Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of medicine gaining global acceptance, offers remedies for sleep disorders in Kochi. Ayurvedic treatments include holistic approaches like Abhyanga, Shirodhara, Nasya, Panchakarma therapy, and herbal medications. It’s crucial to undergo these treatments under the careful guidance of an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner who understands individual patient needs.
Sleep disorders can affect your health negatively and affect people of all ages.
Here’s a look at some common sleep disorders:
Commonly triggered by anxiety, depression, stress, or other medical conditions, insomnia is marked by difficulties in both falling asleep and staying asleep.
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs, whether sitting or lying down, causing disruptions in natural sleep and leading to daytime fatigue.
Sleep apnea involves brief interruptions in breathing, lasting up to 10 seconds, due to partial or complete airway blockage. This condition results in fragmented sleep, with individuals often waking up with a choking or gasping sound due to low oxygen saturation. Sleep apnea can contribute to various health issues.
Parasomnia comprises sleep disorders involving disruptive physical events during sleep, such as sleepwalking, sleep talking, bedwetting, or night terrors. Triggered by factors like sleep apnea and certain medications, parasomnia interferes with normal sleep patterns.
Narcolepsy, a chronic sleep and neurological disorder, involves sudden, uncontrollable sleep attacks and daytime sleepiness. Individuals may experience cataplexy—sudden loss of muscle tone, often triggered by strong emotions. Treatment options may include medications such as antidepressants or stimulants.
Jet lag is a temporary sleep disorder caused by a misalignment between a new time zone and the individual’s daily rhythm. Common during rapid travel across multiple time zones, it results in symptoms like fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Jet lag is a type of Circadian rhythm disorder, which also encompasses shift work disorder.
This is a medical condition where the person feels excessively sleepy and tired. It’s not due to any underlying disease, but due to lack of sleep, extreme exertion, jet lag, pregnancy, consuming a large meal, or use of alcohol or marijuana, etc.
A sleep disorder characterized by excessive grinding of teeth or clenching of jaw during day or night. Bruxism can result in damaged teeth, headaches, jaw pain, etc.
If you are experiencing the symptoms of sleep disorders, then it’s better to get its underlying cause treated at the earliest. This is because when sleep disorders are left untreated, there is the potential for other complications to develop too. Here’s a look at some of the associated complications of sleep disorders:
The Indian system of medicine, ayurveda, follows a holistic approach towards sleep disorder treatments, by first balancing the vata, kapha and pitta doshas. This ayurvedic approach of detox therapies is best provided by ayurvedic doctors. Here’s a look at some ayurvedic treatments for sleep disorders:
Sleep disorders are of many types, hence it’s impossible to pick one and say it’s the best ayurvedic therapy. Having said that, some of the best ayurvedic therapy for sleep disorders include Abhyanga (warm oil massage), Shirodhara, Shiroabhyanga and Vasti, ayurvedic herb formulations (containing Brahmi, ashwagandha, jatamansi, etc.), specific yoga asanas (that reduce cortisol and promote relaxation), etc.
According to ayurveda, the doshas perform various functions, including affecting the sleep pattern. There are three main types of doshas; an increase in the kapha dosha causes sleepiness in a person. An increase in the vata or pitta doshas on the other hand, can lead to sleep disorders such as insomnia. These imbalances may follow physical or mental exertion or even some disease.
It is completely normal for a person to experience sleep problems once in a while. However, having difficulties falling asleep or having problems related to sleeping on a regular basis, could mean you have a sleep disorder. This could be in response to some other underlying health issue too and it’s always better to see a doctor at the earliest.
Sleep disorders can be easily treated with lifestyle changes and some medications if there are no underlying cause for your sleep disorder. However, you too can take some steps to prevent sleep disorders from happening by sticking to regular bed timings, leading an active life, avoiding/limiting caffeine and alcohol at bedtime, avoiding in-between naps or having heavy meals before bedtime.
Insomnia is a sleep disorder where it’s hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Ayurveda offers permanent help for those suffering from insomnia with the use of certain ayurvedic herbal formulations which contain herbs like ashwagandha, Brahmi, valerian, etc. Since ayurveda focuses on getting rid of insomnia from its roots, it’s your best choice of holistic treatment for insomnia.