Ayurveda is health-oriented and therefore it is not about fighting against sleep disorders, but about restoring clarity and order to the disturbed regulatory circuits of our body. Modern medicine often tries to improve sleep with drugs such as tranquilisers, personality-altering antidepressants or neuroleptics. However, this often only disguises the underlying disorder. In contrast, Ayurveda works to restore natural rhythms and functions.

Five pillars of health

Relaxation, exercise, nutrition, purification and clarification of life goals together form the five pillars of health. A short sleep ritual with elements from these five pillars helps to fall asleep faster and sleep more restfully through the night within a few days. Good sleep is greatly aided by choosing the optimal place to sleep and creating a healthy sleeping environment with natural textiles, soothing fragrances and shielding from electrosmog. One recommendation in particular is emphasised by many Ayurvedic doctors: "Never sleep with your feet facing south". One of my teachers, the famous Ayurvedic doctor, Dr. Brihaspati Dev Triguna, laid special emphasis on this when advising his patients, adding: "If possible, sleep with the head of the bed facing east or south."

Pillar 1 - Relaxation

The most effective relaxation methods that everyone should use are meditation, breaks in everyday life and holidays. To improve the quality of sleep, a relaxing sleep ritual is important. This should start early in the evening, depending on the intensity of the sleep disorder. Please follow these recommendations: Finish your day's work before 7 pm, evening meditation, an early and light dinner, a walk afterwards and largely abstain from electronic media in the evening. i.e. no TV, no emails, no Facebook and staring at the mobile phone in the last 2 hours before sleeping! It is also important to end the day on a positive note. A diary in which you write down the positive emotions of the day before going to sleep is ideal for this: "What did I do well?", "What did I feel good about?", "What am I grateful for?" are useful questions that can be answered in writing in the diary. To free the mind from unnecessary ballast, a second book or a diary with unfinished tasks can be useful. These are less stressful and worrying if they are stored away from the brain in written form on paper in preparation for the next day.

Other tips from the pillars of health

I would just like to give a few key words on the other pillars of health. A common cause of poor sleep is lack of exercise. An evening walk instead of the evening TV hour can work wonders! When it comes to nutrition, it is crucial not to eat 2-3 hours before sleeping. The less the stomach and intestines are occupied with digestive work, the more restful and regenerating the night's sleep will be.

Sleep-promoting effect of sound and fragrance

Balancing treatments through the five senses are highly valued in Maharishi Ayurveda. Especially the knowledge of healing sounds has a long tradition in Ayurveda. For example, sounds from traditional Vedic texts can be used to calm the senses before sleep. We are talking here about "Samaveda sounds" which are available on CD and which have a particularly harmonising effect. One can either play 10 minutes of a Samaveda CD before sleeping or, if one prefers instrumental music, a piece from a CD with Gandharvaveda music (available are flute, sitar, hammered dulcimer or santoor etc.) Aromatherapy also offers effective possibilities for improving sleep. Nidra aroma oil consisting of the scents of lavender, marjoram, bergamot and orange or Vata aroma oil consisting of the calming scents of basil, rose geranium, marjoram and orange are particularly beneficial. A few drops of these aromatic oils in a fragrance lamp in the bedroom or even on the pillow enchant the atmosphere in the bedroom within seconds! One domain of Ayurveda is purification cures  and Pancha Karma, which eliminate old burdens that disturb sleep and produce a veritable storm of happiness and energy hormones. So from this point of view, good sleep is not a privilege for a lucky few, but the gift of nature for everyone who makes use of the treasures of nature that Ayurvedic medicine so richly offers us. Author of this article is Dr. Wolfgang Schachinger