Practices to Rest Well: Sleep Hygiene and Ayurvedic Tips for Deep Sleep
Sleep hygiene is profoundly important for our health and wellbeing.
Poor sleep can depress one’s mood, deplete energy level, inhibit focus and concentration, stifle sex drive, and lead to serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, stroke and more. On the contrary, when we have a good night’s rest, our immune system repairs, energy levels replenish, mood boosts, communication is enhanced, relationships are strengthened, and the ripple effect goes on.
Ayurveda sees sleep as one of the three pillars of life (along with diet and sex) and therefore places a great importance on developing rituals and routines that enhance the quality of sleep.
Sleep imbalances can take many forms. It can range from the occasional restless night of sleep to the chronic struggle with insomnia. Often times, the culprit of poor sleep can be a mix of stress, anxiety, overwhelm, illness, sudden changes in schedule and additional external factors. From the Ayurvedic perspective, sleep tends to be disrupted by Vata Dosha (composed of air and ether) and Pitta Dosha (Fire and water).
Pitta is suspect for those who have difficulty falling asleep and are often kept awake by spiraling thoughts, problem solving and planning. Vata can be the culprit when sleep is light, restless, anxiety ridden and easily disrupted. Both Pitta and Vata share qualities of being light and mobile. When it comes to remedying sleep issues, inviting characteristics that are heavy and stable help to promote sound sleep.
Below are several tips to help encourage restful sleep
Establish a daily routine, otherwise known as dinacarya.
Consistency in your day creates a container of resilience. Routines are one of the most powerful ways to alleviate a Vata imbalance, encourage grounding energy and promote the stability needed to calm the mind and nervous system. Align with the rhythms of nature to create more harmony with your external environment. Preparing for a proper night’s rest starts when you wake up. Wake up at the same time each day. Go to bed by 10pm. Eat your meals at the same time each day so your digestion works efficiently. For more tips on establishing a healthy dinacarya read on here.
Exercise daily.
The benefits are endless but in relation to sleep, exercising helps kindle digestive fire, encourage proper elimination, relax the body and in turn, support sleep. It is one of the most effective ways to mitigate stress, which is often a culprit for a restless night of sleep.
Pro tip: Exercise in the morning between 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM the Kapha time of day. Avoid vigorous exercise in the evening as this can leave you energized.
Do not hit the snooze button.
Research shows us that this can negatively impact one’s energy levels. The body naturally starts to shift into a lighter state of sleep nearing the time to awaken. After hitting snooze one, alowign your body to restart it’s sleep cycles, it is likely that the next snooze will interrupt you in an even deeper state of sleep - thus affecting your energy throughout the whole day. If done in a long-term fashion, it will deeply affect your sleep cycle.
Eliminate stimulants from your diet or curb them by the early afternoon.
If you are highly sensitive to stimulants like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol you may seriously consider cutting these out of your diet completely. These are considered ‘rajasic’ and create hyperactivity in the body and mind deterring good sleep. If you are a die-hard coffee fan, you may consider drinking only 1 cup, and limiting any caffeine intake after 12pm. Cut out the beer or wine as alcohol can precipitate sleep apnea. Experiment and notice for yourself, as each person’s constitution reacts differently to stimulants.
Mind your diet throughout the day, especially dinner.
Your diet can affect the quality of your sleep. Avoid foods that aggravate Pitta and Vata Dosha or are considered ‘rajasic.’ These include acidic foods like garlic, onion, tomatoes and spicy foods are some examples to eliminate. Raw veggies take longer to digest than cooked veggies, so avoid having these at dinner as they may trigger trouble sleeping. Kick the after-dinner dessert habit. Dark chocolate increases heart rate and can also contribute to poor sleep. While dinner sound be warming, avoid a heavy meal that can take too long to digest and leave you up at night.
Eat an early dinner.
This enables your body to digest food prior to going to bed. If one eats a late dinner, the digestive fire or ‘agni’ is turned on which can often keep a person feeling awake.
Use low light in the evening.
Reduce bright lights your space as you wind down your day. Ayurveda encourages us to align our sleep patterns with the rhythms of Nature, which means winding down when the sun goes to sleep. However, we live in a world where technology is integrated into our way of being and lights are often on in the house well into the night. Bright lights can disrupt circadian rhythms and cue the brain that it is not time to go to bed yet. Instead take the opportunity to set the mood in the few hours before bed.
Use dim lighting with yellow or orange hues, red is also ok as long as it’s not too bright
Shaded lights that direct the light towards the floor, or lighting that is low
Eliminate screen time & blue light before bed.
Ideally it is best to eliminate screen time once the sun goes down. However, try not to look at a screen within 2 hours of bed time. This means no TV, movies, Netflix, scrolling on social media. If 2 hours is not manageable try at least 20 minutes. There are countless reasons why this challenges sleep. The blue light emitted by devices disrupts your circadian rhythm and suppresses the release of melatonin, our sleep producing hormone. In addition, it increases alertness at a time of winding down and can aggravate Pitta Dosha. To better manage boundaries with your technology, read on here.
Refrain from mental work in the evening.
In our progress-driven society, this can be challenging to turn off emails and disconnect from work projects - especially amongst the rising entrepreneurs and freelancers. Mental activity in the evening can stimulate Pitta dosha and keep the brain active or awake. If you suffer from severe sleep issues, you may even consider not reading before bed.
Try Abhyanga Self-Massage in the evening to wind down.
Self-massage can be a deeply relaxing ritual. Touch is proven to boost our immune systems. The practice of Abhyanga calms the nervous system, reduces stress and balances Vata Dosha.
Don’t over hydrate or drink excess fluids before bed.
Simply because you don't’ want to your sleep cycle to be disrupted by the need to pee in the night.
If you need a pre-bed time snack, try warm milk with a pinch of nutmeg.
This recommendation comes from Dr. Lad. Nutmeg has a calming effect when taken in small doses.
Try Pranayama and Meditation to calm the mind and wind down.
Yogic breathing practices boast many benefits. Anxiety and our fast-paced world has left an imprint on our culture of shallow breathers. Our breath carries Prana, life force and with it the ability to purify and revitalize all the systems of the body. The breath is the quickest bridge to the present moment and conscious breathing such as Dirgha breath or Nadi Shodhana are known to reduce stress and calm the nervous system. Meditation invites spaciousness to be with thoughts rather than spiral into their stories and dramas. Both have profound benefits for body, mind and spirit.
Calm through sense of smell with an aromatherapy diffuser.
In your bedroom, you can turn on a diffuser with essential oils such as lavender to promote stress relief and sound slumber.
Experiment with herbal allies.
If the struggle for sound sleep is real, you may try incorporating herbs into your diet. It’s generally recommended to experiment with herbs at least 4-6 weeks allowing enough time for your awareness to sense if they are a benefit to your constitution. When purchasing herbs, it’s best to source organic.
Ashwagandha is revered for its ability to calm the mind, lower cortisol levels, manage daily energy, promote the secretion of serotonin, our happy hormone and more. It is also known to help with chronic insomnia.
Brahmi/Gotu Kola is considered ‘sattvic’ meaning pure. It is known for calming the nervous system and mind.
Chamomile tea is a classic remedy for calming the mind. It is a mild sedative that is quite safe.
Sleep with a weighted blanket.
The weight can help ground Vata, relax the nervous system and calm the body. Blankets that are 15 to 25 pounds or heavy enough to press down on your skin can stimulate pressure receptors that trigger vagus nerve activity, which has a plethora of important actions including fear, stress and anxiety management.
These are several tips to explore. Adopt the practices that work for you and leave the ones that don’t. Allow this to be the tip of the iceberg in your dive into remedies for deep, sound sleep.