Almost everyone has occasional sleepless nights and it’s usually never a happy place. Lack of sleep makes us feel lethargic, unable to concentrate, depressed, weak, grim, cranky and emotional. Most of us can deal with a night or even two nights of lost sleep, but sometimes it can extend into weeks, months and sometimes even years.

Insomnia can sometimes suggest the presence of other disorders and imbalances, but sometimes it’s just due to travel, sleeping in a unfamiliar place, working the night shift, overuse of caffeine, alcohol, extreme temperature or sometime just the inability to stop the mind Insomnia can occur in people of all ages and all constitutions, but generally it is most common in women of Vata constitution over age 50.

Like everything else in Ayurveda, how much sleep we need depends what our dominant constitution is. Kapha constitutions require the most sleep to feel balanced, between eight to nine hours nightly. Pitta constitution require between seven and eight hours sleep and Vata types can function well with six to seven hours of sleep.

Ayurveda considers sleep (rest) one of the three pillars of good health, (the other two are food (digestion) and sex (creativity). Let’s look at some Ayurvedic suggestions to minimize the chances of tossing and turning throughout the night:

*Keep a regular sleep schedule of going to bed before 10 pm. Ayurveda says that there are three master cycles or rhythms in each day. If you go to bed around this time, your body is under the influence of the Kapha dosha which has the qualities of heavy, slow and stable which is supportive of sleep.

*Follow an Vata pacifying diet and lifestyle program.

*Give yourself an full body abhyanga (self oil massage) paying particular attention to the head and feet. This is a wonderful nighttime practice for inducing sleep.

*Take a warm bath or shower to soothe vata. Also in cold climates or winter, make sure your feet are warm. It’s almost impossible to sleep with cold feet.

*A cocktail of warm milk and a pinch of cardamom really can promote peaceful sleep. Dr. Lad also suggests adding some nutmeg and crushed, blanched almonds to this for a variation.  Or try a cup of our Vata Tea made with chamomile, licorice root, cinnamon, cardamom, orange peel and cloves with milk and honey.

*Ayurveda considers the following herbs useful for promoting sound, deep sleep and relaxation. Jatamamsi, Ashwagandha, Shakhanalpushpi, chamomile, and Brahmi. Also, we carry a rasayana called Deep Sleep containing Jatamamsi, Valerian, Ashwagandha, Nutmeg and many more herbs that promote deep sleep and relaxation.

*Gentle pressure on the two marma points on each side of the temples with sandalwood oil or jatamamsi oil using alternating clockwise and counterclockwise circular movements may be useful.

*Schedule a shirodhara. Shirodhara is a slow continuous stream of warm oil that induces a mental state similar to a trance which creates a profound relaxation of the body and mind. It deeply relaxes and revitalizes the central nervous system.

*Use of essential oils like jatamamsi oil, lavender, neroli, nutmeg, valerian root, vetiver and chamomile.

*So-Hum meditation. Follow your breath, and on the inhalation think “So” and exhale with “Hum” while keeping your attention on the area between your eyebrows known as the “third eye” is a deeply relaxing practice that promotes sleep.

*Avoid substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol which are stimulants. Also avoid mental strain and overstimulation at night. Loud music and violet movies all aggravate Vata.

*Avoid eating heavy meals. Ideally the last meal should be around sunset. It’s difficult to fall asleep if all your energy is tied up with digestion.

*Avoid sleeping during the day, but if you choose to nap keep it under 30 minutes.

If all this fails, just lie quietly in bed with your eyes closed with an awareness of your body. The worst thing you can do is worry that you won’t be able to function well the next day, which only creates more anxiety. Your body can rest and repair itself from resting quietly if you allow it to do so. Keep practicing the above recommendations and never resign yourself to insomnia even if you’ve had it for years.