Sleep or Nidra is one of the most vital needs of human existence. One can live without food and water but cannot live without sleep.
There has been exhaustive study on sleep in Ayurveda. It distinguishes between good sleep, bad sleep, healthy – unhealthy sleep, sleep as a disease symptom and many more dimensions stated. In Ayurvedic tests, Food (Ahaar) – Sleep (Nidra) – Sexual Conduct (Brahmacharya) are 3 pillars of a good healthy life. Ayurveda has dealt with the topic very exhaustively and understood its intricacies and how it reflects on health.
Sleep is that state when the mind disengages from the sense and action organs, where mind withdraws from all activities and body moves into a sedate state.
Mind continuously stays active by grasping information through union with the sense organs. The moment the mind is in union with for example, the sense of taste, it gains knowledge of the taste of the morsel from the mouth.
Based on the information derived from the sense organs the mind takes actions through the action organs. Example, if the mind receives information of seeing a chocolate on the table the inspiration from the intellect to consume the chocolate drives the mind to unite with the action organ – the hand to lift and place it in the mouth. This entire process occurs when the mind is in state of consciousness and not in sleep.
Sleep is primarily normal or abnormal. Normal sleep is healthy sleep that is required to replenish the energy and wear and tear of the body through active course of the day. Sleep that goes beyond this scope is considered abnormal.
Types of Sleep :
- The normal sleep is the one that occurs in the night. Night sleep is the most natural form of sleep. This sleep is extremely beneficial for health. It helps maintain health, heals and nourishes the body. Satva, raj and tama guna are the basis on which the mind works. The right balance between the three, helps maintain the maintain the mental machinery. Any imbalance in the trigunas has a potential to cause abnormal sleep patterns. This type of sleep occurs when the the kapha dosha at the physical level and tam guna at the mind level rise. They take over the body mind machinery and causes it slow down and withdraw from the world outside the body.
- The next type of sleep is when the tam guna exceeds its levels to cause excessive sleep. This is seen to cause excess sleep, and reflects adversely on the physical health.
- Kapha increase at the physical level can induce abnormal sleep. The abnormal kapha slows down the physiology to induce sleep.
- Ayurveda considers the fatigue or mental exhaustion as much a valid reason as physical exhaustion. Frequently, fatigue can induce sleep and that sleep is considered normal since it is needed to rejuvenate the mind.
- Sleep is often a symptom or a sequelae to a disease. Such sleep is considered abnormal. This sleep can be addressed by addressing the primary disease.
- Intoxication caused by narcotic drugs or medicines can be considered as the last type of sleep. Very often in modern medicines with sleep causing agents, patients often feel drowsy and are advised to refrain from driving or any such activity.
The duration of sleep and frequency can be best understood by the person’s constitution. A kapha constitution person may tend to sleep more than others. They have deep sleep and tend to sleep for longer duration than others. It is similar with tama influenced state of mind.
Vata constitutional personality and raj gun based mental make up have an erratic sleep pattern. Sleep is disturbed and intermittent, and they find it difficult to induce into sleep.
Pitta constitutional people and satva influenced minds need less sleep to revive. These patterns may vary from person to person and agin, differ under different conditions of the mind. But the need for sleep and a pattern need to be understood and ascertained from the health perspective.
Optimum sleep consumption provides peace and happiness, strength, knowledge and a long life. Abnormal sleep is considered in 3 ways; sleeping at odd times (untimely sleep), excessive sleep, and insomnia or absence of sleep. This derails health levels and affects body in many ways. Night shift workers and BPO professionals are seen to have a similar set of disorders. Abnormal sleep patterns are understood to cause disorders like depression, loss of weight, weakness, impotency and can be fatal if not treated properly.
Lifestyle and food habits that have Vat pitta causing elements affect sleep patterns. Emotional shock or setback, excessive thinking, physical trauma like accident or fall can also affect sleep.
Laziness, stiff body, burning eyes, dull mind, nausea or drop in appetite, hard stool, constipation, headaches are frequent symptoms associated with sleep.
Treatment :
The most effective treatment for sleeplessness is oil massage of the hair, and a rigorous oil massage of the body. Karna pooran (oil drops in the ears), also serves to help induce sleep. Starchy food, food made out of wheat, sugar, and meat, help to induce sleep. The most striking indicator of good health and one of the key tools to good health is having healthy sound sleep. It must be understood, followed and maintained for the entire life.
