DESCRIPTION

CAUSES

REMEDIES

DIET

Are you prone to a problem with 'Insomnia'?
Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Mind Stress Sleep by taking the free mind stress sleep quiz.

TAKE THE MIND STRESS SLEEP QUIZ

Insomnia is generally associated with dry Vata constitution. When fluids are depleted, the heart, which houses the mind in Chinese Medicine, becomes deficient and beats rapidly. It can no longer ground the mind and thus the mind "wanders homeless at night".

Among the many reasons people report insomnia include racing thoughts, waking up to go to the bathroom, depleted electrolytes, digestive disturbance, and pain. Are there any physical sensations accompanying night time restlessness? The location and nature of these physical sensations will tell you which organs are disturbing your slumber.

Trying to fall asleep makes your nervous system hypersensitive to stimuli. Praying for others can help redirect your mind towards others, which calms the psyche. Repetitive type prayer also helps relax the mind. Avoid empty bowl meditation or other practices which lift your attention to the mind.

When you have insomnia, stay in bed. Do not watch TV, use the computer, or do other mentally stimulating or eye straining activities like reading. Keep the lights off. Gentle stretching is okay.

After a night of poor sleep, sunbathe for at least ten minutes to restore liver strength. Soothe prana vayu with aromatic herbs like cumin, coriander, and fennel tea. Massage your digestive tract and eat easy to digest foods only. Apple sauce will gently cleanse as well as strengthen your liver. Take a nap in the afternoon during kidney time (3pm-5pm).

Avoid activities an hour before sleep, especially those that engage the eyes such as reading or watching TV. Try to go to be before 10pm. After 10pm our energy ramps up for nightly organ cleansing and repair activities. This 'second wind' last until 2am. If we are awake during that time, the brain steals the energy and our organs lose their chance to repair.

• Do you have trouble falling asleep?
• What wakes you up? heart racing, mind ruminating, restless leg, night-time urination, indigestion, noise, pets, children, etc.?
• Do you feel too exhausted, frustrated, anxious, irritated to fall asleep?
• When you wake up can you feel your pulse more strongly in the abdomen, chest, head or anywhere else in your body?
• Are you in pain anywhere in the body?
• Do you have a regular meal and bed time schedule/routine?
• What are your stress levels?
• Do you get cold or hot easily? Neither?
• Do you often have indigestion, gas, or bloating at night?

You can't control when you fall asleep but you can control when you go to bed. Here are some other tips when you can't fall asleep:

• Avoid using eyes. Make tiny, relaxing circles with the eyes to relax them.
• Pull down butt cheeks. This brings the contact point with the mattress to the upper sacrum instead of tip of the tail-bone.
• Pray for others redirects the focus away from your body and the concerns of the day. Also, a person needs lees sleep when focused on spiritual growth.
• Create loving, tender thoughts for whatever wakes you up.
• Repetitive prayers calm the mind and bring on a meditative state.
• Exercise during the day helps.

What to do after a long night of insomnia:

• Oil the skin (Abhyanga)
• Sit in the sunlight for ten minutes. This helps the liver.
• Eat easy to digest food only such as soups.
• Include ingredients with beta-carotene such as carrots to help the liver.
• Cilantro Juice / Amalaki
• Establish a routine time for going to bed. Routine is required for stability.
• Touch the toes then reach for the sky. Then gentle twisting poses in the chair to reset the circulatory system.
• While meditation wakes up the mind, alternate nostril breathing can clear and relax the mind.

1/4tsp of salt in warm water or a magnesium supplement before bed encourages sleep. 5-10 drops of Bhringaraj Oil on the top of the head helps soothe the mind before sleep. A warm glass of milk with a 1/8tsp nutmeg, 1/4tsp Ashwagandha and 1/4tsp Dashamoola will encourage sleep. If milk is too difficult to digest, try almond milk instead.

• Ashwagandha https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/products/Ashwagandha/88
• Bhringaraj Oil https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/products/Bhringaraj-Oil/104
• Dashamoola https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/products/Dashamoola/67

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segmented_sleep

DIET REMEDIES FOR 'INSOMNIA'

Answer some questions about how foods make you feel. Then you'll receive a full food report customized for you.
COMPUTE MY DIET FOR INSOMNIA
OR, GET A GENERAL DIET FOR BALANCING INSOMNIA

Augment your diet with these specially chosen ingredients below which may be useful for 'Insomnia'. Individual results vary depending the cause of your imbalance and by constitution. Please research the ingredients below to find which are most helpful for you, and check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.

HERBS & PRODUCTS FOR 'INSOMNIA'

MIND STRESS SLEEP TIPS

DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care. Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.

AVOID DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS THAT AGGRAVATE THESE EFFECTS

According to Ayurveda, one or more of the following doshas and qualities may aggravate 'Insomnia'. If you have an excess of one of these doshas or qualities below, Ayurveda recommends reducing foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate them. Click on the quality to learn what foods and lifestyle habits should be reduced.

V = VATA, P = PITTA, K = KAPHA

GUNA	FOODS TO AVOID	DO YOU HAVE THIS IMBALANCE?
CLEAR ABOUT CLEAR GUNA Clear refers to anything that cleanses or flushes out wastes, or that digests ama. LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEAR	AVOID CLEAR FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE INSOMNIA	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Clear' guna.
LIGHT ABOUT LIGHT GUNA Lightness is identified by reduced weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHT	AVOID LIGHT FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE INSOMNIA	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Light' guna.
MOBILE ABOUT MOBILE GUNA Mobile refers to anything that stimulates the nervous system, muscles, or activity. LEARN MORE ABOUT MOBILE	AVOID MOBILE FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE INSOMNIA	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Mobile' guna.
TOXIC ABOUT TOXIC GUNA A substance that causes toxicity in the body, or that harms the body. LEARN MORE ABOUT TOXIC	AVOID TOXIC FOODS THAT MAY AGGRAVATE INSOMNIA	FIND OUT Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Toxic' guna.

To learn more about the symbols above, click on them.

SEE A DIET WHICH REMOVES THESE CAUSES

Are you prone to a problem with 'Insomnia'?
Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Mind Stress Sleep by taking the free mind stress sleep quiz.

TAKE THE MIND STRESS SLEEP QUIZ

FAVOR DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS WITH THESE MEDICINAL EFFECTS

Everything you eat has an effect on your body, which Ayurveda categorizes in a simple and easy way, using gunas. Gunas are qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the effect a food or herb has on your body. Cooling foods like cucumber, decrease metabolism. Heating foods like chili pepper, stimulate your body and increase metabolism. For 'Insomnia', you should select foods with the following qualities (gunas). Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.

GUNA	FOODS TO FAVOR	CONDITION IN YOUR BODY
HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY GUNA Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY	HEAVY INGREDIENTS HEAVY RECIPES	Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Heavy' guna
SWEET ABOUT SWEET GUNA Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET	SWEET INGREDIENTS SWEET RECIPES	Status Unknown Take these quizzes to find out if you have an imbalance of 'Sweet' taste

To learn more about the symbols above, click on them.

Heart & Circulation:

Alterative

ALTERATIVE

Literally, an herb that restores the proper function of the body. In practice, alteratives are usually blood cleansers and blood chemistry balancers. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ALTERATIVE

Liver & Gall Bladder:

Livotonic

LIVOTONIC

An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIVOTONIC

Mind, Stress & Sleep:

Anxiolytic

ANXIOLYTIC

Herbs that help people suffering from anxiety or panic. They promote a state of calm and often improve sleep. Most anxiolytic herbs are also nervines.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ANXIOLYTIC

,

Nervine

NERVINE

Herbs that specifically go to the nervous system and brain. They can help with stress, memory, early alzheimer?s, even chronic pain.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NERVINE

,

Sedative

SEDATIVE

Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SEDATIVE

Muscle-Health:

Muscle relaxant

MUSCLE-RELAXANT

Herbs that relax muscles. Helpful for chronic pain or tension as well as healing from physical trauma.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MUSCLE-RELAXANT

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ADDRESS ISSUES IN STAGE OF DISEASE 2

INSOMNIA IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE 2 - AFFECTING BLOOD & EMOTIONS

Affecting Blood: Initially, imbalances are localized, often in the digestive tract. As an imbalance grows, it starts to affect your body systemically, via the blood. If you have symptoms in this category it means that your imbalances are starting to spread, have entered the bloodstream, and are now systemic. Pay particular attention to the gunas, tastes, and doshas out of balance systemically, so you know how to strengthen your body as a whole, and reduce physical stress on your organs. At this stage of imbalance you will begin to experience generalized discomfort, imbalanced emotions, and may develop sensitivities to temperature. It may take several weeks of strict adherence to a specific remedial diet to clear blood level imbalances. Blood cleansing herbs may reduce symptoms. A several day cleanse may shorten the recovery time.

REDUCE THESE RELATED SYMPTOMS & HABITS

The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Insomnia'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them.

5 WAYS TO HEAL YOUR BODY
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