By  Dr.P.M.Sharma  

The insomnia, as we all know, is an inability to sleep, over a period of time. Ayurveda portrays that there are tripods of life 1- AHAAR the food, 2- NIDRA or sleep, and 3 – Brihamcharya the skillful and healthy use of sex as well as keep away from of sex. If sleeplessness is there, nobody can live with health this has been proven many millenniums ago.
Medically the Insomnia is such a common condition, affecting millions of people, yet many people are not aware of the serious consequences of Insomnia. Commonly referred to as sleeplessness, or lack of sleep, insomnia can lead to severe fatigue, anxiety, depression and lack of concentration. Insomnia is serious, although unlike other diseases it does not kill. But only a sleep deprived person knows how lonely and how terrible this state can be. The insomnia is now going to become as an epidemic in developed countries like America, European countries, South- East Asia and east Asia expressly.
WHAT CAUSES INSOMNIA?
Insomnia can be its own medical problem (primary insomnia) or it can be caused by a separate issue (secondary insomnia) such as depression or side effects from medication. Insomnia may be an acute (short-term) problem, meaning it lasts less than 1 month, or it can be chronic, lasting 1 month or longer.

SITUATIONS THAT MAY CAUSE A PERIOD OF ACUTE INSOMNIA CAN INCLUDE:
· Stress (due to any mean, for example, job loss or change, death of a loved one, divorce, or moving)
· Illness
· Emotional or physical discomfort
· Environmental factors like noise, light, or extreme temperatures (hot or cold) that interfere with sleep
· Some medications (for example those used to treat colds, allergies, depression, high blood pressure and asthma)
· Interferences in normal sleep schedule (for example, jet leg or switching from a day to night shift)

CAUSES OF CHRONIC INSOMNIA INCLUDE:
· Stress. Due to any cause,
· Anxiety. Everyday anxieties as well as severe anxiety disorders may keep your mind too alert to fall asleep.
· Depression.
· Stimulants. Like antidepressants, anti-hypertensive drugs and corticosteroid medications, can interfere with sleep. Other medications like anti-obesity therapy, painkillers and other modern medicine.
· Change in the environment or work schedule. Travel or working a late or early shift can disrupt bodily formal rhythms, making someone unable to get to sleep when he or she wants to sleep. Mean to say the change against the bodily watch can disarray the sleeping system
· Long-term uses of sleep allopathic or modern medications
· Medical conditions that cause pain. These include arthritis, fibromyalgia and neuropathies, among other conditions.
· Behavioral insomnia. This may occur when someone worry excessively about not being able to sleep well and try too hard to fall asleep. Most people with this condition sleep better when they are away from their usual sleep environment or when they do not try to sleep, such as when they view TV or reading. · Eating too much too late in the evening.

INSOMNIA AND CHANGES OF AGING
Insomnia becomes more prevalent with age. As the human being gets elder, changes can occur that may affect sleep because of—
· Changes in sleep patterns.
· A change in activity.
· A change in health
· Other sleep-related disorders, such as sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome, also become more common with age.
Sleep problems may be a concern for children and teenagers as well. In addition to many of the same causes of insomnia as those of adults, some children and teenagers simply have trouble getting to sleep or resist a regular bedtime because their inherent (the biological bodily) clocks are more delayed.

INSOMNIA SYMPTOMS
Doctors associate a variety of signs and symptoms with insomnia. Often, the symptoms intertwine with those of other medical or mental conditions.
People with insomnia may complain of difficulty falling asleep. The problem. The problem may begin with stress, depression or any other psychological problem, as the patients begin to associate the bed with their inability to sleep, the problem may become chronic.
Most often daytime symptoms will bring people to seek medical attention. Daytime problems caused by insomnia include Poor concentration and focus, Difficulty with memory, impaired motor coordination, Irritability and impaired social interaction. Motor vehicle accidents take place because of fatigued, sleep-deprived drivers.

THE VEDIC SOLUTION
The ayurvedic treatment: --
Simply the Ashwagandha powder (Withania somenifera) is sufficient for a new patient but the problem is really severe, for that situation ayurveda has numerous herbo-mineral preparations are being use to handle the situation effectively since many centuries. Ras raj ras, Amer sundari bati, Saraswat churna, Brahmi bati, brahmi churna, Briham Rasayana, Ashwagandha paak, and many more formulations are there.

PANCHKARMA THERAPY: -
- Snehan the massage with medicated herbal oils
- Sweden the steam bath with herbal decoctions
- Shirobasti
- Shirodhara
- Nasya therapy

YOGA THERAPY
- Sheetali Pranayama
- Meditation
- Shavasana

TRY THESE, BEFORE GOING BED: -
- Go to your bed at least one hour after having dinner
- Take not to much heavy nor to light food stuff
- Listen light or classical music. Indian classical ragas specially Raga Bhairavi is very effective against insomnia. Even the former dictator of Uganda Idi Ameen was cured with this raga. He was a victim of severe insomnia.
- Have a bath with lightly aromatic lukewarm water or if this is not possible wash your hands up to shoulder and legs up to knees with cold water.
- Lay down on your back in bed and gaze in between the eyebrow without any tension, a tri color circle will appear n the middle of forehead. The blue, black and yellow or golden circles will be seemed to overlap each other. The blue circle will be at the center. Now start to gaze on this. When you shell gaze on this with high concentration you will see a star like structure. Though it can take few days to be appeared but the star will be there. Now start to pray with full devotion to help you to go beyond the star.
- Now try to enter to in the star with lot of devotions and faith within the name of god.
Nevertheless it seems like a fiction or superstition, but try to experience this, it needs no charges, extra physical exertion, and harmless too.
- Try to give up the habit of smoking and liquor.
- Make a habit to do physical activities regularly to make your body and mind strong and healthy.
Remember the insomnia is not merely a trouble-free disease, this can lead to anyone to psychiatric problems.

================================================================================================ Insomnia is spreading silently all over the world. Each and every one is running endlessly after success and money. Those who are poor want to be rich as early as possible, the prosperous wants to be richer. The materialistic successes never come alone, stress, anxiety and depression are the free gifts. Apart from the behavioral changes, other physical maladies are also responsible for this. This article can serve you only information. God forbid, if someone has the problem please contact to doctor immediately or write us.

Editor
J.A.Y(Journal of ayurveda and Yoga)