Ayurveda & Sleep: Top 10 Problems Coming from a Bad Sleep Routine

We all know how important sleep is for our bodies regardless of the reason behind that. And it’s common to feel grumpy when we don’t get enough sleep. It is recommended to take 8 hours sleep a day, otherwise it can have a devastating impact on our health. Apart from affecting your body, it can also have a negative impact on your mental health that can further impact your daily activities and work commitments.

Let’s take a look at the basic 10 problems that can result from a bad sleep routine.

1. Hypertension
   Not getting enough sleep has been related to hypertension among a lot of people. It happens simply because sleep helps our bodies regulate hormones that result in stress. This clearly means that a lack of rest can enhance the effects of stress on our body. When a person doesn’t get enough sleep for a number of days, it can put unnecessary strain on his heart.
2. Weight Gain & Obesity
   Lack of sleep is a common cause of weight gain & obesity as it is related to higher amounts of stress hormone (called cortisol). It leads to stress, anxiety, and frustration that often contribute to poor nutritional and emotional eating habits. If sleep deprivation continues, it can have a negative impact on a person’s eating habits and body metabolism.
3. Reduced Fertility
   Sleep disorders are known to reduce libido in a number of people. Not only this, but it can also have an impact on the fertility of a person who is trying to conceive, whether men or women. The body part that controls circadian rhythms also regulates the release of reproductive hormones. When a person doesn’t sleep enough, he/she can experience lower levels of testosterone and the hormones which trigger ovulation to make conception difficult.
4. Anxiety & Depression
   There is no denying the fact that people feel irritated when they don’t get a good night’s sleep. But if it becomes a routine, it can result in clinical depression and even in the lack of motivation. When people are suffering from chronic sleep disorders, anxiety and panic attacks are a common consequence. Sometimes, some people can’t even tolerate mild daily stresses.
5. Diabetes
   Some people think that 5 hours of sleep is enough for them. But it is not the truth. You need at least 7-8 hours sleep on a daily basis to let your body function properly. When there is sleep deprivation, it can affect the body’s method of processing glucose. Bodies need glucose as a fuel and to produce insulin. This is the reason why sleep is considered to be a significant risk factor in causing type 2 diabetes.
6. Memory Loss
   There have been many studies to show the importance of sleep to give the brain enough time to organize itself. This is really important when there is a need for committing information from short-term memory to long-term memory. This makes sleep quite crucial for memory recall. But when a person gets restful sleep, he/she shows signs of betterment in memory.
7. Accidents
   You might have never thought of it but sleep disorder is a big public safety hazard every day on the road. A drowsy person’s reaction time is similar to that of a drunken person’s reaction time. Sleep loss or poor sleep can lead to accidents and injuries on the job.
8. Causes Dumbness
   It is worth mentioning that sleep plays a crucial role in your learning and thinking capability. And when you don’t give your body enough sleep, it can hurt the cognitive processes. It has a direct impact on your alertness, reasoning, and problem solving. This also makes it difficult to learn efficiently. When you sleep, your sleep cycle consolidates memories in your mind.
9. Ages your Skin
   People who have not taken enough sleep for a long time, often have puffy, sallow eyes. But when there is a chronic sleep disorder, it often results in fine lines, lackluster lines, and dark circles under the eyes. More secretion of cortisol can also break down skin collagen. And you might already know that your skin needs collagen for its elasticity and smoothness.
10. Immune System Deficiency
    Like any other body part, your immune system performs best when you get adequate sleep. And when you don’t, it can decrease your antibody response. It also makes you more vulnerable to virus attacks and you easily get common cold, allergies and flu.

We need to understand that sleep does a lot to our body than just keeping the mind sharp. But when we don’t get enough sleep, it can affect our physical health and emotional state a lot.

How can Ayurveda help you with your Sleep?

There's a lot of help from Ayurveda to get a good night’s sleep.

• A glass of warm milk at bedtime is a sleep supporter. It contains serotonin that has a calming effect on our body. For an enhanced effect,  add a pinch of nutmeg & cardamom and some crushed almonds to it. (avoid cow's milk if you are allergic and replace with turmeric golden milk or plain plant based milk)
• A habit of eating a bowlful of cherries can also help you in having a sound sleep. You can eat 15-20 cherries in the late afternoon on a daily basis for improved sleep routine.
• Ashwagandha is known to treat people suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression. It is also known to cure sleep deprivation. You can add 1 tsp each of Brahmi and Ashwagandha to a boiling glass of water or milk and take an hour before bed time to get good results. You can also try one of our ayurvedic herbal Lattes to help with your Good Night sleep and keep so many problems away from yourself. To name a few: Women's Ojas Latte, Turmeric Golden Milk Latte, Turmeric Immune Boost Latte, Turmeric Joint Support Latte, Prana Herbal Latte.
• Sunidra Oil: Massaging 2-3 drops of Sunidra oil on feet, (after washing feet with warm water), helps calming the mind, grounding the energy and getting a good sleep.
• Sumedha Tablets: This formulation is a distinctive brain cell nutrient. Helps to promote sleep, clarity of thought, calmness, memory, concentration and learning. 
• Regular Head Massage with Relief Head Massage Oil helps to destress and get a good sleep.
• Daily Pranayam (breathing exercise) and meditation is of great help for calming the mind and good sleep.
• Abhyanga-Shirodhara, this combination of Ayurvedic Treatment helps to calm the mind and get a good sleep.