Hyderabad: According to National Sleep Foundation (America), about one-third of people worldwide suffer from sleep issues. People generally ignore problems such as sleeplessness considering it a common problem, but these might have a root cause such as insomnia or any other sleep disorder. Also, the condition of insomnia can deviate into issues with physical and mental health.
Dr Rajesh Sharma, an Ayurvedic physician from Bhopal, explains that sleep is considered one of the 'Trayopastambha' or the three essential supporting pillars of life. On the other hand, insomnia or sleep-related problems are considered one of the factors responsible for many problems in Ayurveda.
He explains that insomnia is a common sleep disorder that causes a person to have no or little sleep, poor quality of sleep, and disturbed sleep patterns. Sometimes this problem can also serious problems related to physical and mental health in a person. It affects the ability to do any work and their behaviour. Dr Rajesh explains that the most common symptoms of insomnia are:
- Sleeplessness or loss of sleep.
- Drowsiness during the day or strong urges to take a nap.
- Changes in sleeping and waking times.
- Difficulty sleeping or frequent breaks in sleep.
- Increased anxiety, tension and restlessness.
- Increased irritability and angry behaviour.
- Forgetfulness and lack of concentration.
He explains that as people age, the problem of lack of sleep usually starts appearing. But many types of physical and mental health-related reasons can be responsible for insomnia in young and old people. At the same time, lifestyle-related causes are also considered one of the main factors responsible for the problem of insomnia. He explains that the following are some of the common factors that are believed to be responsible for insomnia:
1) Mental Problems and Disorders: Factors like stress, depression and anxiety are considered to be some of the triggering factors for insomnia in most cases. Generally, the problem of not getting proper sleep due to stress is common in people, which automatically gets cured when the cause of anxiety or stress goes away. But if problems like stress, depression or anxiety start taking the form of a disorder or affect people for a long time, then sometimes insomnia can also develop into a disease. Insomnia is considered one of the main symptoms of many types of mental disorders.
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2) Physical Problems: Many times, along with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and many other diseases, disorders like sleep apnea, various kinds of pain in the body, effects of some chronic diseases and sometimes due to the side effects of some medication. Some physical problems that are considered responsible for insomnia are as follows;
- Weak digestive system: People with weak digestive systems and a messed-up diet are more likely to have insomnia problems. An indisciplined and unbalanced diet which is difficult to digest not just affects the digestive system but also harms our metabolism, which can cause insomnia.
- Side-effects of disease or medication: Due to the effect of a chronic disease or the side-effects of medication, insomnia can occur in some people.
- Hormonal imbalance: Hormonal imbalance can be a cause of insomnia. Especially in women, during pregnancy and menopause, when there is a problem of hormonal imbalance, then sleep-related problems are seen more in them.
- Old age: In old age, the pattern of sleep starts getting affected, and most people start witnessing problems like sleeplessness, and low sleep at night.
3) Lifestyle: He explains that earlier it was said that the more active or routined life a person lives, the better quality of sleep they get. But nowadays, the amount of physical required to fulfil the needs of a human body has decreased considerably. Nowadays, people also do not follow a set routine due to work or studies and have no fixed pattern for sleeping at night and waking up in the morning.
Also, people developed the habit of staying up late at night due to self-isolations during the Covid-19 pandemic. This habit affected the circadian rhythm or biological clock of their bodies. People also tend to have increased screen time, before going to sleep, which is considered one of the main reasons for increasing problems in sleep among people.
Dr Rajesh explains that a good and necessary amount of sleep is not a luxury but one of the body's most important needs. Whatever may be the reason for insomnia, efforts must be made to get rid of it in time. He explains that in Ayurveda, 'Shirodhara' and some other activities of 'Panchakarma' are considered very useful in treating insomnia. Consumption of many types of herbs also considered beneficial in solving this problem, such as Tagara, Brahmi, Jatamansi, Ashwagandha and Shankhpushpi, etc.
These herbs and different types of medicines made from them provide relief from the problem of insomnia as well as the problems triggered by insomnia such as anxiety, lack of concentration and memory and nervous system problems and conditions like hypertension. But it is very important that before consuming these herbs or the medicine or decoction made from them, people consult a doctor. He explains that in Ayurveda, some measures related to behaviour are also given to prevent and get rid of insomnia, which can be very helpful in getting good sleep. Some of them are as follows:
- Practice regular Yoga, especially Pranayama.
- Include tasks which have more physical activity, and exercises, through which needs of the body can be fulfilled to some extent.
- Consume warm milk before sleeping at night.
- Massage the soles of your feet with sesame oil before sleeping.
- Avoid watching TV or working on the computer late in the night.
- Do not consume coffee or tea after the evening.
- Eat dinner in the evening or at least 2 hours before sleeping.
- Before sleeping, practice meditation for some time, it reduces stress.
- Yoga Nidra can also be practised when people can't sleep.
