I would give Everything for a Good Night's Sleep!
I just want to sleep! Is that your thought every night? But instead of sleeping like a baby, you find yourself thinking:
I must remember to send the report tomorrow!
Have to ring …
I also need to ring the trampoline place for the party and send out the invites!
Got to add bread to the shopping list!
I can't believe she said that to me; this is unbelievable.
And so, the hours pass while you lie in bed, counting how many are left until the alarm sounds.
What to do? How to get out of the vicious cycle? And are there any Ayurvedic tips for better sleep?
Let’s explore!
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Sleep in Ayurveda – one of the three Pillars of Health
Ayurveda, the holistic healing system that originated on the Indian subcontinent, identifies three pillars of health: three aspects of our lives that make or break our health: eating, sleeping, and sex.
You probably already know your body is super busy when you sleep, particularly early, between 10 pm and 2 am. That is one reason for Ayurveda’s recommendation of being in bed by 10 pm. The other reason we will discuss in a moment.
These nocturnal processes that run during the late evening/early night are one reason why sleep is a pillar of our health. They are all about processing the food and distributing it into the tissues. This is also called the liver meal.
The liver has more to do. It also tidies up and sends all items that need to be discarded into the digestive system for pushing out in the morning.
Furthermore, your emotions are being processed, and your lymphatic system cleans up and removes toxins and waste products from your brain to keep it healthy.
If these procedures are disrupted by you being too busy watching TV, reading, working, etc., it impacts your health. It is a big contributor to early ageing! It also weakens your immune and digestive systems and your brain health.
Ayurvedic Sleep Cycles and Doshas
You might wonder if your body’s constitution, your dominant dosha, impacts the quality of your sleep. The answer is yes. The qualities of the doshas also filter into your sleep.
My clients often ask how the doshas influence their sleep, what good routines are for their dominant dosha, and how to spot imbalances.
Let’s explore this further.
The Light Sleep of Vata Dosha
If Vata dosha is your dominant dosha, you experience its light and mobile qualities as a light sleep with vivid dreams, including flying or falling.
Vata’s mobile attribute hugely benefits from going to bed early, even as early as 9 pm. Lying brings heaviness and a sense of stability, just what Vata needs to get into resting and sleeping mode.
The thoughts that circle your mind must be processed before settling for the night. Free writing is an excellent tool to bring those thoughts out of the head and onto the paper. This also helps manage worries and anxiety, preventing Vata from falling asleep or going back to sleep when waking up at night, often during the Vata time between 2 and 6 am.
The Fiery Sleep of Pitta Dosha
Pitta dosha is fiery and very busy during the day. Pitta wants to achieve and tick everything off the list before tucking in at night. They find it difficult to fall asleep as their minds get overstimulated easily; turning devices off at least an hour before bedtime is crucial for Pitta's mind to find calm.
Pitta dosha has shorter nights. Because of their high energy level, they can get by with a slightly shorter night. But if Pitta dosha dominates your personality, the temptation to go to bed late is great. The danger is, though, once you have passed the 10 pm threshold, Pitta dosha increases again in the atmosphere and your system, and the second wind is coming up, which keeps you awake way beyond midnight.
Habitual late nights naturally increase Pitta dosha. The lesson to learn and the habit to establish is that not every task needs to be completed. It is okay to leave certain things unfinished. Pitta also benefits from free writing in the evening to get the thoughts out of their minds. As they love to-do lists, create one for the next day, prioritising the need-to-be-done and the nice-to-be-done to manage expectations.
Pitta people will find many arguments as to why they need to stay up, but in the end, going to bed late or early are only interchangeable patterns.
The Sound Sleep of Kapha Dosha
Heavy and stable are natural qualities of Kapha dosha, so sleeping is usually not a problem for Kapha dosha. Their sleep is deep and sound; they love sleeping long hours, and more often than not, Kapha-dominant folks could sleep a little less. They could go beyond 10 pm and go to bed at about 10.30, but should definitely be up early, 6 am at the latest, to utilise the light and mobile Vata qualities of the early morning hours.
Kapha is just the opposite of Pitta dosha in terms of completing tasks. Just as Pitta dosha needs to learn to leave things unfinished, Kapha dosha needs to ensure they complete everything before the end of the day.
Diet and Sleep in Ayurveda
Remember the three pillars of health? The first pillar is eating. Food is essential in Ayurveda; we all have to eat, right? Mostly several times per day, so the impact of food is strong and fast.
Apart from the general guidelines of:
Eating seasonal food.
Eating at the right time: breakfast by 9 am, a substantial lunch between 12 and 2 pm and a light dinner, ideally by 6 pm. These mealtimes ensure that you eat according to the strength of your digestive fire. The early dinner is important to leave sufficient time for digesting it. Late dinners impact the above-mentioned nightly household duties.
Leave at least 4 hours between meals without snacking.
Sip hot water throughout the day.
we need to consider the qualities of the food we eat. There are three universal qualities: Sattva (balanced, light, clear), Rajas (busy, stimulating, having expectations), and Tamas (heavy, dull).
All food items underlie these qualities and act according to your mind and body.
For a sound sleep, sattvic food is the best because it doesn’t aggravate the mind.
If you experience sleep issues, you should avoid rajasic and tamasic food. For example, spicy, sour, and salty foods, coffee, alcohol (yes, alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but it doesn’t ensure a sound sleep), and sugar steal your sleep. Also, cheese should be avoided, particularly in the evening. Tamasic food is old and stale food, processed food, basically dead food without any nutrients.
Instead, hot spiced milk is one of Ayurveda’s tips for better sleep. Here is my favourite spiced milk recipe, inspired by Kate O’Donnell, one of my favourite ayurvedic cookbook authors:
1 cup milk (cow or any of your choice)
1/2 tsp Shatavari
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coconut/cane sugar or jaggery
1/4 tsp rose petals
1/8 tsp Brahmi (this is really bitter, but luckily it doesn't come through in the drink)
Put everything in a pot and heat it up.
It is super tasty and creates a lovely warmth and heaviness. Apart from helping with sleep, it is also excellent if you experience lower back pain and/or constipation.
Shatavari is cooling and excellent for balancing your hormonal cycle (to be avoided in case of cysts, fibroids and endometriosis). Brahmi is one of the best stress-reducing herbs, and it calms and nourishes the nerves. Both are excellent herbs for promoting a deep and restful sleep.
Turmeric tackles any underlying inflammations and promotes healing.
Yoghurt, dates, bananas, and almonds are also beneficial for restful sleep, but they are not necessarily ideal for eating in the evening but during the day.
Moving back from sleep issues to regular good sleep is an all-around routine with all the components. As mentioned above, observing regular mealtimes, staying hydrated during the day by sipping hot water, and appropriate exercises are essential. It also takes time; establishing new patterns can take months, so patience and perseverance are needed.
Ayurvedic Recipe for Better Sleep
Ayurveda is all about preparation, preparing for the next step. So, how you structure and live your day will affect your night.
Getting up early, helps you to get things done during the day and get tired early in the evening.
Regular meals reduce stress for the body and keep the mind settled.
Sipping hot water throughout the day helps address false hunger and snacking, plus stimulates digestion.
Eat simple food, such as kitchadi, mung dal, leafy greens, and sweet potatoes, that are nourishing and easy to digest.
Go out daily and have a walk in nature.
Take 10 min rest every day.
Switch your screen off at least 1 hour before going to bed.
In the evening, massage your feet with warm oil and soak them afterwards in hot or warm water in the summer. Use sesame oil in the winter and spring and coconut oil in the summer.
Treat yourself to an ayurvedic full-body massage and or massage your body regularly with oil in the morning.
Journal or free write before bedtime to help your mind process the day and reduce the number of thoughts that keep you from sleeping.
Practise deep abdominal breathing, 3-part breath or alternate nostril breathing in the evening to switch into the rest and digest mode of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Practise gentle Yoga, like floor twist (jathara parivritti), bridge pose (Dwi pada pitam), or, if accessible, shoulder stand (Sarvangasana) or taking your legs up the wall, to release the stress your body holds from the day. Tension in the body prevents it from resting deeply; releasing tension before bedtime prepares the body for that deeper rest.
Final Thoughts
Ayurveda identified sleep as one of the three fundamental pillars of health, alongside eating and sex. It emphasises the importance of a proper sleep routine, especially during the crucial early hours of the night, to support your body's natural processes, such as the liver's detoxification and nutrient distribution. The doshas, or body constitutions, are significant in determining sleep quality and patterns. Vata types benefit from an early and calm bedtime routine; Pitta types must manage overstimulation and adhere to a consistent sleep schedule, while Kapha types should aim to rise early to avoid excessive sleep.
In addition to understanding the doshas, Ayurvedic offers tips for improving sleep through diet and lifestyle adjustments. Embracing a sattvic diet, which includes light and balanced foods, helps promote better sleep while avoiding rajasic and tamasic foods that stimulate or dull the mind. Ayurvedic recipes like spiced milk offer natural relaxation and stress reduction remedies. Incorporating routines like journaling, practising gentle yoga, and maintaining regular mealtimes can further improve your sleep quality.
By aligning our daily habits with Ayurvedic principles, you can create a holistic approach to achieve a restful and rejuvenating night's sleep, ultimately supporting our overall health and well-being.
Resources
Let me know your thoughts and experiences with sleep trouble, and if any of the above resonates with you, tempts you to give it a go. You can leave a message on Instagram, Facebook, or even an old email OR leave a comment below :)
I love hearing from you!
Katja x
P.S. Remember, your sleep benefits from establishing and maintaining healthy eating habits.