Positive Health Online

We spend one-third of our life sleeping or resting. A person who is seventy, taking the average of 7-8 hours of rest daily, would have spent 23 years of life sleeping! But then, if you thought these 23 years were wasted, you are wrong.

Ayurveda says, nidra or rest is one the three fundamentals to ageless health and stunning glow. There are three states of mind – conscious, subconscious and unconscious. In the state of sleep one can access the subconscious mind. It is this aspect of brain which helps one to connect with the people and things that have left you or are not with you. 

Adequate sleep increases the power of digestion, removes fatigue and restores equilibrium in the body. Natural sleep causes the heartbeat to slow down and as a result blood pressure reduces to some extent. Breathing is slow and as a result the metabolic activity of the body is reduced and body achieves a state of relaxation, and is in harmony with nature. Nature is balance, and the division between day and night provides the right environment for the being to tune in with this balance. According to ayurveda, sleep is related to tamas, so is night. Therefore, restoration of one's energy is done at night.

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Yog Nidra

One should always clean the mouth and wash hands and feet before retiring to bed as it induces sleep. Massaging the feet with oil at night helps one relax and go off to sleep very easily. It is especially beneficial for people suffering from sleeping disorders like insomnia, parasomnia and somnambulism. A gap of two hours between the evening meal and bedtime keeps the stomach light and aids in a relaxed sleep. One should try and retire for the day between 9-10 pm as keeping awake till late in the night aggravates vata dosha.

Disturbed sleep is indicative of sickness. Those suffering from insomnia and other sleeping disorders need to look into their lifestyle, dietary habits and identify the cause of their problem. 'Unnatural mode of living' is the primary causative factor of these.

Ayurvedic texts describe the following causes for insomnia: fear, anxiety, fury, smoking, excessive physical work or exercises, blood-letting, anemia, fasting, purgation, under nourishment, unsuitable bedding and polluted environment, old age or any physical or mental disease. The amount of sleep required by an individual depends on the mental and physical labor he or she is doing. Sleep also provides natural immunity to the one suffering from any disease.

The hormone melatonin is formed in pineal gland from serotonin, and the process is triggered in the absence of light. In humans, plasma melatonin levels increase steadily after 7-11 PM to peak at around 2-4 AM. To promote its proper functioning, melatonin induces sleep in the body during night time to retard other processes and promote the replenishment of body. Therefore, sleeping at night is a biological requirement and facilitates anti-ageing functions of the body.

Charaka Samhita says only when one has dissociated from the objects of senses and motor organs can one get into the state of sleep; and this is the most natural means of rest. Charaka has even compared the state of sleep to pleasure, peace, and happiness when he said 'nidrayatam sukham’, which indicates that only when body and mind are disease-free and at peace, the pleasures of life can be experienced. This state of mind and body cannot be achieved without giving them adequate amount of rest.

Below are some tips and techniques to help overcome the problem of insomnia.

Ayurvedic Tip

Every day before going to sleep fill a tub with lukewarm water. Keep a jug of very hot water nearby. Put some drops of pure eucalyptus oil in the water. Dip your feet in the tub and slowly keep on adding hot water to the tub till it reaches a temperature that you can bear. The practice has the instant effect of relieving heaviness and excessive blood collection in the brain. As a result, you are able to relax and sleep better. 

Yog Nidra

Yog Nidra, is a simple technique to rejuvenate and rest the body. For this, lie down in shavasana keeping your body loose, feet slightly apart and palms on either side of the body, facing skyward. Close your eyes and watch your breath at the tip of the nostrils. With one deep inhalation, take your awareness to the left big toe, then all the toes in the left foot and instruct them to relax. Now slowly move the awareness upwards, relaxing the foot, ankle, shin, knee, thigh and the entire left leg as you move up. Repeat the process with right leg. Feel a gentle soothing current flowing in both legs. 

Now bring your awareness to the left hand and move upwards very slowly from fingertips to the shoulder observing each and every body part. Repeat on the right side. Next take your awareness to the abdomen, all the internal organs, lower back, upper back, up to the top of the head, visiting each and every cell and organ and relaxing and nourishing it with the strength of your awareness. 

Next be aware of the weight in the body and drop this weight in the core of the earth, leaving your body light and weightless. Be aware of a whitish blue light at the top of the head and sweep your body seven times with this light, from head to toe. Now take your awareness to the center of the chest cavity (anahad chakra) and from here, holding the hand of your guru, drop all your awareness, let go. Let there be no thoughts or movements beyond this point. Come back when you feel like. Whenever you come back, enter the body through the agya (crown) chakra, pay reverence to the Guru and once again become aware of the entire body brimming with youthful strength and glow. Open your eyes and look at the center of your palms first, then the whole body.

Yog Nidra has the instant effect of soothing and calming the body and also replenishing it. It is advised that you visit your nearest Dhyan Foundation center to learn the correct way to practice Yog Nidra. The effect of any sadhna becomes manifold when practiced under the guidance of your Guru who channelizes energy into it.

Further Information

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