Sleep is one of the supporting pillars of life. Along with diet and lifestyle, sleep is critical to good health and well being. Quality sleep acts as a rejuvenator of mind and body, enabling us to function at peak levels, during our working hours. Even powerful medicine is of little use if the fundamental pillars of life are made strong and solid.

Sleep is important because it enhances ojas, the master coordinator between mind, body and inner self. Ojas is the finest product of digestion, the main life supporting force within the body. It acts as a shock absorber, helping to insulate the mind from day to day stress and enhancing the body’s innate immune system.

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These days eight out of ten people use a mobile phone before sleep. Mobile phones should not be kept in the bedroom at all. The radiations coming from a mobile phone before sleep makes us hyper vigilant so tends to make our sleep disturbed and we end up not getting enough of the restorative sleep we need. It might also trigger insomnia and other sleeping problems.

The main problem with mobile phones in the bedroom is the light it emits, particularly the kind produced by the bright, high-quality screen on modern phones. The light interferes with the body’s natural rhythm and effectively tricks our bodies into believing that it is daytime. Light stimulates cells in the retina, the area at the back of the eye that transmits messages to the brain. This controls the release of the hormone melatonin, which makes you feel sleepy all along.

When a tired mind is totally disconnected from the senses the state of perfect sleep in terms of quality is attained. When only partial sleep disconnects occur the quality is adversely affected. When during the day our diet, daily routine and behavioural pattern changes then sleep imbalances occurs.

 There are three kinds of sleep imbalances:

1. Sleep onset imbalance
2. Sleep maintenance imbalance
3. The morning after heavy feelings

To achieve a perfect sleeping methodology, diet and lifestyle have to be tailormade. In ayurvedic literature, vata, pitta and kapha are three ayurvedic operators that govern all the different activities of the mind and body. There has to be a modification in one’s diet and lifestyle.

As discussed earlier the three sleeping syndrome could be handled further well if certain alterations are done. For a vata sleep imbalance indicated by difficulty in falling asleep, a vata pacifying diet is recommended, that is food should be warm, heavy and oily and minimize food that are cold, dry and light. Emphasis should be given to the sweet, salty and sour taste, cutting down on bitter and astringent foods. Include poppy seeds in your diet, as they are natural sleep aid. Drinking a cup of herbal tea can be a soothing factor. Sleeping maintenance imbalance suffering people (disturbed sleep) should incorporate food that are cool and liquid and reduce hot spicy food. Date milk shake is a delicious cooling drink, which soothes your mind and body. People suffering from this syndrome should avoid spicy, salty or sour food. Coconut oil or olive oil massaging of the hand and feet before going to bed gives a cooling effect.

People who suffer from the morning after heavy feeling that is feeling dull and lethargic should have light food that are dry and warm and should minimise food that are heavy, oily or cold. Focus on spicy, bitter and astringent taste and reduce sweet, salty and sour tasting food. Massage the nail beds of one’s hand and feet with aroma oil which will sooth your body into total rejuvenation.

A blend of aroma oils properly chosen under the supervision of an expert could create a relaxing, congenial, soothing and a calming effect to the environment of your bedroom, which will help you to have a perfect harmony of your mind and body even after you fall asleep.

However, the 10 easy ways for blissful slumber in this materialistic urbanised world where sound sleep is a rarity and cannot be attained or purchased with materialistic worldly pleasures are listed below:

• Eat three meals during the day in proper time
• Do regular moderate exercise
• Try to sleep by 10 p.m. so that your mind can settle down faster
• Restrict oneself from intake of stimulants such as caffeine or alcohol
• Wear comfortable cotton clothing to bed
• Avoid hot spicy food for dinner
• Do not bring work related material into your bedroom
• Keep your bedroom dark and dimly lit, void of television and mobile phones
• A gentle massage of hands, feet and neck before bed can aid relaxation
• In bed take a long deep, easy breath letting your mind and body relax

Thus a good night’s sleep is the best rejuvenating tonic which acts as a catalyst to make one stay alert, bright and focused with positive energy and full of optimism for the next day to come. A sound sleep not only replenishes the luster back in your skin but also acts like a balm, which soothes one’s mind, body and soul.

(Celebrity Dermatologist & Cosmetologist, Doctor of Wellness & Lifestyle Medicine & Aastro Beauty Expert Website: www.drpaulsgroupofcompanies.com E-Mail: drpaulsgroup@gmail.com)