Insomnia (Sleeplessness)

One can have either no sleep or have disturbed sleep. Remember, sound, peaceful and uninterrupted sleep serves as a tonic for body and mind. Day is meant for work and night for sleep, hence one must enjoy sound sleep for 6 hours. Relaxation is no substitute for night's sleep.

Causes & Symptoms

Disturbance of any sort, mental upset, indigestion, pain, fever, restlessness, noise, late night awakening, tiring and exhausting work, acute headache, bruised feeling all over the body, sore feeling, nagging, weather changes (sudden), over or indaequate covering of the body, extreme heat or intense cold, humidity, sweating, coughing (persistent), etc are some of the factors/ situations that disturb sleep pattern.

The affected person experience constipation, headache, dyspepsia, tiredness, disinclination to work/labour, agitation etc. Absence of sleep is merely a symptom which has some cause behind it. In some cases when sleep is made subservient to and dependant upon some habit (say alcohol intake sleeping tablets, tea, coffea at bed time), the concerned person cannot have sleep unless he has his favourite drink at night.

First of all, locate the cause, and remove the same. Quite often change of place, surroundings, food habits, work pattern or hours, deviations and distractions or else involvement in fruitful and gainful work can/may induce sleep. It may be noted that resort to medicines should be the last option, when all other remedial steps have proved ineffective.

Ayurvedic Cure

Ayurvedic theory believes Vata, Pitta and Cough either all the three, two of them or only one as the causative behind insomnia, hence it should be found out as to what factor has caused the malady.

Following medicines may be tried, irrespective of any cause viz.

• Churna of Pipplomool - l.5gm to be taken with water as a single dose at bed time.

• Swamamakhshik Bhasma to be taken (1 gm) with jaggery at bed time.

• Brahmi (Bacopa Monmera - 500mg), Vacha (Acorus Calamus - 500mg), Amla - 1 gm or more. A dose of these powders should be taken with water milk thrice daily. To make it stronger and more effective add 1 gm or 500mg of Shankhpushpi to the above mentioned powders.

• Vatakulantaka (125mg) may betaken twice daily with honey.

• NidrodayaRasa - 125mg to be taken with honey at bed time (one dose only).

One can try anyone of the said prescriptions as per suitability and individual requirement.

• Message on head with Chameli Tel (oil of Jasmine) or pure Mustard oil (Sarson Ka Tel) or cow's ghee may also induce sleep at night.

• In some cases even a bath taken 30 minutes prior to the time of retiring to bed, can also induce sleep; or else massage soles of the feet with cow's milk at night add some camphor during summer days.

• If you take a long, but sustainable walk, after having dinner, and get tired, then sound sleep could also ensue.