Not getting proper sleep is known as insomnia. People suffering from it remain awake at nights. A good night rest is essential to carry out the next day’s daily chores. On the average an adult must get 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Home Remedies for Insomnia
Below are some of the top and effective Insomnia home remedies –
- Extract around 30 gm of milk from poppy seeds and mix it with sufficient amount of sugar. Have it once in day, preferably before dinner, when you are ready to go to sleep. This is one of the best home remedy for insomnia
- Take about 4 nutmegs and grind it into fine powder. Have the powder every night before going to sleep. One of the better herb for insomnia cure
- Take little bit of root of the pippali plant and grind it into fine powder. Have a teaspoonful of this every night by adding some jaggery to it. Have a glass of warm milk
- Take 1 banana and mash it in a bowl. Put roasted cumin seeds in it and mix them. Have it after dinner time. It helps in getting proper sleep
- Have Kava Kava before bed time. It reduces stress, anxiety and tension
- Valerian wallichi contains “mild relaxant properties”. One teaspoonful of its juice before bed time induces good sleep
- Mix up the following ingredients: 1 teaspoonful of chamomile flower, 1 teaspoonful of hop, 1 teaspoonful of valerian root, and a cup of boiling water. Steep the mix for 45 minutes. Strain the contents and drink it about an hour before going to bed
- Have 1 cup of milk with honey before going to bed. It helps in inducing sleep
- One can have either have buttermilk or milk with a little bit of cinnamon and honey for sound sleep
- Avoid alcohol
- Eating a few cookies with milk is good before going to sleep. Cookies contain sedative ingredients because of the sugar they contain
- Reduce caffeine intake
- Use earplugs
- Have a comfortable bed and pillow
- Do not take naps
- Regular exercising also helps. One should undertake active exercises during the day time and mild exercise before going to sleep. Jogging, walking and swimming are good exercises
- Take a hot bath before going to sleep
- Add Epsom salt to the bath and soak in it for 15 to 20 minutes before sleeping
- Drinking a glass of warm milk is good
- Have a little bit of honey before going to sleep. It also has a sedative effect like sugar
- Dill seed herb happens to be a folk cure for treating insomnia
- Melatonin supplements can be taken. You produce less melatonin as you grow older. The supplement can help you sleep
- Do not carry office tensions to home
- Do not eat before going off to sleep
- Make your bedroom very cozy
- One should follow a regular schedule, like sleeping at a particular time and getting up at a particular time
- Applying hot packs and hot fomentations to one’s spine
- Cold hipbath with the feet placed in hot water a bedtime is very good
- Breathing exercises. Controlled breathing helps you to sleep
- Yoga
One must have a good night sleep to feel fresh the next day. Try out the Home Remedies for Insomnia to have adequate sleep.
What is insomnia
Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which the individual is unable to fall asleep or stay asleep for long. It leads to daytime drowsiness and fatigue along with poor concentration and performance at work or studies. It can be caused due to a number of factors like depression, anxiety or even due to certain medications. Ayurveda has some herbal medications like calamus root and brahmi that can help individuals with this condition sleep better.
Ayurvedic treatment for insomnia
The Ayurveda system believes that insomnia is caused by the aggravation of the Fire element in Pitta Dosha in the body. To treat this, it is believed that the body should be heated up using hot spices and herbs in order that the body mechanisms warm up and start functioning to begin the cooling down process of the body.
Calamus root and its products are supposed to be one of the most effective Ayurvedic herbs to treat this condition. You can take a small spoon of the powder and consume it about three times a day with warm milk or even water. Alternatively, you can take this powder mixed with Brahmi (Hydrocotyl asiatica or Gotu kola) and Amla (Emblica officinalis). This is the shirodhara technique and is equally effective.
Along with this, you can also follow some tips that can help you get a better quantity and quality of sleep and treat insomnia.
- Have a routine where you sleep and get up at approximately the same time everyday as this helps the body clock to adjust to sleep and wake patterns. Also, try and sleep and wake up early as this confirms to the natural body clock
- Try to have an exercise routine early in the morning as this help refresh you for the whole day
- You can have hand and foot massage with a light oil like sweet almond mixed with a few drops of an essential oil like lavender oil just before going to bed. This improves sleep
- Try and have a light dinner that is not very hot or spicy as this can disrupt sleep and you may keep waking up time and again through the night
These tips, if followed regularly, along with taking the herbal medications, can help in sleeping better and cure insomnia.
Causes of Insomnia
- Worries and anxieties
- Not relaxed before going to sleep
- Vulnerability
- Continued stress
- Learned insomnia. One may try very hard to get over it, and in the process lose more sleep
Symptoms of Insomnia
- Tiredness
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Frequent naps during the day
- Interrupted sleep