[If you’re] tired or sleepy during the day, be extremely suspicious that something is interfering with your slumber — a healthy sleeper is unlikely to feel tired or sleepy during the day. Most commonly, physical disruption to your sleeping brain waves generates this tiredness or sleepiness. Doesn’t everyone experience some tired or sleepy feelings during waking hours? That’s a big “no.” A normal sleeper experiencing high-quality slumber (aka normal brain wave patterns), night after night, does not report those feelings. Their sleep is functioning as designed to fully restore the mind and body.

– Dr. Barry Krakow MD

Good Sleep is Fundamental to Health

Quality sleep is directly related — and fundamental — to health and well-being.

Sleep quality refers not to the number of hours slept but to satisfaction and outcomes from sleep. “This depends on several factors, including time to fall asleep, depth of sleep, number of awakenings after one falls asleep, length of sleep, and importantly, your sense of well-being when you wake up.” [source]

“Sleep quality is based on the physiological patterns of the EEG brain waves, so sleep is always a physical thing affecting mind and body.” [source]

According to Ayurveda philosophy, sleep is one of three pillars that endow the body with strength, vigor, and healthy growth.

– Ram Rao, PhD

Why is sleep important according to Ayurveda?
In Ayurveda, sleep is considered one of the three pillars of health, along with food (Ahara) and a balanced lifestyle (Brahmacharya- without excess). According to Ayurvedic principles, sleep is essential for maintaining physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

*Restoration and Rejuvenation (Dhatu Poshana)
Sleep is seen as a time when the body repairs and rejuvenates itself. It helps in nourishing the tissues (Dhatus) and restoring balance to the body’s systems. Proper sleep replenishes energy levels, repairs damaged tissues, and maintains the strength of the immune system.

*Balancing Doshas
Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of balancing the three doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—which govern all physical and mental processes.
- Vata dosha (air and space elements) calm its erratic, overactive nature.
- Pitta dosha (fire and water elements) balance heat and intensity, preventing irritability and burnout.
- Kapha dosha (earth and water elements) keeps it from becoming sluggish or overly grounded.

*Mental Clarity/Emotional Balance
When we sleep, the mind clears out negative emotions, toxins (Ama), and stress accumulated during the day.

*Digestive Fire (Agni)/Detoxification
During sleep, the body focuses on processing and digesting the food consumed throughout the day. Ayurveda stresses the importance of a strong digestive fire or agni, which operates more efficiently when the body is at rest. This also aids in detoxifying the body, removing waste products (Mala) from the system.

*Immune System and Ojas
Sleep enhances Ojas, which is the subtle essence of all bodily tissues and represents vitality and immunity in Ayurveda. Adequate sleep strengthens Ojas, promoting longevity, vitality, and a strong immune system.

*Prevention of Disease
Ayurveda links poor sleep to conditions like anxiety, digestive disorders, and chronic fatigue.

We've Got Tips:
- Consistent Sleep Schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day aligns your body with the natural rhythms (circadian rhythm). Ayurveda loves a good habit.
- Warm Milk with Herbs: Drinking warm milk infused with calming herbs like Ashwagandha or Turmeric can promote restful sleep. Banyan Botanicals has a lovely turmeric mix- click here.
- Abhyanga (Oil Massage): A gentle massage with warm sesame oil before bed calms the nervous system and prepares the body for sleep. Also great at banyan- click here.
- Calming Rituals: Engaging in relaxing activities such as meditation, reading, or breathing exercises before sleep helps soothe the mind.

The Impact of Sleep on Healthy Functioning

Sleep impacts healthy functioning in practically every way imaginable.

Specifically, sleep impacts:

Overall functioning and health. [source]
Stress recovery and resilience.
Cognitive function and memory. “The brain is programmed to strengthen new memories during (quality) rest. Whether you’re a young student or a retired professional, sleep is the most natural way to fortify your memory.” [source]
Work performance. [source]
Physical capability, accidents, exercise performance.
Feeling states, mood, emotional disturbances, depression, burnout. [source] and [source] “Many suffering from mental health problems like anxiety, depression, or PTSD, as well as those with suicidal thoughts or behaviors, almost invariably agonize over co-existing diagnosable and treatable sleep disorders.” [source]
Trauma recovery. [source] “An astonishingly large proportion of trauma patients also suffer from undetected and untreated sleep apnea, which through the toxic trifecta generated by the arousal-sleep-arousal cycle impairs brain function and worsens PTSD.”
Energy levels. [source]
Appetite, weight, fat gain, cravings, insulin resistance and diabetes.
Testosterone levels.
Heart health and cardiovascular disease. [source] and [source]
Immunity and susceptibility to degenerative diseases and infections. [source]
Releasing / forgetting impressions we don’t need.
Brain health. [source and source]
“Antidote to fear.” “In experiments involving 15 normal human subjects, the researchers demonstrated that specific fear memories of human beings were wiped out during the slow-wave sleep.” [source]

Evidence-Based Techniques for Improving Sleep Quality

"Many sleep issues are daytime problems that show up at night." (Gary Kraftsow)

There is an extensive body of knowledge around improving sleep quality, making it clear that there are numerous identifiable factors and techniques that impact sleep quality.

Some techniques are ones that we do during the day, some at night, and some while in bed. Here we examine evidence-based techniques that are part of daytime routines.

View natural sunlight daily, especially morning light. “You can’t wear a brimmed hat, sunglasses and remain in the shade and expect to ‘wake up’ your circadian clock.” [source] “Exposing your body to sunlight for at least 30 minutes in the morning can help regulate the autonomic nervous system and the pineal gland in the brain, thereby normalizing melatonin secretion.” [source] “When your skin is exposed to natural sunlight, the light passes through your tissues and is absorbed by specific organelles, including your mitochondria. Your mitochondria convert the sunlight into biological signals to produce melatonin. Many believe the pineal gland is the only place melatonin is produced in the body, but the pineal gland only makes a small percentage. Mitochondria make the majority of your total supply of melatonin. Melatonin is commonly known for its role in helping you sleep, but it has many more wonderful benefits.” [source]
Maintain good daily exercise habits. Practice yoga. Engage in resistance training.
Engage in daily stress management activities such as spending time in nature, practicing mindfulness and meditation, and gentle inversions. (More here.)
Address neck stiffness, which can affect sleep. [source]
Seek support for ensuring a healthy microbiome and gut health as a whole. “Can poor gut health cause bad sleep? The answer is a resounding yes. Numerous studies have revealed the pivotal role our gut health plays in regulating our sleep-wake cycles and overall sleep quality.” [source]
Prioritize healthy eating. Avoid or limit the intake of caffeine, tobacco, alcohol and sugar. Avoid processed and junk foods. “In this randomized trial, researchers gave participants an unhealthy diet and a healthy diet, in random order, and tracked sleep quality after each dietary intervention. While the participants on both diets slept for the same amount of time, those on the junk food diet experienced reduced slow-wave sleep activity (which is a marker for deep sleep)… Eating well = sleeping well!” [Chris Kresser]
Address trauma and PTSD.
Avoid sleeping pills which are addictive; act more as sedatives than genuine sleep aids; and can increase the risk of falls and fractures among some. [source] “Both over-the-counter and prescription sleep [meds] carry a substantial risk of dependence, and their effects often mimic sedation rather than inducing genuine restorative sleep.” [source] “Once you start such drugs, you cannot stop taking them at will… If these drugs are stopped abruptly, the brain will not have time to produce its own serotonin, and the mood may be affected and could even collapse altogether. This can cause adverse effects ranging from being unable to sleep through the night to becoming suicidal. Therefore, if you are in the process of stopping Western medicine, it is wise to support yourself with other means, such as acupuncture and exercise, to help the brain secrete serotonin.” [source]
Explore and experiment with nutritional and herbal support (detailed below). “Unlike their pharmaceutical counterparts, natural solutions align with the body’s intrinsic pathways, facilitating the induction of high-quality, deep, and refreshing slumber that contributes to the healing of every system.” [source]

Why & How Yoga Helps

The following effects from yoga are known to support healthy sleeping:

Chronic stress or an imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activation tends to lead to sleep issues. Yoga promotes nervous system balance by invoking the relaxation response
Yoga can help to balance yin and yang energies in the body
Yoga helps accomplish the two keys of sleep: being physically relaxed, and mentally relaxed.
Yoga can help to release blocked energy. When engaged in yoga practice, students may become aware of a felt sense of blockages to their energy flow and a sense of the blockages being alleviated. We can surmise that there are a variety of potential reasons for this experience of one’s energy being liberated.
Sleep is usually easier in a cooler room and yoga breathing practices can help to cool the body.

When a person is excited or nervous, the sympathetic nervous system will become active, causing blood pressure and heart rate to increase, and gastrointestinal peristalsis to stop. When a person is relaxed or at rest, the parasympathetic nervous system will become active, blood pressure and heart rate will slow down, and resumption of gastrointestinal motility. A balance between these two systems allows people to be active when they should be and to rest when they need to, thereby maintaining the normal functions of the body. Once there is a problem with the autonomic nervous system, it can cause various symptoms throughout the body. In addition to insomnia and waking prematurely, there may also be signs of fear, palpitations, chest tightness, breathlessness, dizziness, and tinnitus, among others. There also might be issues with the gastrointestinal and digestive system, such as gastroesophageal reflux, as well as skeletal and muscle problems, including numbness in the hands and feet.

– Amber Yang & JoJoNovaes

Research

Randomized clinical trial: Mindfulness and meditation improved sleep for older adults experiencing sleep issues. (2015) link and link and link and link
Yoga improved sleep quality and quality of life in elderly (2013). link
Yoga improved self-reports of sleep quality, plus measurable markers of slow-wave sleep, REM and awakenings. (2009) link
Randomized control trial: Mindfulness practices and CBT were equally effective for insomnia. (2018) link and link
Yoga improved sleep in women undergoing chemotherapy. (2014) link
Randomized control trial: Yoga improved sleep in cancer survivors. (2014) link and link
Practicing twice-weekly yoga improved symptoms of restless leg syndrome. (2013) link and link
Moderate-intensity exercise or stretching improved sleep quality. (2003) link
Comparing the impact of resistance vs. aerobic training on sleep. link
Pink noise while sleeping improved sleep and memory. (2017) link and link and link

Mindfulness meditation practice suggests that rather than becoming absorbed in the story you are creating, you can align your consciousness with the restless sensations in the body. Mindfulness of body sensation can begin to ground and quiet your mind. In Buddhist thought, worry is a component of restlessness, one of the five hindrances to meditation, along with desire, aversion, sleepiness and doubt. The metaphor for restlessness is a constant wind, a perpetual movement that finds no rest. Worry causes the mind to spin in never-ending circles. It stimulates and agitates the mind and body, making sleep impossible. I began to apply my meditative discovery to those times when I could not sleep. I could choose to bypass getting caught by the content of my spinning thoughts. Instead, I could turn my mind to the energy beneath the story. I began by letting go of the worry that I was not getting enough sleep.

– Charlotte Bell

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