Why You Don't Sleep Well (beyond modern science)

Sleep is one of the major pillars of health along with nutrition and exercise.

Most of us find that it's one of the main culprits for weight gain, burn outs, unhealthy skin, feeling stressed and moody is all because we're not getting good sleep.

Many also believe sleeping more hours (Hyperinsomnia) will work but it doesn’t because good sleep is not about the number of hours - it is all about what is best for the individual. Let me come back to this a little later. 

The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get 7 to 9 hours a day and their research shows that around 75% of people with depression show symptoms of some sort of sleep disorder – like insomnia or hyperinsomnia.

There is also a lot of free advice out there on how to get better sleep like: 

Having good evening routines to prepare for sleep

Taking sleeping aids

Melatonin supplements 

Using darker curtains in the bedroom to block out lights

All of this is great in some sense but it does not address the person's body that needs the sleep and how to make that happen in their current lifestyle.

So – Ayurveda talks about the 3 doshas = Vata / Pitta / Kapha

Whatever the most dominant dosha might be for an individual that is going to determine their sleep pattern. Like:

Kapha – is naturally a slower and heavier person so he does not need 9 hours of sleep. He will do best with 7 hours of sleep otherwise the more he sleeps the more he will put on weight and promote dullness and laziness. Kapha doshas need more movement and less sleep that the rest.

The Vata sleepers are light sleepers – and can do with 8 to 9 hours of sleep because they are more likely to wake up during the night.

Pitta sleepers are dreamers – so they will do better with 8 to 9 hours of sleep as well.

While this is general advice and you’re best to find out what might be the reason you’re finding it hard to get quality sleep. This will depend on what needs balancing. Still most people self-diagnose themselves with insomnia or hypersomnia and connect their emotional state with having sleeping problems.

Correcting the quality of sleep you are getting with Ayurveda can be very easy. As easy as making a few corrections like: your diet, activities and self-awareness according to what keeps your energy (dosha) balanced. You can CLICK HERE to find out your dosha to align your lifestyle choices for better quality sleep.

You might be feeling stuck in a vicious cycle of stress from lack of sleep or think it’s too late to change what has been a long term problem for you. But take it from the ancient texts and Ayurvedic physicians that sleep is a natural occurrence and your body is more intelligent than you might know. All it needs is our assistance to return to how it should be functioning. 

Like nightfall happens after the day. If you are not experiencing ease in falling asleep then it just means you have fallen out of sync with nature's cycles. All you need is find out how to move away from the struggle and get back in tune!

If after reading the general advice on your dosha is not making sense for you or you feel that you could do with a deeper look I can help you with that. Book me to get a personalized routine by CLICKING HERE. I can show you what is currently throwing your body off kilter and what you can do right away to bring it back into alignment. Ayurveda is a natural medicine that is highly effective in the preventative stages of any disorder and also a powerful complimentary medicine if you have been dealing with chronic diseases.