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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:
TEMPERING INSOMNIA (from Ayurveda, Greek & Chinese Medicine)
We've all experienced restless, sleepless nights. Some of these nights were due to stress. Others, due to hot summer nights without air conditioning.
Sleep is essential for performance. It improves memory, reaction time, brain function, and emotional well being. It improves productivity and reduces accidents. Healthy sleep ensures you are refreshed and ready for tomorrow. It greatly improves health outcomes, and reduces heart attacks.
Insomnia is the chronic inability to fall asleep. Insomnia occurs when the nervous system is overstimulated for one reason or another. This may be caused by
Concerns and conditions that stimulate the nervous system
Conditions that make the nervous system more sensitive
Disturbed circadian rhythms, HPA axis
Note, many sleep aids must be used for at least a week or two before sleep is improved.
Healthy Sleep
Healthy sleep ideally includes 8 hours of sleep from 10pm-6am. But sleep needs and cycles vary by person, and also age. On average, a person goes through 4-6 sleep cycles per night. The beginning of the night is spent in deep NON-REM sleep (stage 3). Sleep later in the night includes more REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
Dreams occur during REM sleep. During the time, the brain is abstracting information from experiences during the day. REM sleep is essential for health.
Vata needs the most sleep. They should go to bed by 9:30pm and wake at 8am.
Pitta should avoid burning the midnight oil. Pitta people should not stay up late doing intellectual projects. They should go to bed by 10pm and wake up at 6:30am or 7am.
Kapha people should reduce sleep time. They should go to bed by 10pm and wake up by 6am.
Neurochemistry of Sleep
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates alertness levels and our circadian rhythms, including sleep. It is produced by the pineal gland. The production and release of melatonin is heavily influenced by blue light exposure.
Around 9pm, the pineal gland begins producing melatonin, which prepares your body for sleep. Melatonin remains high until around 4am, when it starts to decrease. Melatonin is lowest at sunrise, helping your body wake up. Melatonin remains low throughout the day. Many foods and herbs, such as cherries, are high in melatonin.
Cortisol rhythms also play a significant role in the sleep wake cycle, and can interfere with melatonin production. Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone, and high levels of it can increase feelings of anxiety and disrupt sleep. Cortisol normally peaks a half hour after waking. High levels of cortisol around bedtime, and an early morning rise in cortisol can interrupt a good night's sleep.
Finally, GABA is a neurotransmitter that inhibits the nervous system, helping to induce a state of calm.
Assessment of Insomnia
Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep?
What wakes you up?
What are your stress levels?
Do you have a regular meal and bedtime schedule/routine?
Did you avoid screen time, exercise and stressful activity at least an hour before bed?
Did you avoid caffeine after 3pm?
Is there any light, noise, temperature, humidity, or other discomfort in your environment?
Do you have any tension, sensation, pain, or pulsation in your body that is waking you up?
Are you dehydrated, have toxins, or any other blood chemistry imbalance?
Are you well nourished? Is fat tissue depleted?
Causes of Insomnia
Poor Mental Health
Stress, anxiety, and frustration ultimately have a spiritual origin. Once you overcome all lack of faith and hope, you will be less anxious and exhausted generally in your life. Cultivate gratitude and discover the true source of faith and hope.
On a physical level, adaptogens, nervines, and sedatives can help calm the mind such as Ashwagandha, Licorice, Ginseng, Eleuthero.
Stress, anxiety, racing thoughts, high cortisol / adrenal sensitivity
Routine is essential for a happy, stable life. You can't control when you fall asleep but you can control when you go to bed. Everyone should establish a routine and and regular time for going to bed.
Waking up to nurse a baby - Co-sleeping may reduce this. Co-sleeping is not recommended by the American Medical Association because of risk of smothering. Most cases of smothering occur when the parent is under the influence of alcohol, tobacco, etc.
Jet Lag - Melatonin can help restore circadian rhythms. Cherries are high in melatonin.
Imbalanced Blood Chemistry
Insomnia is generally associated with dryness and deficiency. Blood chemistry imbalances can disturb the nervous system, predisposing one to feel greater levels of stress, anxiety and nervous overstimulation. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, caffeine, toxins, and other imbalances in blood chemistry can trigger nerve excitability.
Waking up to go to the bathroom - Avoid fluids before bed, and diuretics for dinner.
Depleted electrolytes - Common in summer. 1/4tsp of salt + 1/4tsp of magnesium in warm water before bed replenishes electrolytes and encourages sleep.
Ama / Toxins - Laxatives, detoxicants, dipana, pacana, diuretics.
Caffeine - Avoid caffeine after 3pm.
Environment
Exposure to light - Install blue light blocking lights in the bathroom and bedroom. Use light blocking curtains. Turn on the night light on screens after sundown. Avoid TV after 9pm.
Exposure to noise - Avoid noise where you can. Otherwise, welcome noise with humor, and generosity. Create loving, tender thoughts for whatever wakes you up.
Pets, children in bed
Pain / Sensations / Tension / Discomfort
Are there any physical sensations accompanying night time restlessness? What parts of your body feel tense or activated? Can you feel your pulse strongly in the abdomen, chest, head or anywhere else in your body? The location and nature of these physical sensations will tell you which organs are disturbing your slumber.
Feeling cold - Keep a sweater next to the bed
Feeling hot / humid
Pain / Sensations generally - Treat the root cause, analgesic, anodyne, melatonin. Relax into what you are feeling - enter into it with gratitude and it may dissipate.
Musculo-skeletal Tension - Make tiny, relaxing circles with the eyes to relax them. Massage, stretch, and relax any tense muscles. Antispasmodics, muscle relaxants.
Poor mattress / deflated pillow
Comorbid Insomnia
Conditions that make one uncomfortable, from skin rashes to respiratory conditions to heart trouble can cause insomnia. These conditions must be dealth with on a case by case basis.
Sleep apnea - Sleep on the side or stomach. Exercise.
Respiratory issues
Digestive disturbance, gas or bloating - Eat easy to digest foods for dinner. Chamomile.
Racing Heart / Heart Palpitations / Chest Pain - Improve cardiovascular or mental health. Rhodiola may help.
Hyperthyroid - Motherwort
Perimenopausal insomnia - Black cohosh may help regulate hormones.
Ayurveda Perspectives on Insomnia
Insomnia is fundamentally associated with high Vata in the Nervous System (Majja). Typically, this is caused by an underlying condition in one of the following patterns
Inappropriate or Irregular Routine (Irregular sleep or eating schedule).
Vata in the Mind (stress, anxiety, mental health issues, etc)
Irritants / Toxins in the Blood Plasma (Ama in Rasa)
Dry in Blood Plasma (dehydration, electrolyte imbalance) - 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".
Deficiency of Fat Tissue (Depletion of the myelin sheath)
Weakness in Liver (Low Liver Agni) - When the liver is unable to cleanse / detoxify the blood and /or hormones, this causes toxicity in the blood, which irritates the nervous system.
Upward moving Vata (Udana Vayu / Rebellious Qi) - As a result of comorbidity, the nervous system becomes overstimulated. An example of this is pain or spasm causing difficulty sleeping. Lack of sleep also causes this condition, leading to a vicious cycle.
Poor sleep disturbs the liver, causing shakiness and instability in the nervous system. A person with insomnia should take care the 'smooth the liver' with aromatics, nervines and antispasmodics, as well as by nourishing the liver.
Tips for a Great Sleep Routine
Avoid activities an hour before sleep, especially those that engage the eyes such as reading or watching TV.
Avoid blue light sources the hour before bed.
Do not work, read. or watch screens in your bedroom. If your brain associates activity with your sleeping location, you will have a harder time falling asleep. Your bedroom should be a place of rest only/
Go to bed before 10pm. After 10pm energy levels ramp up for nightly organ cleansing and repair activities. This 'second wind' last until 2am. If you are awake during that time, the brain steals the energy and your organs lose their chance to repair.
Exercise during the day. Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and enjoy deeper sleep. Do not do strenuous exercise within 2 hours of bedtime, as this can stimulate your nervous system.
Eat a healthy diet and maintain clear bowels. Eat at regular times each day. Avoid eating within 3 hours of bedtime. Avoid large meals before bedtime as they can cause indigestion, making it harder to sleep.
Limit Naps: Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep, reducing the number of REM cycles.
Care During A Night of Insomnia
Having trouble sleeping?
Don't get mad at your body, or become bitter at the world either. Frustration aggravates the liver, which is often the root cause of insomnia. Getting mad just makes insomnia worse.
Don't 'try' to go to sleep. Trying to fall asleep makes your nervous system hypersensitive to stimuli. If you can't stop thinking, at least stop thinking about yourself. Instead, use your insomnia to make the world a better place.
Pray. Specifically pray for others. Praying for others redirects the focus away from your body and the concerns of the day. Also, a person needs less sleep when focused on spiritual growth. Repetitive prayers focused on a particular subject are more grounding and calming than etheric prayers focused on transcendence or emptying the mind.
Often when I (John) can't sleep, I focus on 'softening' points of sensation or pressure I have in my head. I find this helpful.
Whatever you do, 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.
In particular, thigh and pelvic muscle stretches are helpful for Vata.
Avoid the temptation to get out of bed, read, etc. when you have insomnia. Instead, stay in bed. Most people, if they stay in bed, will get intermittent sleep throughout the night even if they don't realize it.
If lying on your back, pull down the buttocks. This will bring the upper sacrum in contact with the mattress instead of the tip of the tail-bone, which is a more relaxing posture.
Care After A Night of Insomnia
Poor sleep affects the liver, causing irritability. After a night of poor sleep, sunbathe for at least ten minutes to restore liver strength. Eat liver tonifying foods like coconut oil, applesauce, and blueberries. Applesauce and blueberries will not only tonify the liver, but also gently cleanse it. Foods high beta-carotene such as carrots can also the liver.
Soothe your nervous system and muscles with aromatic herbs like peppermint, lemon balm, and chamomile. Aromatic herbs reduce tension through the system, helping to ward off lack-of-sleep shakiness.
Pitta pacifying foods such as cilantro juice and amalaki can also reduce irritability. Gentle twisting stretches can reset the circulatory system and flush the liver, reducing irritability. Generally stretching is supportive.
Take a nap in the afternoon during kidney time (3pm-5pm).
Oil the skin (Abhyanga). The skin will absorb the oils which will soothe the nervous system.
Eat easy to digest food only, such as soups, cooked carrots.
General Remedies
For the Elderly
Melatonin can help restore circadian rhythms that are weakened by age. Herbs to improve circulation and protect the nervous system may help, such as Gingko, and Ginseng.
Boil 1c milk with 1 clove crushed garlic and 1 tsp sesame oil for a nourishing, soporific bedtime drink.
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.
Other Recipes
5-10 drops of Bhringaraj Oil on the top of the head helps soothe the mind before sleep.
Massage the temples (Shankha Marma Point): Located in the middle of the temple region on each side of the head. Pressing these points can aid in relaxation and sleep.
Bibhitaki's warmth and nervine effects rise to the head, creating a relaxing effect.
Essential oils for sleep include Lavender, Roman chamomile, Bergamot, Valerian, Sandalwood, Clary Sage, and Ylang Ylang.
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.
We will use this information to better predict food that helps you.
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. Generally, liver tonics are oily, cool, sweet, mildly sour, or contain beta-carotene.
Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.
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.
Restores the proper function of the body by cleansing the blood and balancing blood chemistry. In Ayurveda terms, they pacify Pitta in rakta. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.
Herbs that promote stabilization of physiological processes and homeostasis. Adaptogens increase the body's ability to resist the damaging effects of stress and promote or restore normal physiological functioning.
GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, reduces nerve excitability. It is the body's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Thus, it promotes relaxation, calm, and sleep.
In Ayurveda, oily refers to anything moistening. More specifically, oily refers to building substances that increases fat, or are themselves fatty. For example, sugar is Oily.
Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.
Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.
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.
Herbs that promote stabilization of physiological processes and homeostasis. Adaptogens increase the body's ability to resist the damaging effects of stress and promote or restore normal physiological functioning.
GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, reduces nerve excitability. It is the body's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Thus, it promotes relaxation, calm, and sleep.
Restores the proper function of the body by cleansing the blood and balancing blood chemistry. In Ayurveda terms, they pacify Pitta in rakta. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.
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. Generally, liver tonics are oily, cool, sweet, mildly sour, or contain beta-carotene.
In Ayurveda, oily refers to anything moistening. More specifically, oily refers to building substances that increases fat, or are themselves fatty. For example, sugar is Oily.
Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.
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.
Balance Your Body with Diet, Herbs, & Lifestyles Having These Virtues (Biocharacteristics)
Everything you eat has an effect on your body, which Personalized Medicine Systems (Ayurveda, Greek, Chinese Medicine)
categorize in a simple and easy way, using biocharacteristics.
Biocharacteristics are vital qualities (like cold and hot) that describe the metabolic 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', consider foods with the following biocharacteristics.
Individual results will vary, based on your body type and the root cause of your imbalance.
BIOCHARACTERISTIC
FOODS TO FAVOR
MATCH WITH YOUR WELLNESS PROFILE
HEAVY
ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC
Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight.
Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.
GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, reduces nerve excitability. It is the body's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Thus, it promotes relaxation, calm, and sleep.
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.
Herbs that promote stabilization of physiological processes and homeostasis. Adaptogens increase the body's ability to resist the damaging effects of stress and promote or restore normal physiological functioning.
Restores the proper function of the body by cleansing the blood and balancing blood chemistry. In Ayurveda terms, they pacify Pitta in rakta. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.
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. Generally, liver tonics are oily, cool, sweet, mildly sour, or contain beta-carotene.
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 biocharacteristics, 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.
(See all disease stages on JB)
AVOID DIETS, LIFESTYLES & HERBS THAT AGGRAVATE THESE BIOCHARACTERISTICS
According to Personalized Medicine Systems (Ayurveda, Greek, Chinese medicine), aggravation of any of these
body types
and biocharacteristics may lead to 'Insomnia'.
Reduce the foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate these qualities (when dystempered).
Click on the biocharacteristic to learn what foods and
lifestyle habits should be reduced.
Symptoms Tell A Story
The first step to healing is learning patterns from your symptoms.
Symptoms are clues that reveal underlying imbalances.
Symptoms show you where your body is weakened.
Ultimately, all disease has a root in tissues too weak to defend itself.
Ayurveda describes these patterns of weakness using doshas & biocharacteristics.
If you notice a biocharacteristic or dosha appears next to many of your symptoms,
it helps you establish a pattern that may be systemic.
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:
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.
Risk Factor: 30% less often Complication: +1.2 times as often
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Insomnia and Hyperactive, quick.
Biocharacteristics of 13,627 People Reporting Insomnia
On average the biocharacteristics
of people reporting Insomnia were less aggravated than 53% of other symptoms.
From the 13,627 people who reported Insomnia
average deviation in biocharacteristic levels were the following:
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Insomnia and Sour.
16.8% avg client level
17.6% (2,398) of cases
7,528 have Sour constitution
Risk Factors of Insomnia
Below you will see general risk factors as well as the greatest risk factors, i.e. those who were also more likely to report Insomnia.
Overall, 30.39% of people surveyed reported Insomnia.
Please login or create a free account to see statistics filtered on Insomnia and Edema.
1221 cases with both
+1.3 times more likely
9% of cases
6.96% (2,527 cases)
WHAT'S NEXT?
DISCOVER YOUR BODY WITH YOUR FREE INDIVIDUALIZED BODY MAP
Find ideal foods, herbs and lifestyle tips.
See your imbalances, and locate intervention points.
Your body map contains a complete analysis of your Ayurvedic imbalances, organ by organ.
Give your chart to your functional medical doctor or any alternative health practitioner.
Ayurveda strengthens the body while opposing disorders. It takes a holistic,
systemic approach that looks at the whole body. Ayurveda
shows how to interpret signs and symptoms of imbalance, and how to address them
using diet, lifestyle adjustments, and herbs. It shows a person how to optimize their health on a continual basis. You can't
take the doctor home with you, but you can take Ayurveda home with you.
Ayurveda is the most advanced and easy to use home system for self healing.
HOW DOES AYURVEDA WORK?
Ayurveda starts by identifying your body type,
which identifies certain tendencies in your body to get sick (as well as identifying your strengths).
It uses body type to determine the likely root causes of your disorders.
Next, Ayurveda analyzes the nature of your disorder.
It fits all your signs and symptoms into a pattern, expressed as a combination of biocharacteristics (gunas).
For example, you may have a heat disorder, a cold disorder, or an oily disorder, etc.
This simple categorical approach shows you how to correct systemic imbalances and strengthen your body as a whole.
On Joyful Belly, we've created an extensive categorization of food so you can easily match food to your imbalanced biocharacteristics.
By eating an optimal diet that balances your biocharacteristics, your whole body is strengthened
and the conditions that created the disorder are removed. Once the root causes of the disease
are removed, the disease lessens in strength or disappears altogether. Additional remedies -
such as herbs and lifestyle practices - focused on the specific disorder, can greatly enhance
your healing.
GET STARTED
To get started on your Ayurvedic journey, we first recommend that your find your body
type by taking our free quiz. In Ayurveda, every solution is based on your unique body type, so
by taking this quiz, you’ll get the best results.
5 WAYS TO HEAL YOUR BODY WITH AYURVEDA - FREE REPORT!
New to Ayurveda? Not sure how Ayurveda can help you?
This free report shows you 5 simple ways you can heal your body with Ayurveda.
It shows you simple, practical ways manage your health.
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a
healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda.
His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful.
John also directs the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda,
offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.
John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders, medieval Catholic philosophy,
& botany. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
John, his wife Natalie and their 7 kids live in Asheville, NC
Want our top Ayurvedic recipes and health tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter!
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.
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Ayurvedic Perspective on Insomnia
Stage of Imbalance (Samprapti)
Diet Remedies by Dosha, Biocharacteristics (Guna), Action, etc.
Herb Remedies by Dosha, Guna, Action, etc.
Biocharacteristics & Herb Actions to Favor
Biocharacteristics to Avoid
Related Symptoms
Live Report: Biocharacteristics
Live Report: Risk Factors
Live Report: Complications
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