What is Insomnia? Understanding the Relationship between Sleep Disturbances and Insomnia for Improved Health and Wellness
If you’ve found yourself struggling to fall asleep or catch a quick revitalizing nap recently, you should find solace in the fact that you are not alone. As of 2020, it is estimated that over 70 million American today are afflicted by some form of sleeping disorder.
Furthermore, over 30% of adults reported having short term insomnia whereas 10% reported long time insomnia. Moreover, 40% claimed they often found themselves falling asleep accidentally during the day.
Needless to say, insomnia is proving to be a silent epidemic that threatens to derail the progression of our daily lives for the worse. If reports are to be believed, then not even young children as young as 10 years old are impervious to the egregious effects of this disorder.
There are several reasons we can point our fingers at, for the current conundrum we find ourselves in. The stress of hustling from one day to another, our almost paralyzing dependence on junk food and sweetened drinks, or our incessant exposure to mobile and computer screens, one or all of these reasons can be deemed responsible for our inability to simply doze off.
And contrary to mythical belief’s, No! Counting sheep isn’t going to help. However, perusing through the vast insight of Ayurveda just might.
Ayurveda has always stressed on the importance of sleep for both the development of our mind and body. The Science of Sleep: Understanding the Importance and Benefits of Sleep
- It helps your stave off diseases
- Helps you maintain a healthy weight
- Reduces stress
- Promotes Skin health
- Makes you more productive at school and work
- Stimulates your mood
These are just a few from the plethora of health benefits one can hope to achieve by simply having 8 hours of sleep daily.
Now there are a number of remedies recommended by Ayurveda in order to get a well-deserved sleep. You can try Yoga, Meditate to clear your mind, practice pranayama or massage your head and body with essential oils made from some potent herbs.
Although all of the above methods are extremely effective, wouldn’t it be great if you could trigger sleep while satiating your taste buds too?
In a bid to do just that, we would like to introduce you to a delicious recipe full of nourishing herbs, nuts and spices that will not only put you to sleep, but also provide your body with some much needed vitality when you do wake up the next morning.
Why an Ayurvedic Tonic is the Way to Go for Restful Sleep?
A combination of Almonds, ghee, dates, and raw honey in a tonic sounds delicious, but offers so much more than just a delightful sweet treat for your tongue. In fact, the combination of all this ingredients can make for a powerful Rasayana, meaning food that builds and maintains vitality.
Vitality in human is also termed as Ojas as per Ayurveda. According to the ancient literature, Ojas in our body gets depleted because of a number of reasons, ranging from stress to poor diet. On the flip side, this Ojas can be restored if we just follow a proper lifestyle laced with Yoga, Meditation and a healthy diet filled with nuts, fruits and healthy fats.
Some of the most popular Rasayanas come in the form of herbs such as Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Shatavari, Licorice, Saffron and Shilajit, to name a few.
The recipe we are about to show you uses Ashwagandha because of its adaptogenic properties that help build vitality and induce sleep after an especially tiring day of work. Saffron also plays a key role in this recipe to aid in relaxing the nerves while also revitalizing the reproductive organs.
These herbs along with the combination of Ghee and Raw Honey can make for a warming drink, which you can have regularly after your dinner for a night of sound sleep.
So without much further ado, let’s look at the recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups of Almond Milk
- 1-2 seedless dates
- 1 tbsp. ghee or coconut oil (for Vegans)
- 1tbsp raw honey or maple syrup (for Vegans)
- ½ tsp. cardamom
- 2-3 threads of saffron
- ¼ tbsp. ashwagandha powder
Take a saucepan and pour 2 cups of Almond milk in it. Heat it up until it is nice and warm. Make sure it is not boiling. Transfer the warm milk to a blender and add all of the other ingredients. Blend until all of the ingredients seamlessly combine.
Once done, pour the drink in a mug and enjoy it slowly before going to bed.
Sleeping Soundly: The Powerful Benefits of Ayurvedic Practices
So you can acknowledge how simple this tonic really is to prepare. You can of course purchase an all-natural Almond milk from your nearest store or prepare the milk yourself at home.
The almond in your tonic can help reduce blood sugar levels in your body, reduce blood pressure and decimate cholesterol levels for a stronger heart. It can also help promote weight loss and provide you with fundamental nutrients like Vitamin E, magnesium, fiber and protein.
Ghee is a good source of healthy fats, Vitamin A, D, and E. It is extremely effective in fighting cold; curing coughs, boosting a body’s immunity, improving eyesight and relieving constipation for an easy bowel movement every morning after you wake up.
Honey is a powerful source of antioxidants and helps the body recover faster from wounds, help stave off a number of chronic and benign diseases help find relief from cold, and sore throat and improve digestion.
The above nutritious drink has long been a staple of Ayurveda, and has helped build vitality and trigger strong sleep for many people. We highly recommend having this warm tonic daily before you go to bed. You will find yourself dealing with new vigor in your step the very next morning.
Insomnia is a widespread issue silently sniping away at our quality of life. Sound sleep makes for a productive life, and as such, we should do everything in our power to get that 8-hour sleep every day without fail.
The above tonic, in combination with Yoga, Meditation and a healthy diet can help you beat insomnia once and for all while promoting the optimal wellbeing of your mind, body and soul.
Note: The information in this article is intended for your educational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health programs.
