Sleep well..

Almost everyone experiences insomnia or sleeplessness. Factors such as continuous worries, depressions, irregular hours, noise, pain, too much coffee or unfamiliar surroundings can lead to restless nights.

In addition, if you suffer from insomnia you might find it difficult to relax sufficiently to fall asleep. And if you are in the habit of staying up late surfing the Net or watching television, this can easily turn into a vicious cycle of overtiredness and insomnia which can lead to exhaustion.

Because time drags when you are trying to sleep, you might overestimate the length of your sleeplessness. Remember there are no rules about how much sleep is necessary, everyone’s needs are different. Babies and some teenagers may sleep for up to 18 hours, while older people may require only five or six hours.

Also remember that your body can make up for sleep loss without catching up on every lost hour. For example if you have had several night’s broken sleep you can recover after a single sleep lasting about 12 hours.

Here are a few ways that might help in ensuring that you get a good night’s sleep.

Note your sleep patterns to help you find out the cause of your insomnia.

Drink a glass of warm milk with a teaspoon of honey before going to bed.

Establish regular sleeping hours and have a warm bath before going to bed.

Exercise regularly either in the morning or evening but not before going to bed.

Keep your bed room well ventilate and quiet and ensure that your bed is comfortable i.e. gives your body proper support.

Place the table clock out of sight and while trying to sleep, think about something you find enjoyable.

Go to bed at least two hours after dinner.

If your insomnia is not caused by indigestion or a medical condition, a soothing massage can work wonders before bedtime.

Herbs with a natural sedative action such as Passion Flower (Passiflora Incarnata), hops (Humulus lupulus), Sunbul at teeb (Valeriana officinalis), skull cap (Scutellarea latriflora) and Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla) are natural sedatives and are also known to have analgesic and antihypertensive qualities. They can be taken in liquid form mixed in a bit of cold water.

The infusion of chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla Babuna), valerian (Valerian officinalis) as well as a cooled down light decoction of dill (Soya) and rauwolfia root (Rauwolfia serpentine) with dried coriander (Coriandrum sativum) are relaxing.

Eastern medicine treats insomnia (Sahar/Bedari) with the administration of Musakkinaat (Sedatives). Munawwemaat (hypnotic/somnifacient), Murattibaat (moistening) and Maghziyaat (tonics for brain). There is a long list of drugs under these headings of Mufredaat (herbs) with Sunbul at teeb and Babuna being frequently used in different forms. The most popular compound drugs include somina and Besha’shaa.

The writer is Research Professor, HIASR, Faculty of Eastern Medicine Hamdard University.