Āyurvedic Wellness Spotlight - October 2021
In āyurveda fall is considered vata season. The air and ether elements combine to produce a cool, dry, mobile quality to the environment. It’s this mobile quality of vata that can result in sleep disturbances as we enter the fall season. This may manifest as difficulty falling asleep at night, or it may present as difficulty staying asleep throughout the night, or sleeping restlessly.
A good night’s sleep is crucial to overall health and wellbeing, impacting our hormonal balance, digestion, and other physiological functions. Āyurveda and western science share similar recommendations when it comes to getting a restful night’s sleep.
eat dinner before 7pm, and avoid eating any food after this time
establish a consistent bedtime, ideally before 10pm
eliminate screen time in the evenings
dim the lights in your house once the sun goes down
save your bed for sleeping and sex only
establish some bedtime rituals (take a warm bath/shower, wear real pajamas, use essential oils, etc)
massage your feet and scalp before getting in bed
enjoy a cup of Nighty Night Rasayana before bed (recipe below)
if you can not fall asleep, or if you wake up and can not go back to sleep, get out of bed, and only return to bed when you are ready to fall asleep
4-6 oz. of milk
Pinch to 1/4t each of the following fresh herbs:
cinnamon
cardamon
nutmeg
saffron
1t of ghee (clarified butter)
Put all ingredients in a saucepan and soft boil for about 3 minutes.
Remove from the stove and let sit for a minute or so.
Sip until finished.
*Nighty Night Rasayana recipe from Kathryn Templeton