Publication

Abstract : Introduction: Insomnia is the most commonly reported sleep problem, which profoundly affects the person’s quality of life. In Ayurveda various non-pharmacological methods related with dietary modifications, physical and psychological factors are well described for the effective management of Nidranasha (primary insomnia) and to improve the quality of life.Aim: To explore the non-pharmacological strategies for the effective management of Nidranasha (primary insomnia) from the perspective of Ayurveda. Comparison with Pharmacologic Treatments: Various pharmacological compounds are effectively used for the symptomatic treatment of insomnia such as hypnotics, antidepressants, neuroleptics etc., however, their safety, dependency and adverse effect remains a matter of concern among physicians, when used for the long-term. Ayurvedic approaches can be a better choice in this situation.Materials and Methods: For this, Ayurevda classics have been thoroughly studied, PubMed was searched using key words, Anidra, Nidranasha and non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia from Ayurveda, the free full text article published during 2000 to 2017 were reviewed. The information was also taken from the modern medical science article from the same year and from the official web page of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Results: A total of 5 free full text articles from Ayurveda and 40 from modern medicine were found in the PubMed search. Information from the classical Ayurveda texts and published articles both were utilized in this review.Conclusion: Ayurveda gives importance to the natural sleep for the maintenance of health. It is always better that Nidranasha (primary insomnia) should be initially managed without the use of any pharmacological compound.