What Ayurveda says
Classical texts describe insomnia (anidrā) as primarily a Vāta disorder, with a Pitta variant when heat and intensity dominate. The treatment is to ground and cool, not to sedate.
Possible dosha pattern
Vāta — light, broken sleep, cold extremities, anxious thoughts at 11 p.m.–1 a.m. Pitta — waking sharply between 1–4 a.m., hot, alert, irritable. Mixed — both, often in shift workers and new parents.
Foods to favour
- ·Warm milk with nutmeg, dates, soaked almonds
- ·Stewed fruit and ghee at dinner
- ·Lettuce and oats in the evening (mild sedatives)
Foods to reduce
- ·Caffeine after midday
- ·Heavy or spicy dinners
- ·Alcohol as a sleep aid — fragments sleep
Daily routine
- ·Abhyanga (warm sesame oil massage) on the head and feet at night
- ·Bed by 10 p.m.; the second wind after 10 is Pitta time
- ·Journal worries out of the mind before bed
Herbs (with cautions)
- AshwagandhaFull guide →
Warm milk decoction for Vāta insomnia
Caution: Avoid in pregnancy and Pitta heat
- BrahmiFull guide →
For Pitta-type 2 a.m. wakings with a racing mind
Caution: Avoid with sedatives and in hypothyroidism
- Tagara (valerian)
Short-term use for stubborn insomnia under guidance
Caution: Not with sedatives, alcohol, or in pregnancy
When to see a doctor
Insomnia with low mood, suicidal thoughts, severe daytime impairment, or features of sleep apnoea — see a GP promptly.