Insomnia is defined as a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty in falling or staying asleep. The person who is suffering from insomnia can show one or more of the following symptoms:-
- Feeling difficulty in falling asleep
- Waking up often during the night
- Facing trouble in going back to sleep
- Waking up very early in the morning
- Upon waking feeling tired
Types of Insomnia
Two type of insomnia is reported:-
- Primary insomnia: In this type of insomnia a person suffers from lack of sleep. The reason of difficulty in falling asleep is not due any other health condition or problem, but it is because of primary insomnia.
- Secondary insomnia: This type of sleeping disorder is associated with some health conditions like asthma, arthritis, depression, cancer, pain heartburn or due to some medicines they are using. It can also occur because of regular use of alcohol, drugs or sedatives.
Insomnia can vary upon the time i.e., how much long it lasts and the number of time it often occurs. Insomnia can be acute (short-term) or can be chronic insomnia (long time). Acute insomnia can take one night to weeks to get recovered. The condition can turn to the chronic stage when a person is unable to sleep at least for three nights a week for a month or longer.
Causes of Insomnia
The major reason of acute insomnia are:-
- Due to the any significant stress in life. It can occur because of the problems associated with the job, loss of beloved and family issues etc.
- Sickness
- Discomfort either emotional or physical
- Some of environmental factors can be the reason. It can be noise, light or temperatures at extreme conditions (hot or cold), results in lack of sleep.
- There are some drugs or medications used to treat colds, allergies, asthma or depression can also disturb the sleeping habits.
- The disturbance in the schedule of sleep can also be a reason for sleepless nights. To switch from a day to night shift can lead to the sleepless nights.
Reasons of occurrence of Chronic Insomnia:-
- Due to the depression or anxiety
- Severe stress
- Any physical pain or sleeping discomfort at night
Symptoms of Insomnia
Symptoms of insomnia are as follows:-
- Unavoidable sleepiness during the whole day
- Body fatigue or tiredness
- The behavioral irritability
- Lack of concentration or memory weakness
Insomnia in Ayurveda
The threebio-humors Vata, Pitta and Kapha are responsible for the regulation of the all physical functions of the body. The disturbance in Vata and Kapha dosha leads into the different types of insomnia.
There are three types of qualities of mind which includes Satva, Rajas and Tamas. Tamas is essential for sound sleep, whereas the disturbance in sleep and early waking is caused by Rajas. There are lots of people suffering from insomnia due to systemic or psychological disorder. Among all, the 50% of patients of insomnia are suffering from psychological problems which are due to increase in Rajas of mind. Major psychological factors involved such as anxiety, restlessness, stress etc., which can increase Rajas and results in the sleepless nights or insomnia.
Herbs in Insomnia
In Ayurveda the herbal treatment of insomnia is widely done by using natural herbs. It is an effective natural herbal remedy without causing any side effects. There are various herbs mentioned as follows for the treatment of insomnia:-
1. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
Withania somniferais the best herb used to treat stress without depleting energy. It can help insomnia patient to relive from stress and also helps to get back to sleep if someone is experiencing the morning cortisol or anxiety. This herb not only delay the release of cortisol, but also it heals the stress. The insomnia patient can be recovered by it and also can help them to get better sleeping habits. Therefore it is highly effective herbal treatment for insomnia.
2. Brahmi (Bacopa Monneiri)
It is also known as Brahmi in common language.It enhance the memory and also found in many of the memory tonics available in the market. The anti-oxidants present in Brahmi helps in removing toxins and provides nourishment to the blood cells. It increase the co-ordination of the nervous system components results in the increase in the brain functioning capacity. It also control anxiety of nervous system, which can help insomnia patient to get sound sleep.
3. Vacha (Acorus calamus)
It is an herbal treatment for mental disorders. It has the capacity to increase the strength of the memory. It has been proved as a mild sedative and can be useful for insomnia patient to fight against the sleepless situation at night.
4. Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis)
It is a used traditionally to enhance the sharpness in memory, hence helps in retention power and increase the concentration. It is stress buster and can help insomnia patient to be calm. The calmness and stress relief is the main treatment of insomnia patients, due to which they can take healthy sleep. Doctors use it to treat nervous and mental imbalances. This is used to treat the patients of insomnia and fatigue (mental and physical).
Herbal Remedies for Insomnia
Planet Ayurveda provides various herbal remedies which are helping the patients of insomnia throughout the world. The following are the names of the products available for insomnia:-
To buy these Herbal Remedies, please visit store.planetayurveda.com
Our herbal products are highly effective formulations, which has been prepared by using unique and rare herbs. The combined therapy works by synergistic effect of these herbs. We are providing herbal treatment of insomnia. Our products are purely herbal and does not contain any chemicals and preservatives. Thus do not produce any side effects in the body.
