Western Meets Eastern: Self

I chose to use Ayurvedic recommendations to address some sleep issues which have I been developing over the last year or two. I do my best to maintain a clean diet and an active lifestyle with ample exercise. I find that these two measures alone facilitate a balanced state. On the down side, however, I work two or three nights a week on call as a Midwife, so I often sleep in the day a couple of days a week. I am not sure if this is the major factor in my sleep disturbances, as I have been doing this for nearly twenty five years. I think, just based on my experience, that post- menopause unfolds in stages.  Most of the literature I have read just lumps post-menopause into one state that lasts the rest of a womans natural life, but I suspect the hormonal effects of aging continue. In any case, I naturally went through menopause in my mid- to late-forties. Until about two years ago, I never had difficulty sleeping soundly at any time of day when I was tired. Gradually I began to have difficulty falling asleep, and then difficulty staying asleep. There are some nights when it takes an hour or two for me to fall asleep and then I am awake every hour or two, until about 4 in the morning. Its pretty maddening, especially when I usually only spend 4 to 5 nights of the week in my bed at night. Another factor I identified is that I am often dehydrated. I think this may contribute to my waking up frequently, as I am often thirsty in the middle of the night.  Once I started taking Yoga classes, just about 7 months ago, I began listening to Yoga Nidra tapes at night. This measure alone has been remarkably helpful. I have found that most nights a Yoga Nidra tape will quickly put me to sleep, and about half of the time I will remain asleep all night. The first step in my experiment was to make it a set ritual to listen to a Yoga Nidra tape at bedtime. After a few nights of this, I began drinking a glass of almond milk with fresh ground nutmeg in it, warmed to just above room temperature. I also placed a spray of Lavender essential oil on my pillow.  On the one hand ,I don’t want my bedtime ritual to get so complicated that I don’t want to do it. Simplicity is key, but I did decide to add one more element. I started making warm Sea Salt soaks for my feet. Some nights I am too tired, but I manage to enjoy this once or twice a week. I find this very soothing and a good time to relax and read a little. I also have stopped drinking caffeine in the late afternoon, and only eat dark chocolate after lunch, not with dinner. I also have made a concerted effort to drink two liters of water in the first half of my day. I am finding that my sleep has vastly improved just in the three weeks or so I have been maintaining these measures. When I am able to rest adequately, I feel more pleasant and balanced overall. My goal is to try to maintain these measures for the next several months, to retrain my sleep patterns. I think these will just become natural patterns of living, since I feel so much better when I am decently rested.

I chose to use Ayurvedic recommendations to address some sleep issues which have I been developing over the last year or two. I do my best to maintain a clean diet and an active lifestyle with ample exercise. I find that these two measures alone facilitate a balanced state. On the down side, however, I work two or three nights a week on call as a Midwife, so I often sleep in the day a couple of days a week. I am not sure if this is the major factor in my sleep disturbances, as I have been doing this for nearly twenty five years. I think, just based on my experience, that post- menopause unfolds in stages.  Most of the literature I have read just lumps post-menopause into one state that lasts the rest of a womans natural life, but I suspect the hormonal effects of aging continue. In any case, I naturally went through menopause in my mid- to late-forties. Until about two years ago, I never had difficulty sleeping soundly at any time of day when I was tired. Gradually I began to have difficulty falling asleep, and then difficulty staying asleep. There are some nights when it takes an hour or two for me to fall asleep and then I am awake every hour or two, until about 4 in the morning. Its pretty maddening, especially when I usually only spend 4 to 5 nights of the week in my bed at night. Another factor I identified is that I am often dehydrated. I think this may contribute to my waking up frequently, as I am often thirsty in the middle of the night.  Once I started taking Yoga classes, just about 7 months ago, I began listening to Yoga Nidra tapes at night. This measure alone has been remarkably helpful. I have found that most nights a Yoga Nidra tape will quickly put me to sleep, and about half of the time I will remain asleep all night. The first step in my experiment was to make it a set ritual to listen to a Yoga Nidra tape at bedtime. After a few nights of this, I began drinking a glass of almond milk with fresh ground nutmeg in it, warmed to just above room temperature. I also placed a spray of Lavender essential oil on my pillow.  On the one hand ,I don’t want my bedtime ritual to get so complicated that I don’t want to do it. Simplicity is key, but I did decide to add one more element. I started making warm Sea Salt soaks for my feet. Some nights I am too tired, but I manage to enjoy this once or twice a week. I find this very soothing and a good time to relax and read a little. I also have stopped drinking caffeine in the late afternoon, and only eat dark chocolate after lunch, not with dinner. I also have made a concerted effort to drink two liters of water in the first half of my day. I am finding that my sleep has vastly improved just in the three weeks or so I have been maintaining these measures. When I am able to rest adequately, I feel more pleasant and balanced overall. My goal is to try to maintain these measures for the next several months, to retrain my sleep patterns. I think these will just become natural patterns of living, since I feel so much better when I am decently rested.