Ayurveda for Restorative Sleep

Restlessness, too much input, stress, a heavy stomach – the reasons why we sleep poorly or don't feel rested in the morning are diverse. Often, the causes of poor sleep lie in our daily, habitual routine. Ayurveda expert Dr. Saurabh Sharma explains how this routine can be optimized from an Ayurvedic perspective for sleep problems, and which specific tips help the different Dosha types to better sleep. He says:

* (Ayurveda defines celibacy not as complete abstinence, but as restraint/balance with regard to excessive sensory pleasures or enjoyment – for the sake of good health.)

However, despite the importance of good sleep as a fundamental need, it is often not given enough attention in our time – unlike diet, which is very often in focus. Almost every second person suffers from sleep disorders, temporarily or permanently, for various reasons, which can significantly impair quality of life.

Many people either have difficulty falling asleep, sleep restlessly, or simply don't feel rested in the morning – despite an adequate number of hours of sleep. And this can have a variety of causes.

Often the cause of sleep disorders lies in diet or daily routine.

A basic Ayurvedic principle is to get up early and go to bed early. The recommended time to get up is between four and six in the morning, also called "Brahma Muhurta" (the "hour of Brahman") in the Vedic scriptures.

From 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, the body is in the phase of the grounded, calm Kapha Dosha. Therefore, Ayurveda recommends falling asleep before 10:00 PM. Afterwards, the Pitta time begins, the phase of the fire element, in which brain activity increases again. So, if we fall asleep before 10:00 PM, we avoid being kept awake in this phase by increased Pitta.

If this daily rhythm is unrealistic in your everyday life, you can try to get up as early as possible and make sure you go to bed early enough to get sufficient sleep. This change may not happen overnight, but with a little discipline, you will surely manage to go to bed earlier and thus also get up earlier.

It's not necessarily a certain number of hours that matters, but whether you sleep restfully. Do you wake up rested in the morning or rather dull and tired? Do you get out of bed easily or do you have to painstakingly peel yourself out after hitting "snooze" three times?

Perhaps you ate too late or the wrong things? – A good eating routine for restful sleep.

Often we eat our main meal in the evening, for example, because we don't have time or inclination to eat enough during the day at work. The body then signals to us in the evening that we should eat a lot – and we have a really good appetite.

However, the digestive fire, which we call Agni see note in Ayurveda, is not as active in the evening (after sunset) as it is at lunchtime, for example. This means that the body has a very hard time processing food at night; it cannot be properly digested. The metabolism is overloaded. During sleep, the body is therefore more occupied with digestion than with your actual regeneration. The consequence: You sleep poorly or wake up tired and may also have digestive problems because your "Agni" is out of balance. Dr. Sharma's dietary tips for better sleep:

• Try to eat your main meal at lunchtime, not in the evening. If, for example, you cannot eat a full lunch due to your work, you could prepare a (uncomplicated) warm meal at home in the morning and take it with you to work in a food carrier (thermos).
• Eat a light, cooked, and tasty dinner relatively early in the evening (6:00 PM), for example, a soup.
• It's best to avoid stimulating foods like black tea, coffee, and chocolate in general, but especially in the afternoon and evening. A pleasurable and at the same time healthy alternative to coffee is the extremely palatable, caffeine-free Raja's Cup.
• In the evening, avoid too much external stimulation from long TV viewing or time on the computer or phone – allow yourself enough screen-free time before bed!
• Generally avoid an excess accumulation of Pitta (heat) in the body.
• Prepare almond milk before bed – Dr. Sharma's recipe for it can be found below.

If you have sleep problems or don't feel rested in the morning, try these tips for a few weeks and see if you already feel better.

It is also important to get enough exercise.

To sleep well and restfully, the body needs movement during the day. For example, start in the morning after Abhyanga with Pranayama, the yogic breathing exercises. Afterwards, practice Yoga Asanas and meditation to start the day energized, balanced, and fresh. This balances your Vata Dosha, which in an unbalanced state is often responsible for restlessness and difficulty falling asleep.

Sufficient physical activity during the day contributes greatly to improved sleep.

Of course, it also depends on your individual constitution what your body and mind need for restful sleep and how you can best support your body in its regeneration.

Sleep tips for Vata types

For people with a dominant Vata Dosha (space and air element), sleep disorders are quite common, as they are naturally very active, like to do many things at once, and don't easily settle down. Their thoughts and thus their brain are constantly active. The following tips can help you sleep better:

• Perform a morning Abhyanga self-massage with warm oil.
• Practice Yoga Asanas.
• Avoid excitement and mental stimulation in the evening.
• In the evening, before going to bed, after washing, massage the soles of your feet for two to three minutes with Ghee (clarified butter) or Vata Massage Oil. Special tip from Dr. Saurabh Sharma: Also massage some oil into your fingertips.
• Practice meditation in the morning and evening.

Sleep tips for Pitta types

Pitta types are deep thinkers. If they are excessively mentally active in the evening, they will not rest during the Pitta phase of the night, which is actually for regeneration, or they will wake up around 2:00 AM (possibly sweating) and be unable to fall back asleep.

• End the evening with relaxation and avoid mental excitement.
• Try to be disciplined and go to bed before the Pitta phase of the night.
• Add some Ghee to the almond milk (recipe see below) and drink it before bed. Ghee balances Pitta and Vata.

Sleep tips for Kapha types

Kapha constitutional types generally fall asleep quickly and easily, as they are grounded and calm. Sometimes they even get tired during the day and like to take a nap. However, this throws the Kapha Dosha out of balance and sometimes brings a hint of depression and a tendency towards negative thoughts. To balance Kapha and prevent negative thought spirals, the following sleep tips help:

• Don't sleep during the day, except in summer when it's hot.
• Add two to four pinches of turmeric to the almond milk (recipe see below), which balances Kapha.

Depending on which Dosha predominates in you, try these tips in the coming period and see what changes! A detailed Dosha test can be found here.

Good, restful sleep is the foundation of your health and quality of life.

So, definitely take the time to address your sleep hygiene and don't settle for poor or mediocre sleep! If you feel any kind of fatigue in your body, be it physical or psychological, even though you sleep long enough, then your Doshas are probably out of balance. Try to harmonize them using the methods explained here.

If you suffer from chronic insomnia, we recommend consulting an (Ayurvedic) doctor. A well-trained Maharishi Ayurveda doctor can support you by determining the deeper cause of your sleep problems with a professional Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis. However, it is also best to have any possible organic causes, such as an overactive thyroid, high blood pressure, etc., medically checked.

Recipe: Warm almond milk for restful sleep

• 200 ml warm almond milk *)
• 2-4 pinches of cinnamon powder
• 2-4 pinches of nutmeg powder
• Only for Pitta types: some Ghee
• Only for Kapha types: 2-4 pinches of turmeric

Mix all ingredients and drink the almond milk about half an hour before going to bed. Since our digestive system rests at night, the body can absorb the nutrients it contains better now. *) You can easily make almond milk yourself by mixing 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of white organic almond paste (from peeled almonds) with 200 ml of water and the other ingredients (whisk or hand blender).

By the way, Vedic sounds and Gandharva Veda music in the evening are also very helpful in calming the mind. If you then make sure you have a healthy place to sleep and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the scent of Nidra or Vata aroma oil ( fragrance lamp or fragrance diffuser ), you are well prepared for a wonderfully restful sleep.

We hope that these tips from Ayurveda will help you to sleep well again. Now it's time to close the computer.

We wish you a good night!

Incidentally, Vedic sounds and Gandharva Veda music in the evening are also very helpful in calming the mind. If you then ensure you have a healthy sleeping place and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the scent of Nidra or Vata aroma oil (fragrance lamp or fragrance diffuser), you are perfectly prepared for a wonderfully restful sleep.

We hope that these tips from Ayurveda will help you sleep really well again. So, now it's time to close the computer.

We wish you a good night!

We thank our experts

Dr. Richa Shrivastava and Vaidya Dr. Saurabh Sharma for their professional support!