Sleep is nature''s gift to all living being and more for human beings.
Sleep means taking rest in a state of unconsciousness with a decreased
responsiveness to external influences. The quantum of sleep varies from
man to man depending upon the nature of work he does when not sleeping.
Generally most people need 8 hours of sound sleep every night. However,
there are people who do well with 4 to 5 hours of sound sleep. they
feel more fresh and relaxed than people who had 7 or 8 hours of sleep.
Of late,
sleeplessness has assumed alarming proportions especially
among the upper classes in big cities. This is clearly to be seen from
the wide variety of drugs prescribed by the physicians. Often we come
across of men and women taking overdose of
sleeping pills with fatal
consequences. Sleeplessness robs a man of mental and physical rest.
Thereby it interferes with his activity in the daytime. He also gets
easily annoyed. Sleeplessness is a severe
health risk. When it becomes
a habit, it is really a medical problem. The commonest cause of
sleeplessness is mental tension. It is created by anxiety, worry,
overwork, overexcitement, over consumption of alcohol, bitterness and
anger. Other causes include indigestion, overeating at dinner,
constipation and too much intake of tea or coffee and going to
bed without eating anything at night. Heavy smoking also is one of the
causes of sleeplessness because it irritates the nervous system,
especially the nerves of the digestive system. Consumption of sleeping
pills are not remedy for sleeplessness. Most of the pills are
habit-forming and become ineffective when consumed for longer periods.
The side effects of sleeping pills pose a big problem. So they are very
dangerous if taken before or after alcohol. Tranquillisers (drugs that
calm nerves or cause sleep) should also be avoided as they are
dangerous. One should stick to a regular sleeping schedule i.e., going
to bed and getting up at fixed hours. Sleep before midnight is more
beneficial than the longer sleep after midnight. Students appearing for
examination burn their candles till the early hours of morning. When
they go to examination hall next morning they become giddy and
confused. They are unable to concentrate on the examination papers.
Regular work and exercise are important to regulate healthy sleeping
habits. Stimulants like tea, coffee, highly spiced food and liquor
should be avoided. Food enriched with calcium has good results. One
must empty one''s bladder and wash legs with warm water before going to
bed. Ayurvadic oils like Brahmi and Amla also can be applied on head
and rubbed with fingers. A warm bath also brings about good sleep.
Other things which help sound sleep are proper diet, light dinner at
early hours, open air exercise without becoming tired, well-ventilated
and clean room with a comfortable bed neither soft nor hard. The
pillows also should be soft and not too high. A cup of hot sweetened
milk at bedtime is helpful. Keep your mind free from tension, stress,
anxiety, worry and fear. Any attempt to force sleep is often escaping
and it is driven away. It is better to listen to soft music and offer
prayer to your God with concentration on the image of the God. Use
light bed clothes with less bright colours. Try to sleep on your side
and not on your back. Even unknowingly you turn many times to the left
and right side of your body while sleeping at night which is healthy.
Deep breath brings about sleep. Lie on your side and take deep breath
and hold as much time as possible and repeat the same 3 or 4 times.
Very old cases of sleeplessness can be set right by consuming natural
diet of fresh vegetables and fruits and less spiced things. Yogasanas
(Yoga) help us very much to maintain a good sleep habit. Rubbing the
body for about 20 minutes with good Ayurvadic Oil (Brahmi or Amla)
drives you to sleep. One should avoid drugs acting on Central Nervous
System of human . Go for natural, better sleep!
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