Restful Nights: 5 Ayurvedic Tips for Serene Sleeping

In the 2,500 year-old classical Ayurveda text Ashtanga Hrdayam, it has this to say about sleep: “Happiness and unhappiness, nourishment and emaciation, strength and debility, sexual prowess and impotence, knowledge and ignorance, life and death—all are dependent on sleep.” Did you know that sleep (nidra) is considered one of the key pillars of Ayurveda and a staple for optimal health, along with food (ahara) and energy management (brahmacharaya)? Sleep is when our bodies and minds can rest, reset, detoxify, and rejuvenate, and it helps restore us for periods of wakefulness. But the truth is many of us fail to prioritize sleep in our busy modern lives, so here are 5 simple Ayurvedic tips to help you get the best sleep of your life:

Both Ayurveda and Western science are in agreement that the hours of sleep before midnight are more restorative because of the circadian rhythms of our bodies. Remember, it is not just about how many hours of sleep you get but when you get them as well. If you are a night owl, try moving your bedtime 30 minutes earlier for a week, and then another half hour earlier the next until you reach your goal.

Contrary to what you may think, our main meal of the day should be at lunch between noon to 2. When we have a heavy dinner, we are actually asking our bodies to do two opposite tasks: settle and sleep and stay active and digest the food. This is why we wake up feeling not rested and with incomplete indigestion. It is best to eat a light, easy-to-digest meal at least three hours prior to bed-time.

Massaging the feet with slow, soft strokes is the “perfect ritual to do right before bed”, given most nerve endings are in the feet and oiling them with with a body oil helps to ground your nervous system. Massaging the scalp has a comparable effect since that is where the nerves start, and one of our customers recently told us she had the best sleep of her life after oiling her hair

Electronics are the new caffeine. As the sun sets, our bodies produce melatonin which tells the brain to wind down and go to sleep, but the reason why we stay up so late is the invention of artificial light, which causes our body to produce cortisol and encourages the brain to stay active and alert. Nidhi Padya of My Ayurvedic Life recommends dimming the lights and curtailing cellphone usage an hour before bed to reset your biological clock.

Grandma was right- a warm beverage is the perfect sleep remedy. Chamomile tea naturally calms the nerves while adding nutmeg to your warm milk can induce and lengthen your sleep or cinnamon for healthy digestion and better sleep!