Body Mind Complex

Six Remedies For An Uninterrupted 8-hour Sleep

Six Remedies For An Uninterrupted 8-hour Sleep


According to a study in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,
more than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis, 37% to be precise. A good night’s sleep is non-negotiable for you to be productive, especially when you have important strategic decisions to make at work or simply manage people, home and everything in between. Now instead of turning to alcohol or popping pills to get sleep, how about we let you in on simple au natural Ayurvedic remedies for improved sleep without having to sacrifice your health. Ayurveda, an ancient science of healing and longevity, has simple yet very effective herbal measures to help you get quality sleep.  

1. Milk, cumin seeds and licorice

What you need to do

·Boil milk

·Add 10 gm cumin seeds

·Add liqorice or Yashtimadhu

Have it after dinner.

Benefits?

.Jeeraka or cumin have melatonin that improves your sleep cycle, regularizes it.

·It is anti-congestive

·Rich in essential oils that help in treating cold and flu

·Has riboflavin, vitamin B6 and niacin that improves brain function.

·Liquorice is a natural sweetner

·An excellent digestive agent

·Amazing tastemaker and was used in ancient medical formulations to neutralize the bitter or sour taste of medicines

·Detoxifies and cleanses the body

·Improves strength and immunity

·Reduces bloatedness

·Also recommended in treating abdominal tumor, diarrhea, worm infection and skin diseases

·Milk has tryptophan that produces serotonin, the feel-good hormone that induces sleep

·Milk regulates Kapha dosha

2. Triphala and honey

What do you need to do?

·Take 10 gms of Triphala Churna (extracts of thethree power fruits)

·Mix the triphala powder with honey

·Have the concoction after dinner

Benefits?

·Triphala (three fruits) is a popular Ayurvedic formulation that consists of extracts of three power fruits-Indian gooseberry (Amalaki), Beleric or Vibhitakiand Harde whole or Haritaki, which are a storehouse of antioxidants.

·The formulation is good for the respiratory, cardiovascular, urinary, reproductive and nervous systems.   

·Indian gooseberries are good coolants that reduce pitta dosha and work on the liver and immune system,

·beleric manages the kapha and improves respiration.

·Haritaki is an effective detox agent and balances all the three doshas.  

·Honey, like milk, contains tryptophan, and is scientifically proven to improve and give you longer restorative sleep cycles.

3. Spoonful of honey

What do you need to do?

Have a spoonful of honey about an hour before bed time.

Benefits?

·Having honey before sleep ensures there is sufficient glycogen production, so the body does not release stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) in the morning right after you wake up. 

·It stabilizes sugar levels in the body

·Helps release melatonin needed by the body for recovery and rejuvenation of body tissues in the resting period.

4. Sugarcane juice

What do you need to do?

Drink a glass of sugarcane juice after dinner at bed time.

Benefits?

·Sugarcane juice is a great option when have been having a mentally taxing day where you have had to use your intellectual faculties bit much, it is likely that your head is still abuzz and you are sleepless from the brain activity. On such days, you need to eat or apply natural ingredients or foods that increase the Kapha (earth element) in the body for you to be able to sleep off.

·Sugar cane is nourishing and a natural coolant.

·It increases Kapha dosha slightly and calms down the Pitta in the body.

5. Head and foot massage for 15 to 20 minute before food

What do I need to do?

A 15-20 minute head and foot massage before dinner with right essential oils like Shankara’s Nourishing Foot Oil that has essential oils and extracts of calming herbs. It is rich with the essence of sunflower, jojoba, grapeseed, lemon basil, dashmoolaneem, cardamom, camphor, lemongrass, manjistha, lavender, ginger, olive leaves andAshwagandha.

Shankara's Muscle Release Oil

You can also massage your head, body and tightened calf and shoulder muscles with Shankara’s Muscle Release Oil, which is both soothing and aromatic, while the host of powerful, rare, exotic and highly beneficial ingredients like sunflower oleic oil; almond oil; sesame oil; grapeseed oil; squalane (Olive-derived); aloe vera oil; castor oil; jojoba oil; vitamin E Tocopherol; essential oils of sweet birch, lavender, camphor, cedarwood,  helichrysu, boswellia extract, Melissa, licorice extract, arnica extract, blue chamomile, yarrow and turmeric, are designed to help soothe inflamed muscles and joints. The oil positively supports the natural healing properties of the body.

  • Free from counter-irritants and other side-effect ridden ingredients
  • Supports the natural intelligence and healing wisdom of the body.

 Ayurveda experts recommend a 15-20 minute head and foot message before dinner. The message will relax your body and purge it off the fatigue and stress of the day, while preparing you to hit the sac and sleep off for eight straight hours for an undisturbed sleep.

6. Yogic sleep

After a long tiring day, when you hit the bed, it is important, with what state of mind, you do that. If you go to sleep with a head full of worries, anxieties and concerns, chances are, your sleep would be disturbed and inadequately restful. What can really help is Yogic sleep, a meditative way of giving yourself deeper rest, where you take restful awareness through different parts of the body, relaxing them one by one and eventually on completion of the guided meditation, you can fall asleep with the resultant calmness and peace.