Insomnia

Creating a nurturing routine has always been a challenge for me and most people I know. There are many barriers in our own psyche which create our habitual pattern and prevent us from communing with our true source, the way in which we were meant to live. And there are several more barriers in the collective psyche and social pattern. They constantly influence and pull us further away from living with our natural rhythm and contribute to our imbalance. By bringing Ayurveda and yoga into our life we can begin to break through these barriers and manage our life effectively.

Insomnia is caused by over-active, unrested body and mind. Normally we think that if we tire ourselves out we would sleep well. That is true if we are following our body natural rhythm. Our body has an intelligence or the memory imprinted just like the rest of the universe. The sun rises and sets, the moon waxes and wanes at certain times of day and month. We suppose to go to sleep, wake up and eat at certain times of day and give our body a proper amount of physical and mental stimulation. If we go against our natural rhythm our body becomes unintelligible. It no longer wants to sleep when it needs to!

The quality of our sleep tells us about the story of our life. Insomnia, according to the Merriam Webster's Medical Dictionary means "prolong and usually abnormal inability to obtain adequate sleep." In Ayurvedic viewpoint excess Vata is the main cause of insomnia. Pitta can also attribute to insomnia. Vata is governed by the principle of movement causing our body and mind to become hyper-active. Pitta is governed by the principle of heat and transformation causing our mind to become overly focus and unable to rest.

I suffered much from insomnia as a child and adult. It was yet another condition of mine that was improved through ayurveda. As a child I was extremely imaginative. Day dreaming and fantasizing were my full time job. I was also very much fixating on goals rather than enjoying and appreciating the process of life. These are the signs of overly active and focused mind driven by the forces of Vata and Pitta. It was no surprise that I chose my earlier professions as a model, actress and fashion designer. As I reached each fantastic goal I set I could not reach the ultimate goal of peace and happiness. Eventually, I got the message. My journey since has shifted it's course. Instead of reaching out to something or someone that would bring me happiness, I reach for happiness itself. That happiness is peace right here right now.

During my insomnia episodes I would be laying in bed tossing and turning most of the night until I was so exhausted that I finally passed out. The condition persists until one day after I have been practicing yoga and ayurveda for some months I noticed that I no longer had a difficulty falling asleep. Yet over the years of connecting to my sense of wellbeing I have found through my own condition that I still obtain inadequate sleep even if I do not have a difficulty falling asleep. During a sleep if my mind is active and I have active, chaotic dreams I would suffer physical fatigue as well as dullness in the mind the day after.

Body and mind work together. For the most part we can not act a simple act without having a thought first. Busy mind causes an inability for the body to rest and rejuvenate itself. We are living in a stressful mode all the time even in our sleep. If you can remember the dreams you had the previous night then you can calculate how much sleep you had depending on the length and the content of your dreams. The longer the dream, the more active, anxious, fearful or violent the more mental energy you have spent and the less rest you procured. Our sensory organs are over-stimulated by our choice of activities. The craving for sensory pleasures is the misalignment between what our mind and senses want versus what our body truly need.

Treating insomnia is unlike having a surgery in order to remove a condition once and for all. It is an on going practice of self transformation through creating a proper daily routine. Following are suggestions that you may find helpful in gaining adequate sleep.

1. Wake up upon sunrise and go to bed by 10-11 pm. Create a consistent bedtime and rise the same time each morning.

2. Either get rid of your alarm clock (your body will eventually adjust to the new natural cycle) or find one with a soothing tone to help ease you in the waking period.

3. Have your last meal by 6-7 pm. Your body needs time to digest. It cannot gain a full rest while your digestive organs are hard at work. Between dinner and bedtime you can have chamomile tea mixed with a pinch of nutmeg. Both herbs promote relaxation and sound sleep.

4. Drink less liquid and eliminate alcohol and caffeine after 7 pm to prevent taxing the digestion and elimination organs. Getting up in the middle of the night to eliminate also disturbs the resting process.

5. Reduce activity before bedtime. Turn off TV. Limit yourself to light reading with spiritually uplifted material rather than disturbed or intellectually stimulated subjects. Listen to soft music, nature sounds or better yet, stay in silence.

6. Try to relax throughout the day by bringing awareness to your body and breath. Take yoga classes or stretch at home. Meditation is very effective in treating and preventing insomnia as the body is fully relax and the mind learns to stop its chaotic movement of thoughts which is the main cause of insomnia.

7. Rest more during the change of seasons, in fall, and winter as these time heighten Vata Doshas.

8. Lastly, try to enjoy the process of living and be optimistic. Let go of resentment, grudging and aversions. The more you hold for or against someone or something the more your psyche is loaded with unnecessary weight. They transform into subconscious fear, anxiety and anger that prevent you to rest fully within your essence.