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Up Your Sleep Game: Ayurveda Style

11/3/2016

34 Comments

 

By: Molly Russell |Daily Ayurveda Affiliate Practitioner |  molly@dailyayurveda.com

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I am here to spark an honest check in with yourself. How are you sleeping?

Cultivating solid and satisfying sleep is something we are all craving. We all try to get more. We all want more. And we all have had those days in the middle of the week we wish we could stay in bed for just a few more hours, if not all day. As we transition into fall, the nights are getting darker, the air is getting cooler, and it is a natural time for us to all hunker down and get cozy. Yet, we still struggle with sleep.

Sleep is when all the good stuff happens in our bodies. Sleep is the time for the body and mind reset, detoxify, and rejuvenate. Sleep allows for our memory and creativity to grow and restore.

After, we are bombarded with a full day getting input from all directions, going to work, caring for our families, running errands, feeding ourselves, trying to get in a working out, checking our Instagram account, refreshing our Facebook feeds, watching the most recent presidential uproar video, trying to keep up with what is happening around the world, staying connected and on the ground to the efforts of so many people doing good in this world in a time of so much inhumanity…we can be left feeling burnt, exhausted, depleted, raw, done.

So where is the respite? We always have sleep to reboot us and refresh us. But what happens when it is not? What happens we stay awake staring at the ceiling for hours, wake up at 3am and can’t go back to sleep, get woken up by sirens just after dozing off, or simply stay up on the computer or phone to get “caught up” and our racing mind keeps going long after the lights are out?

I am here to offer you some inspiration and reminders on nightly self-care. Perhaps some you know, perhaps some you forgot, and perhaps one will inspire you.

Before going to bed tonight, try one of these, two or even all four...

Warm Water
Let a warm shower or hot bath calm your nervous system, release tension in your body, and quiet the mind.

Golden Spiced Milk
Over a flame steam ½ cup whole milk (can start by replacing with nut milk if you are not a drinking dairy), ¼  cup water, and a pinch of turmeric, couple saffron threads,  fennel, cardamom, black pepper, and NUTMEG (induces sleep), with a bit of raw sugar or maple syrup to taste. A little night cap, if you will.

Massage Feet and Scalp
Warm the massage oil to a comfortable temperature either on an electric cup heater, or over a candle flame. Take a spoonful of oil, and rub it into the soles of your feed, and then cover with socks. Pour a tablespoon of oil onto the crown of your head and lightly massage the oil in a circular motion. Put a cap on your head, or a towel on your pillow to protect your linens. Perhaps offer this sweet treatment to your partner, child or family member.

Screen-less hour before bed
Just put them away. It feels awesome. If you must hold your phone, for fear of detachment, try downloading a calming meditation app and practice a 10-minute guided breathing meditation on HeadSpace, which offers a 10-day complimentary trial.

_________________


Molly Russell: Molly has joyfully practiced Ayurveda for past 6 years and offers individual counseling, group classes and cooking workshops around the Bay Area. She graduated from a 3-year intensive Ayurveda Health Counseling program from Vedika Gurukula in Emeryville. After changing her diet and lifestyle, and seeing the effects of cooking with foods that were balancing to her body and mind in changing seasons, she is inspired to share this awesome toolkit of Ayurveda with her community.


Want to learn more? Stay connected for more information about personal consultations with Molly.


34 Comments
Anna Aithein link
1/10/2017 03:44:05 am

Hi, Molly I am always read your blogs and another a nice hit...keep it up..Thanks.

Reply
Priyanka Luthra link
1/12/2017 01:35:19 am

Hi Molly, In day to day life, hasselfree sleep is always a question for working mommies. Nice article. I usually give saffron netmug in milk to my 2 years old twins but now i will take along with extra whatever you have mentioned in the blog. This blog is bliss in disguise. Thanks buddy.

Reply
axelkai36
1/19/2017 11:26:26 pm

Best remedy dude!!

Reply
Ayurveda link
1/21/2017 11:59:45 pm

Its really very helpful post for everyone about a sleep in ayurveda style.Thanks for sharing your great experience.

Reply
aaricdavid
1/22/2017 11:14:52 pm

nice and it is helpful

Reply
Miric Biotech link
1/27/2017 09:34:21 pm

Miric biotech ltd is a regarded pharmaceutical, biotech and ayurvedic producing association arranged in India.

Reply
Miric Biotech link
2/3/2017 10:11:16 pm

Miric biotech Limited things are completely shielded and secure for body.

Reply
Shazia Alam link
2/8/2017 11:29:30 pm

your article is relieving to be read itself! must be very effective if applied

Reply
Miric Biotech link
2/9/2017 10:00:53 pm

Miric Biotech ayurvedic herbs, ayurvedic things and ayurvedic home made responses for help with ayurvedic treatment sorts out.

Reply
Ayurvedic medicines link
5/30/2017 11:16:23 pm

Awesome!! The golden milk therapy is something which works like charm. I think Banana Peel water also works well you may want to consider hat too.

- Boil the Banana peel for half an hour
- Let the water cool down
- Strain the water and have it with Honey, this is something which has worked for me :)

Reply
Arti link
6/13/2017 03:48:04 am

Your articles is helpful,i will love to follow up.Thank you

Reply
Vasanti Health link
6/15/2017 03:37:00 am

Ayurvedic treatments use herbs, meditation, yoga, and other tools such as the Tamba to help reestablish balance.

Reply
Martin Jones link
6/15/2017 04:58:41 am

Ayurvedic treatments use meditation, yoga, herbs and other things such as the Tamba Cup, Tamba Bottle to help reestablish balance.

Reply
luke link
6/30/2017 01:33:27 am

nice article on how to relax and induce sleep.

Reply
wayanad silverwoods link
8/2/2017 01:14:21 am

It is very helpful blog. Kerala is a land of ayurveda, we offer best ayurveda package in Gods Own Country.

Reply
Alex Duncan link
8/12/2017 11:36:16 pm

Dear Molly. Nice article about sleep. I'd like to share some information about the use of nutmeg as a sedative, sleep aid. What most people in Ayurvedic circles don't know is that nutmeg, though extremely effective, takes a long time to reach a useful peak sedation effect for sleep purposes. Dr K.P. KHALSA describes this in much detail in his book The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs (co-authored by Michael Tierra).

Following ingestion, nutmeg takes 3.5 - 5 hours (depending on body type) to reach full effect as a sedative. My own experience confirms this. Once the effect reaches a peak, the sedation lasts for a reliable 8 hours or so.

One problem with prescribing nutmeg as a sedative an hour or so before we head for sleep is that the effect only kicks in half way through the night, then actually makes us feel groggy upon waking. I.e. if I was to take a cup of nutmeg in warm milk at 9 pm, get to bed by 10pm, I might get sedation kicking in at 1 am and lasting through to 9am. This is fine if I want such a long sleep.

An effective and typical dose for quality sedation would be between 2-4 grams of nutmeg in a single dose taken around 6pm (in order to head to bed for sleep around 9-10pm).

I do see use in a nutmeg drink taken later in the day if the quantity of nutmeg is low (1/2 to 1 gram) and it is taken DAILY. This will build up a small but noticeable calming or grounding effect, much like a mild version of an anti-anxiety medicine.

However, for a highly effective sedative for moderate to seriously Vata aggravated individuals, the higher dose (2-4g) taken 4 or so hours before sleep is much more effective.

Happy nutmegging !

(note that at these "higher" doses, the heating effect of nutmeg can potentially aggravate the Pitta Dosha, so proceed consciously in cases where Pitta is dominant in Prakriti and avoid all together as a single herb remedy for Pitta Vikriti.

Namaste!

Alex Duncan
(Ayurveda Source, France)

Reply
gocresorts link
9/27/2017 02:43:12 am

Thanks for so much information. Turmeric milk is very helpful in having a good sleep, since both turmeric and milk have medicinal properties. Having a golden milk before going to bed is very helpfull to get a better sleep.

Reply
Harish Shinde link
10/30/2017 06:32:52 pm

Sleep is often neglected when it comes to defining things which help stay healthy. Thanks for sharing this article and emphasizing on how important is sleep. Also, one can have ayurvedic remedies like chyawanprash, which along with increasing immunity, promotes sound sleep.
Visit https://www.drvaidyas.com/pages/herbofit to get the best chyawanprash.

Reply
Dhanyasree V.S link
3/12/2018 09:57:35 pm

As an Indian I feel proud on seeing how much our own medical system (Ayurveda) has influenced you people!!!

Reply
parijatak ayurveda link
5/17/2018 04:11:41 am

Yes Dhanyasree V.S,
You are right to said that Ayurveda is belongs to india and we are proud of.

Reply
James Njenga link
7/10/2018 12:00:35 am

Awesome

Reply
Dr Rafeena link
7/10/2018 01:35:57 am

Nice Article,Thanks for sharing

Reply
Matt Parkinson link
11/12/2018 03:01:12 am

Really beautiful and soothing blog about having a good night sleep. Thanks for sharing your thoughts over the issue of having good sound sleep in this socially and technology addicted world. I would suggest taking nutmeg 2-3 hours before going to bed to avoid drowsiness in the morning. Whereas turmeric is a boon for mankind. Having lukewarm turmeric milk before bed increases the efficiency of a persons immune system and helps in healing the body and filters the body from Ama (Toxins).
Also I appreciate the serious effort put into writing this blog.

Reply
Jaswinder Singh link
12/11/2018 01:05:54 am

Dear Molly, the information that you have provided or shared with us in your blog is quite astonishing and informative. We are quite impressed with your knowledge of Ayurveda in sleeping style. you could also check one products that also helps in providing good night sleep. Please visit our sites and check our Best Ayurvedic products for improving sleep at <a href="https://ayuronics.in/product/ashwagandha/ ">Best Ayurvedic products for improving sleep</a>

Reply
Kristen link
1/16/2019 11:44:47 pm

The tips are really working and thank you for this!!

Reply
wayanad homestay resorts link
3/1/2019 02:35:47 am

Your articles is helpful,i will love to follow up.Thank you

Reply
Renjini
5/9/2019 12:04:13 am

Your blog helped me a lot Thank you.In my own experience <a href="https://ayurlife.sg/">best ayurvedic treatment centre in Singapore</a>is Ayurlife Ayurvedic.For more details Visit <a href="https://https://ayurlife.sg/services-pricing/">Ayurlife</a>

Reply
Eilidh Isobel link
5/26/2019 09:58:49 pm

All excellent tips. The milk recipe is truly worth a try, sounds so good.

Reply
Birla Ayurveda link
10/24/2019 12:34:17 am

Birla Ayurveda offers you the gift of Holistic Health through Authentic Ayurveda.

Book appointment: http://bit.ly/2ku0NxB
Website: http://bit.ly/2kTZE2s

Reply
Herbocare hospital link
11/20/2019 10:45:51 pm

Thank you for the wonderful post about Ayurveda benefits and uses in our daily life.
Continue posting such blogs related to Ayurveda.

Reply
Ayurveda Doctor link
1/13/2020 09:12:34 pm

Excellent!!!
Great post. Thanks for sharing such an informative post. I will definitely try golden spice milk.

Reply
Birla Ayurveda link
1/16/2020 01:15:44 am

Birla Ayurveda offers you the gift of Holistic Health through Authentic Ayurveda.

We treat the individual as a whole, maintaining the balance of body consultation, these results in the revitalization and holistic health. Medicinal oils and herbs from Kerala are used for Ayurvedic therapies.

Talented Kerala therapists, duly guided by our experienced Ayurveda doctors, ensure an authentic and personalized experience, each time.

Birla Ayurveda is renowned for successfully treating ailments such as chronic arthritis, sinusitis, migraine, slip disc, lumbar spondylitis, sciatica, stress, obesity and asthma, as well as neuromuscular and skin related disorders.

We also have exclusive Ayurveda wellness membership packages, which comprise preventive and wellness therapies that keep bone and joint problems, obesity, stress & strain, hair and skin ailments, diabetes and various other lifestyle disorders at bay, and enable you a holistic state of living.

Birla Ayurveda has over 15 therapy centers in India, which are a combination of wellness Ayurveda, day care treatment centers, stay facilities, Ayurveda medicines and Ayurveda doctor consultation.

Reply
Vedic Yoga Ayurveda link
1/23/2020 06:51:54 am

Namaskaram,
Nice Article.....
The Milk recipe is my personal Favourite!
Jai Hind!

Reply
Shalini link
10/10/2020 10:01:34 pm

Great!! Very informative article on improving the quality of sleep at bedtime especially the warm milk recipe.

Reply



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  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Kitchari
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    • Spiced Granola
    • Coconut Dahl
    • Green Mung Bean Soup
    • Opo Squash
    • Ginger Lemon Turmeric Tonic
    • Homemade Almond Milk
    • Cardamom Basmati Rice
    • Red Lentil Dahl
    • Taakra- A Digestive Tonic
    • Coconut Cardamom Stuffed Dates
    • Coconut Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
    • Sweet and Spicy Rice Porridge
    • Roasted Fennel
    • Stuffed Delicata Squash
    • Coconut Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
    • Cilantro Garlic Chutney
    • Avocado Mint Cucumber Salad
  • Book Appointment
    • Meet Britt
  • Ayurveda Basics
    • Agni- Digestive Fire
    • Vata- Air and Space
    • Pitta- Fire and Water
    • Kapha- Earth and Water
  • Blog
  • Follow
  • Client Testimonials
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