to the skin.
• Avoid using the bedroom for mental activities such as reading, working or watching TV.  The bedroom should be associated with sleeping, not activity.
• Keep your head and feet warm.  You may use a hot water bottle under your feet and a cotton nightcap for your head (especially if you have oil on your hair).
• There should be a dim light in the room in which you sleep at night rather than total darkness.
• Once in bed assume a comfortable position and relax; do not worry about sleeping.  Let your mind be lazy and wander freely.  Take the attitude that you will naturally get as much rest as you need, even if you are not actually sleeping.  Keep the lights off and your eyes closed.  Turn your clock to the wall and don’t look at it. Just enjoy resting comfortably, and sleep will come naturally. Remember that we got to bed to rest, not to sleep.  If you worry that not sleeping will spoil your next day, this worry (and even anger) can make it even harder to fall asleep.   

In the Morning:

• Try not to set your alarm clock, if possible.  Get up naturally with or before the sun.  Start the day with an oil massage, a shower, yoga and meditation, and you will fresh and rested.  Even if you feel that you have not slept well, never take the attitude that you are too tired to begin a full day’s activity.  Don’t think that you need to stay in bed longer to get more rest.  Get up and get going, and avoid napping during the day.  It will then be easier to fall asleep the next night. 

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You may also enjoy these articles in Yoga Journal which quote Dr. Douillard: 

>>>        Sweet Slumber:  Kick you insomnia for good by creating a simple and restful nighttime routine.

>>>         Ayurvedic Sleep Aids:  First diagnose the type of sleep problem you have, then treat it with remedies tailored to your specific imbalance.