SLEEP LIKE A CHILD
by Shubhra Krishan

Look at your four-year-old. Seconds ago he was bawling his lungs out. Now he’s fast asleep, his rosy lips. curved into a gentle smile.



How come we have forgotten how to sleep like a child? Because we have learned to worry. That’s why psychiatrist Harold Bloomfield is writing a book about the importance of sleep. For years in his profession as a psychiatrist, Dr. Bloomfield saw hundreds of people suffer from lack of sleep. Most of them did not even realize that their gigantic problems—divorce, depression, chronic fatigue—stemmed from something so trivial as not getting enough sleep.

Those who did were either seeking refuge in addictive sleeping-pills or suffering the side effects of strong drugs. Restless for a real sweet sleep, stress sweeping remedy, Dr. Bloomfield turned herb hunter in the deep forests of Ayurvedic knowledge.

That is where he met his coauthor, Dr. Ramakant Mishra, an eminent vaidya. Dr. Mishra says Ayurveda places immense importance on a good night’s sleep, so much so that sleep is one of the three pillars of all Ayurvedic treatment, the other two being diet and lifestyle. Ancient Ayurvedic texts devoted extensive chapters to the value of a disciplined “dinacharya” or daily routine—the prime commandment being “Early to bed and early to rise.” This single routine, they believed, would keep the body machinery free of toxins and in perfect order while also recharging and rejuvenating the mind.

Together Bloomfield and Mishra are writing a book that will wake you up to the benefits of good sleep, with the help of natural herbs and the Ayurvedic life.

Shubhra Krishan held a conversation with the two experts:

SK: How serious is the National Sleep Debt?
Dr. Bloomfield: Look at the statistics. An estimated 100 million Americans have trouble falling asleep. That’s a whopping one out of every two adult Americans. According to a survey by the National Sleep Foundation, 75 percent of adults feel sleepy or drowsy during the day. Forty percent report that the drowsiness is so severe that it interferes with their daily activities. In a 1985 testimony to congress about the risks of sleep deprivation, Stanford researcher William Dement, who is one of the most outspoken sleep experts, declared that our national sleep debt is a greater threat to the country than our national monetary debt.

SK: One hears of a scary new link between lack of sleep and cancer.
Dr. Bloomfield: During sleep the levels of several immune system helpers increases in your blood. Among these are helpers that protect the body from cancerous tumors. For instance, the level of TNF or tumor necrosis factor, which is one of the body’s most powerful cancer fighters, increases tenfold during sleep. On the other hand, lack of sleep reduces the level of natural killer cells—further compromising the immune system. This is what leads researchers to believe there could be a connection between lack of sleep and cancer.

Again, take breast cancer. The logic is: you stay up late and your exposure to electric light interferes with certain hormone cycles, especially the secretion of melatonin. When melatonin levels fall, estrogen levels rise. Too much estrogen has, in turn, been shown to promote the growth of breast cancer. Another indicator of this link is that blind women get breast cancer only half as often as sighted women. Some studies indicate that other types of cancer are also less common among blind people. This could be significant.

SK: How does Ayurveda look at insomnia and anxiety?
Dr. Mishra: The key word in Ayurvedic healing is “intelligence.” Ayurveda asks: how do all the individual parts of the body function together to create the entire being? What guides and orchestrates their rhythm? From where does the wondrous coordination of bodily processes derive? The answer is “intelligence.” Vaidyas believe the body has a deep, underlying intelligence that renews, replenishes and nurtures the entire human system. It is when something interferes with this intelligence that disease takes root. Therefore, our remedies are also focused on regulating this intelligence.

This we do with the help of plants and herbs, which are again blessed with their own natural intelligence. The healing nutrients in these herbs unblock the “shrotas” or micro-circulatory channels through which the body moves nutrients, hormones, neuropeptides, immune system cells and so on. Once the shrotas are clear, you are filled with “ojas” or essential energy which governs and connects your body, mind and spirit. The result—a good night’s sleep.

SK: Does this mean that I can buy herbs and bid good-bye to sleep problems?
Dr. Bloomfield: Not at all. First, the Ayurvedic materia medica, one of the largest of its kind, catalogues thousands of medicinal plants and herbal mixtures—too many to choose from without the guidance of an Ayurvedic expert. Also, unlike allopathic drugs they do not offer instant relief. Think of them as tuning forks that reset and balance the body’s inner intelligence. Above all, do be cautioned that herbal remedies work in synergy. A single herb is most often limited in its effectiveness.

Authentic Ayurvedic formulas are composed of five main categories of herbs:

Primary herbs: sedative and calming. They help induce sleep while creating a long-time therapeutic effect.

Anti-stress herbs: enhance one’s immunity to stress by increasing ability of the mind and body to adapt to stress. No sleep-better remedy would be complete without these anti-stress herbs.

Nourishing herbs: nourish in the long term, both mind and body.

Enhancing herbs: increase the bio-availability of the active constituents of the other herbs by stimulating digestion and improving absorption.

Balancing herbs: create an overall balancing effect and cancel out any undesired effects the primary herbs might have.

SK: Which specific herbs would you say are the stars in this rich cast of healers?
Dr. Bloomfield: I would choose four.

• Valerian. Indian valerian works on the nerve channels by clearing out toxins from the blood, joints, tissues, colon and nerves. Its basic role is to rejuvenate. But valerian should not be taken on its own, for it can have a somewhat dulling effect. It is best used as part of an herbal preparation.
  
  
• Musk-root. It has been found to increase levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin. It supports the action of valerian and provides a further calming influence. Ayurveda has been using it since at least 1500 B.C.
  
  
• Ashwagandha. Also known as winter-cherry, this is an overall tonic for greater vitality and longevity. It enhances coordination between the mind and senses which, according to Ayurveda, is essential for good sleep. As with all other herbs, Ashwagandha should not be taken on its own for an extended period of time.
  
  
• Brahmi. A powerful brain food which supports and improves all aspects of mental functioning. It is used in stress-prevention formulas for its excellent revitalizing value. For years now I have been recommending Maharishi Ayurveda’s Blissful Sleep and Worry Free formulations that contain these star herbs and which have worked wonders for my patients.

• Avoid eating after 7 p. m., when digestion is slow and even light foods become heavier for the body to digest. Let your physical digestive processes be completed before you get into bed.
  
  
• About an hour before you hit the bed, start switching off those hard-to-digest sensory inputs: turn off the television to begin with. When you listen to the latest bad news, you accumulate “ama” or toxins in your mind, which interfere with good sleep. Likewise, scary or sad movies can also affect the quality of your sleep.
  
  
• Now prepare for the night ahead: curl up with a good book, light a few aromatic candles to create an ambience of peace and calmness, and listen to some soft, soothing music.
  
  
• Drink a glass of warm milk with a little honey just before you sleep. This has a settling influence on the mind and body. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, which is a precursor of serotonin, a brain chemical that facilitates sleep. Use honey that has not been heat-treated and be sure not to heat it above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, as this eliminates its beneficial qualities.
  
  
• Try to go to bed by 10 p. m. Getting into bed on time helps you live in accordance with the natural laws that govern your physiology. If you have been in the habit of sleeping late, start by sleeping half an hour earlier than you are used to. Gradually, you will reach the 10 o’clock mark.
  
  
• Consult an Ayurvedic physician to determine your body type—vata, pitta, kapha—based on which he will give you herbal formulations to correct your particular kind of imbalance. Ayurveda does not have one-size-fits-all remedies, for it believes that your body type is as unique as your fingerprint.