Insomnia- Diet and Exercises

There are various factors that affect the sleep. The more active one is, the healthier a person is, the better they sleep. Various dietary recommendations and the exercises that can help induce sleep are:
•    A cup of warm milk before going to bed helps bring on a peaceful sleep. You can drink plain milk if you prefer, but the following suggestions will make it more delicious as well as more effective.
•    Add a pinch (up to 1/8 teaspoon) of nutmeg.
•    Add some crushed almonds (blanched is better), a pinch of nutmeg, and a pinch of cardamom. You can prepare the almonds in a nut grinder or coffee grinder.
•    Cherries are good for mental fatigue and stress, both of which can contribute to insomnia. Eating 10 to 20 cherries daily may help you sleep.
•    Drink 1 cup of tomato juice with 2 teaspoons natural sugar and 2 pinches of nutmeg. Drink the juice between four and five in the afternoon; have dinner between six and seven. That evening you should get a sound sleep.
•    This is the most widely known cause of insomnia; if you are tossing and turning at night, start by tossing out the caffeine. An ingredient in coffee, tea, colas, chocolate, and some medications, caffeine is a stimulant
•    Heavy meals keep you awake as your digestive system puts in some overtime. Avoid spicy and fatty foods that cause heartburn, and foods that cause gas. Calcium is a natural relaxing agent along with several other vitamins such as the B vitamins and magnesium.
•    Cottage cheese, soy nuts, chicken, pumpkinseeds, and turkey are sleep inducing elements. So if these are added in your meals before bedtime, it will just make you sleep.
•    Finally, high-carbohydrate foods such as bread act upon another essential hormone, serotonin, which reduces anxiety and contributes to refreshing sleep.
•    A cup of chamomile tea at bedtime is truly beneficial for inducing sleep.
Exercise
Regular exercise is a sleep promoter. But if you work out too close to bedtime, the increase in your heart rate and metabolism will make your body too excitable to sleep. So exercise in the late afternoon is ideal, because you then have time in the evening to settle down. In this way, exercise has the same sleep-enhancing effect as a warm bath. Lie down in bed with the light off and allow yourself to fall asleep while doing the following breathing exercises.
•    Keeping an awareness of your breath, get into your most comfortable sleeping position.
•    Focus on deep regular breathing for a few seconds.
•    Continue to breathe slowly and deeply. Try to imagine what your body feels like when it is in a deep relaxing sleep and allow yourself to drift into that sleepy state.
If you wake in the night, do not get agitated, simply repeat the exercise.


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Memory Disorders – Yoga

Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional way of Indian healing system   believes that all the activities are combination of both physic and physical factors and that any illness including memory disorders too involves both of these aspects. Hence it deals with both while treating the same.

Memory is the capacity to retain and then recollect the information about all the past and present situations. Ayurvedic treatment  includes regular yogic practice which helps to flush out the toxins that are blocked in channels. It also increases the circulation of blood to the brain thereby improving the concentration and memory power. It is a  discipline that includes asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques) and dhyana (meditation).
   
Asanas – The gentle  stretches of body postures when done slowly and with a focused mind cleans the organs of the body and helps in eliminating the trapped toxins from the channels thereby increasing the memory power.  Inverted postures increases the blood supply to brain which aids in enhancing the intellectual powers and also treats the memory disorders. Vrikshasana or the tree pose and Natarajasana or the dancer’s pose helps to improve balance/concentration thereby toning up the memory power.

Pranayama – Breathing techniques helps the mind to focus on the inhale and exhale of our breath and the oxygen or prana (energy) flow is increased in the body and brain.  This leads to concentration and treats all kinds of memory disorders.

Dhyana – It strengthens one’s mind and helps one drastically reduces the unnecessary and irrelevant thoughts and thinking. It helps one to attain calm and a tension free mind. When one meditates on the third eye between the eye brows, the  brain activation and the memory power is increased.


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Memory Disorders – Ayurvedic Medicines :

Ayurvedic Medicine, a system of  traditional healing system treats Memory disorders by suggesting a modified life style, yogic practice along with its herbal formulations. The Medhya herbs that improves the co ordination between the learning process(dhi) and retention process(dhriti) and then helps in long term memory(smriti). Ayurveda largely depends on the plant kingdom for its preparation of medicine to treat any form of diseases in which phytochemicals are more concentrated which improves memory.

Brahmi improves one to overcome the negative effects of the stress and promotes the memory. It helps the student in focusing what he learns and elders in regaining their lost memory power. This improves the protein activity and synthesis in the brain cells thereby contributes to the memory power and mental clarity. 

Ashwagandha - one of the herbs that promote ojas, rejuvenates the whole body. As it is a very good in treating the stress related problems it is known for increasing memory and learning capabilities.

Gotu Kola – a herb that improves the collagen  thereby the brain capillaries are protected and mental alertness is created. It acts as a calming agent and plays a significant role in enhancing the memory.

Morning Glory – a herb that is used for general nervous disorders and it has several alkaloids that have sympathomimetic properties when used as a brain tonic, thereby improves memory.

Triphala - a combination of three fruits amalaki which works on pitta dosha, haritaki which works on vata dosha and vibhitaki which works on kapha dosha resulting in strengthening it. It is a nerving tonic that treats the weak memory, anxiety and it improves the circulation in b rain and revitalizes the nervous system and enhances the memory.

Shankhapushpi - a brain tonic that improves mental functionality/has a rejuvenating property that increases the memory.
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Below Ayurvedic medicines helps in improving the memory by stimulating the brain cells, building neutral and mental stamina, reducing the stress and brings tranquility. They also helps in destroying the toxins found in brain and nerves thereby contributing to the strong memory power.

Brahmi capsules, Brahmi ghrit, brahmi vati (with gold), Bravobol capsule, brento syrup, capsule, Chyavansakthi Cognium , Dasamoolarishtam Jasmin Absolute , Memocap Capsule , Mentat Tablets ,  Nature Care Gotu Kola , Normeta Capsules ,  Triphala Valerian Root  and Vatkulantak Ras.


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Insomnia - Yoga and meditation

If you have a hard time getting to sleep at night, incorporating yoga into your life can help. Yoga benefits your sleep in various ways. Asanas, pranayama, yognidra are the helpful tools in your efforts to re-establish a restful night’s sleep.

Shavasana

Shavasana is a reference to the deep state of relaxation that it elicits. It is a relaxation technique, in which the practitioner is more conscious of their body after having concentrated on certain vital zones. Like many of the poses in Hatha Yoga, it involves holding yourself still in that position and blocking out all thoughts, making it ideal as a cure for sleeping difficulties.

Corpse pose
Corpse pose can be done lying in bed, focus on each part of your body and soften it before moving on. Begin with the toes, move up the legs and arms, through the torso to the neck, face and head. Then spend a few minutes just breathing.
Yoga-nidra
Yoga-nidra is an efficient method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation while maintaining consciousness.  In normal sleep consciousness is absent and the unconscious is in charge. In Yoga Nidra the consciousness directs the unconscious to relax. Yoga Nidra is a 'sleep' where all the burdens, stress, strain, anxiety are thrown off to attain more blissful state of awareness, a relaxation much more intense than ordinary sleep.  Generally Yoga-nidra is practiced in Shavasana or sitting position. It may last for 25 to 45 min. It is important to remain awake and aware during the practice.
Pranayam
Deep breathing techniques like Bhastrika Pranayam help you fall asleep sooner and improve quality of sleep. The pranayam has a beneficial effect on the nervous system as it increases the process of elimination of toxins from the body and normalizes the blood supply in the brain, which subsequently effects in relieving stress, tension and fatigue.
In addition to the above mentioned yogic exercises one can also practice happy baby because it releases the low back and hips, leaving you feeling looser and more relaxed. Goddess pose, which opens the groins, is another option. You can do both these poses while lying in bed and will help you to have a sound sleep.


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Insomnia- Causes

Insomnia is the inability to get high-quality sleep. It can last a day or two, a month, or even months on end. Because different individuals need different amounts of sleep, insomnia is not defined by the number of hours you sleep or by how quickly you fall asleep. Instead, it depends on the quality of your sleep, and how you feel after sleeping. Insomnia may be caused by a host of different reasons. These causes may be divided into situational factors, medical or psychiatric conditions, or primary sleep problems.
Insomnia can be short term or chronic.

The factors responsible for short term insomnia can be characterized as under:
•    Uncomfortable sleeping environment (too much light or noise, uncomfortable temperature).
•    Unusual sleeping environment (e.g., a hotel room).
•    Changes in the daily rhythm, such as a change in work shift or jet lag.
•    Acute medical illness or their treatments.
•    What you eat and drink during the day can affect your sleep at night. Too much caffeine, smoking, and alcohol before bed all contribute to poor sleep
•    Too much stimulating activity before bed be it vigorous exercise or watching violent stories and images on the nightly news can make it hard to sleep. TV is best avoided altogether.
•    Stress related factors like significant personal events, such as losing a job, marital problems, and financial problems can keep you awake at night.
Chronic insomnia may be caused by one of the following:
•    Certain medical illness can interfere with sleep, especially disorders of the heart and lungs. Other important physical causes include heartburn, prostatism, menopause, diabetes, arthritis, hyperthyroidism and hypoglycemia.
•    Disorders of sleep that cause one to stop breathing while asleep may fragment sleep and cause frequent awakenings during the night.
•    Restless leg syndrome, an unpleasant tickling, burning, pricking or aching sensations in the legs that are generally only relieved with movement and tend to occur while relaxing in the evening hours.
•    Many people go to bed worrying about insomnia because of previous episodes. This creates an anxiety about going to sleep, which usually leads to greater difficulty sleeping.
•    As we age, sleep becomes lighter and more fragmented. Older people often struggle with frequent nighttime awakenings and the inability to sleep past the very early morning. Also, during our life spans, the internal biological "clock" that regulates sleep creeps slightly forward, compelling older people to go to sleep earlier and to wake earlier.
•    Excessive caffeine consumption, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, and poor sleeping habits are often overlooked as cause of chronically disturbed sleep.


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Memory disorders – Diet and Lifestyle

Ayurveda, a Science of life states that most important thing that helps in dealing with memory disorders is a proper diet that nourishes brain tissues accompanied with a healthy lifestyle. It recommends the following:

Lifestyle:

Wake up early in the morning and go for a brisk walking. Then do an abhyanga (oil massage) which removes the toxins from the body. Physical activities like playing outdoor games help a lot.

During your leisure hours always be active by involving yourself in reading, crossword puzzles etc.

It has been found that sleeping for eight hours after learning helps the brain to transfer the learnt skills to its permanent memory banks.

Peace of mind helps a lot to enhance the memory power. Hence try to cultivate it by leading a healthy and a balanced life style. Learn to handle the stressful situations in life tactfully without affecting yourself, if you cannot do it then avoid those situations.

Be regular in yogic practice as it balances mental, physical and emotional stress and its breathing exercises help a lot in improving memory power.

Diet :

Take a lot of green vegetables, fresh organic fruits, whole grains, high protein, high quality fatty foods, milk and its products in your diet as they nourishes brain tissue.

Take walnuts, sunflower seeds, turmeric, almonds, cashews, blueberries as they boost memory. Organic ghee and olive oil should be used for cooking.

Include ginger, garlic, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, basil, thyme and rosemary as they help in stimulating the Agni. (Digestive fire).

Vitamin B 12, vitamin C , vitamin E and magnesium too are found helpful in keeping the memory sharp. As they has anti-stress ingredients in it which is important for learning and retrieving ability.

Take ayurvedic herbal products like brahmi, triphala as they improve the flow of nutrients to the brain and nerve cells.

Also Ayurveda asks us to avoid working for long hours/ doing a very difficult mental work/work that does not need mind application at all, as these are also the reasons for memory loss.


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Memory Disorders

Memory disorder is a state when a person finds it very difficult to store and retrieve the memory of any events or informations. When any person is affected with diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, malnutrition, consumption of alcoholism or brain injury then he might be affected with this disorder.

It can be accepted that each one of us will tend to forget few things from time to time, but it is when it occurs so frequently that it affects the daily activities it can be said that we suffer from memory disorder.

There are different types of memory disorder depending upon its intensity  and it varies from a minor short term memory loss to severe Alzheimer’s disease and the  patient experience so much difficulty in communicating, learning, thinking that it will totally affect their life individually/socially. Anterograde amnesia persons cannot remember the things that had happened in distant past but can very well remember the things which happened an hour ago.

In Ayurveda these states of a patient is called as smruthi nasha, the  main reason is due to the depletion of the tissue elements and when the accumulated excess bio energies moves upward. Manovaha srotas channels is the carrier of impulses whose prime responsibility is memory. When the satva guna (pure and consciousness) is present then the channel is kindled in a positive way. On the other hand when tamaha (darkness of the person - passivity and ignorance) is present then it results in the malfunction of the mental activities including memory loss. Hence one should aim at increasing sattiv guna and get rid of tamasic guna which is the root cause of all mental disorders.


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Insomnia- Panchkarma treatment

Panchakarma is a Sanskrit word. Pancha Means Five and Karma means treatment methods- the aim of Panch Karma Therapies is to purify and detoxify the body. It is done for both - Unhealthy person and Healthy person. It helps unhealthy person to get rid from many chronic diseases as well as it helps healthy person as preventive treatment to keep physically and mentally fit. Panchakarma Therapies balances all Tridosha’s (Vata- Ether plus Air, Pitta-Fire plus Water and Kapha-Water plus Earth- Three Bio Energies- Body Constitution).
Insomnia is a disorder of the three doshas and the disturbance of all three doshas have a different effect. Vata sleep imbalance is indicated by difficulty in falling asleep. Pitta imbalance will make you wake up during the night and if you wake up feeling dull and lethargic, it is a kapha imbalance.
Various panchkarma treatment methods which are suggested for treating the disease are:
Shirodhara (Types: Thaila/Thakra/Kseer/Kashay) - In this procedure, herbal oils, medicated buttermilk or milk or decoction etc are poured slowly on the forehead. The time duration is 20-45 minutes.

Abhyanga- This is a special type of oil massage in which hand strokes are made according to the disease. It enhances blood flow and is usually given as pre-procedure to many therapies as well as a separate therapy in itself.

DHARA - (Thakra Dhara & Ksheera Dhara)
In this process, some herbal oils, medicated butter milk etc. are poured on the forehead in a special manner for about 45 minutes in a day for a period of 7 to 21 days. This treatment is mainly for insomnia, and various other vatha predominated diseases.

THALAM
Herbal powders mixed with medicated oil applying on the top of the head for 20 to 45 minutes. This treatment is helpful for insomnia and help release the stress.

Nasyam
Nasyam is the administration of medicated oil through the nose and cleanses accumulated Kapha toxins from the head and neck region. It is beneficial insomnia and it improves eyesight.
Sirovasthy
This is a treatment for brain strength. It is useful in curing disturbed sleep.
Lepanam
This is a process by which medicated herbal paste is applied to the affected part.
Special powder mixed with medicated oil is applied on the top of the head for 20 to 45 minutes. This treatment is helpful for curing insomnia.


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Insomnia – Ayurvedic treatment

According to ayurveda, the amount of sleep you need depends on your mind-body constitution or body type. People with Kapha constitution need the most sleep - about eight or nine hours in order to feel rested. Pittas are next, with a need of seven to eight hours. Vatas can manage with six to seven hours of sleep.
Your requirements of sleep also depends on what stage of life are you in. Babies can sleep as much as 15 or 16 hours out of every 24. Children frequently sleep 10 hours or more. At the other extreme, elderly people rarely enjoy a sound, unbroken sleep of more than four or five hours.
According to Ayurveda, there are two main causes for insomnia: Unbalanced Vata and the interruption in the routine of an individual. The signs of aggravated Vata include restlessness, anxiety and worry. Mental stress, increased body activity, fasting, staying up late all can create disturbance in the normal body system and thus bringing a total imbalance in Vata.
Other causes of insomnia
•    Anxiety
•    Depression
•    A general feeling of ennui and boredom
•    Frequent ingestion of stimulants, particularly illegal drugs and prescription medicines
•    Eating heavy food before bed
Ayurvedic Herbal Remedies for Insomnia
There would seem to be quite a contradiction with the herbs required to treat insomnia. Because ironically though the idea is to “cool-off” the afflicted doshas, you do so by using hot spices!! This is because the heat generated warms the internal system back into a state where it can begin the process of cooling off!!
1)    The most effective herb for this remedy is calamus root. It is to be taken in powder form added to warm water or milk three times a day.
2)    Use sesame oil, brahmi oil, jasmine oil, cow's ghee or jatamatnsi oil, and massage gently for a few minutes on the scalp and the soles of the feet before going to bed.
3)    Depending on an individual's body type, different kinds of oil are used at varying temperatures to relax the nervous system. These include Coconut oil (pitta type, used at room temperature), Sesame oil (vata type, applied warm), and Mustard oil (kapha type, applied warm).
4)    A cup of chamomile tea at bedtime is truly beneficial for inducing sleep.
5)    Early to bed and early to rise is what ayurveda believes in. One should sleep at around 10 pm and should try and get up by 4 am.
6)    Meditation and yoga is another factor that can help cure the disease. These will help us to stay calm and away from anxiety and depression which are the major causes of insomnia.


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Memory Disorders – Ayurveda Panchakarma

Ayurveda, an Indian medical system of natural healing believes that  memory disorders is due to the imbalance of Tridoshas (vatta, pitta, kapha) and it can be treated with Panchakarma, a unique detoxification/purification/rejuvenating therapy. 
Its preparatory Processes loosen the toxins accumulated in the body.

a) Snehana – Here a whole body is massaged using medicated oils. This helps the body to liquefy excess doshas and the toxins that have been trapped in the body and  is moved towards the gastro intestinal tract.
b) Swedana – Here medicated steam is used to further loosening of the toxins and then moving it to the gastro intestinal tract.

Its main processes expel the toxins that are loosened during the preparatory phase.
a) Vamana – Here medicated decoction is administered which liquefies the toxins found in the upper digestive tract and is eliminated through vomiting.
b) Virechana – Here medicated herbs are ingested which detoxifies the lower digestive tract and accumulated toxins are expelled through anus.
c) Basti – Here the herbal concoctions are introduced in to the rectum and toxins from the large intestine is eliminated through anus.
d) Nasya - Nose is the way to the brain and consciousness. Herbal medications are administered through nose. Prana, the Life energy enters the body through nasal passage thereby governing the mental activates, memory power and all mind related activities. Hence nasal administration is very much effective for all kind of memory disorders.

Shirodhara - Here different types of medicated oil are being poured continuously on the forehead by using a specially designed copper pot. It helps to calm down the doshas in the head region thereby brings about mental rejuvenation, tranquility and promotes the memory power.

Shirovirechana – Here different types of medicated oil and nasal snuffs are being administered in the nostril which  cleans the nasal passages and opens the brain channels and eliminates the trapped toxins. This treatment is found effective for memory disorders.


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Memory Ayurvedic concept

Ayurveda, knowledge of life is based on the fundamental principle of Tridoshas. It states that memory is a capacity of the brain to retain information about the past thereby helps us in planning our future.  By undergoing an effective ayurvedic treatment a sluggish memory can be transformed to a quick recalling/long retention. 

Our body is made up of three humors (bio energies) vatta (ether and air), pitta(water and fire) and kapha (water and earth) and they are found in every cell, tissue and organ of each one of us in different combinations and permutations. When they are balanced it is very supportive to all aspects of mental and physical activities. It is when one of these doshas get vitiated symptoms of any disorders appear.

It believed in the fact when digestive fire (agni) is disturbed by the incompatible intakes and emotional factors, it leads to ingestion thereby creating toxins(ama) which circulates throughout the body creating disorders including memory loss etc.,

If a person’s vata dosha is balanced he can be more focused and learn something new easily.  If the pitta dosha is imbalanced then it effects the intermediate memory fuction. It is kapha dosha which lubricates and nourishes the tissues of the brain is weak the long term memory suffer.Hence it is important to keep all the doshas in balance as each has its contribution to the recalling memory in its own way.

It advises one to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, to take ayurvedic herbal formulations, take enough fat, get enough sleep, do a regular exercise along with a yoga asanas along with meditation which are believed to be an excellent tone for memory retention.  Ayurveda   recommends one to keep the mind clear sharp and focused which indirectly helps in having a good memory power.


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