How Ayurveda can help you get better sleep with “sleep hygiene”
What does healthy sleep look like?
Quality sleep is essential for our well-being, but what makes it truly healthy? It’s important to get the right amount of rest at the right time – tailored to your individual needs, which can vary based on your unique characteristics and life stage. Your need for sleep will also be influenced by the presence of life stressors, including illness or injury, and higher emotional “load”.
What does Ayurveda teach us about sleep?
Ayurveda, Yoga’s sister medical science, offers a holistic view of sleep that goes beyond just hours in bed. It emphasizes stability and balance in your mind and body in order to prevent illness, support or restore health, and promote longevity.
From this perspective, sleep matters because it’s important for digestion: both clearing waste from your physical systems, and processing emotions and experiences. It’s also a time of rest and renewal for your body, sense organs, and nervous system. This is when you build and strengthen both your physical tissues and your memory.
When it comes to getting healthy sleep, Ayurveda considers how it fits into the context of your entire day, your needs as a whole person, and your response to your environment, from the weather outside to that stressful thing that happened at work. This means that how you care for yourself and seek balance throughout the day is essential to getting restful, health-promoting sleep.
Ayurvedic Tips for Getting Better Sleep
Besides staying well nourished with food, water and self care throughout the day, here are 6 general Ayurvedic recommendations for getting healthy sleep:
1) Maintain a consistent bedtime and waking time.
Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is crucial for stabilizing your energy levels, curbing food cravings, and enhancing the quality of your sleep. Typically, aiming for a bedtime around 9:30 pm and striving to fall asleep by 10 pm is a solid plan. This timing optimizes your chances of avoiding a “second wind” that often occurs after 10:30 pm, which can make it challenging to drift off into restful sleep.
In the morning, get up before the sun if possible, aiming for 5:30-6 am. This helps with promoting an earlier bedtime at night.
2) Follow an evening routine.
Routines are vital for stabilizing your body and mind, triggering a relaxation response that supports healthy sleep. Include self-care, preparation for the next day, and calming practices in your routine to optimize sleep quality.
3) Create a calming environment which is dedicated to sleep.
Maximize darkness in your bedroom for better sleep. Light influences hormones like cortisol and melatonin, crucial for sleep regulation. Reduce overhead light and screen time before bed to avoid overstimulation, and create a calming environment in your room.
4) Finish dinner two hours before bed.
Eating dinner at least two hours before bedtime is essential for better sleep. This gap allows for proper digestion, reducing discomfort that may interfere with sleep. It also supports the body’s natural sleep rhythms, promoting restorative rest.
5) Avoid stimulants and stimulation before bed for better sleep.
These include caffeine, alcohol, screen usage, and exercise. It also applies to any kind of intense sensory input. For example, stressful or emotional conversations, or intense books and movies. Some people are more sensitive to certain types of stimulation than others, so it’s important to pay attention to what affects your sleep.
6) Incorporate calming practices into your sleep routine.
There are various options to help unwind before bedtime. Enjoying a warm cup of decaffeinated tea, such as chamomile, or indulging in warm spiced milk infused with ginger, turmeric, or cinnamon can promote relaxation. Additionally, practices like taking a warm bath, giving yourself a soothing foot massage with warm oil, engaging in journaling, or listening to calming music can ease the transition into sleep.
For a more structured approach to getting better sleep, consider gentle yoga, breath work, or a meditation practice, such as Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation known for its ability to quiet the mind, alleviate stress, and facilitate falling asleep effortlessly.
There is no one size fits all approach to healthy sleep.
These Ayurvedic recommendations are merely a starting point for healthy sleep. Ayurveda is a personalized and individual practice. Because everyone is different, it’s important to pay attention to your own patterns and make the changes that fit best into your life and make the most difference to your sleep. This is why I feel that it’s incredibly helpful to work with a licensed practitioner, whether that’s an Ayurvedic practitioner or doctor, or a yoga therapist.
If you want more guidance on these perspectives, or are interested in getting better sleep, please don’t hesitate to schedule a free consultation or book a Yoga Nidra session to get started. Better sleep is possible!
