Not much is known about Ayurveda and people do not care much if they miss some sleep so it should be no surprise to see that most people are not aware of the different sleep support strategies available.
What we should all know is that loss of sleep can be grim. Ancient Ayurveda texts show us that sleep lacks puts humans in a really poor mental state. Lack of sleep deteriorates our memory and reduces our focus, decision-making and creativity. If we do not sleep enough, we can easily become ignorant in behavior and thoughts.
It is not just supporters of Ayurveda that talk about how important sleep is. A study that was conducted by the NIH (National Institutes Of Health) showed that poor night sleep impairs behavior in a similar way to being drunk.
The good news is there are various things that you can do in order to improve the quality of your sleep. The strategies below are all-natural and 100% Ayurvedic. You already know you can heal yourself with Ayurveda so if you have sleep problems, consider the following ideas.
Turn Off Electronics At 8 PM
Our mind is simply bombarded by inputs coming from numerous media sources. This happens all throughout the day. A simple move like turning of your computer and your TV set can drastically improve sleep quality. This is because you manage to stay away from the possible mental distractions. Your body and your mind will get ready for sleeping.
Try An Oil Massage
This is another wonderful Ayurveda health ritual that is highly recommended when you need quality, sound sleep. You practically want to oil different parts of your body, including the top of the head, the soles of the feet and the back area of the years. Use sesame oil for that. It will promote a healthy sleep while also counteracting aging. Profound stress relief will be promoted.
Promote Sound Sleeping Through Grounding Activities
Do this between 6 PM and 10 PM in order to get ready to sleep. Harvard actually published a study, an article, in which it was highlighted how important it is to have a practice that can help the body and the mind to wind down. Ayurveda has been recommended something like this for literally thousands of years through the dinacharya practices.
Dinacharya dictates that the time between 6 PM and 10 PM should be spent around pets, people, books and various activities that offer a sense of grounding, calmness and peace. This means that before you go to sleep, you want to do something that is inspiring you. Examples include writing in a journal, reading a book, walking, meditation or listening to some soothing music.
Try Some Spiced Milk
If you never tried spiced milk you should since it is delicious and it does promote sound sleep if you drink it during the night and it includes some nutmeg. Additionally, spiced milk is uplifting, offering balance, peacefulness and clarity. Based on Ayurveda teachings, warm milk is also aphrodisiac, helps delay aging and reduces constipation. Bleeding conditions and your heart can be soothed.
If you want to try some spiced milk (highly recommended), here is a recipe to consider:
Needed Ingredients:
- Organic whole cow’s milk – 2 cups
- Water cups – 8 (optional)
- Saffron threads – 5 threads
- Crushed green cardamom – 5 pods
- Turmeric powder – Half a teaspoon
- Cinnamon powder – Half a teaspoon (optional)
If you want to make the milk even tastier, you can consider adding some organic sugar, nutmeg powder or dry ginger powder.
How To make Spiced Milk:
- Put the milk and the water in a large pot and use medium heat.
- Crush saffron and add it.
- Add turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. Then increase heat.
- As milk starts to boil, slightly reduce heat while periodically stirring. When you use water, cool until you have 1 cup of mixture, which should be around 45 minutes. When not using water, aim for just simmering for a couple of minutes. Strain if it is needed after removing from the heat source.
- Add in the sugar only at this point if you use it.
Conclusions
Use the tips below and you will surely end up sleeping better. Obviously, there are also other things that you can do just be sure that they are as natural as possible. It is always better to start with options like Ayurvedic solutions before you even consider sedatives.