How to cure Insomnia

Hare krishna!

PAMHO

according to google, I'm facing Insomnia because if I go to bed by 10:30, I may or may not get a little sleepy by 1:00. I have tried everything like exercising more often, not sleeping in the day, I've completely cut down caffeine ever since I came in bhakti etc. but nothing seems to work!

I know this doesn't sound like a spiritual question but the problem is, that because I am not able to sleep, waking up at 6:00 am only is a challenge for me and thus I can only chant 2 rounds!

(by 7:00, I have to go out and by 8:00 I have my classes and the rest of the day is spent in taking classes of piano, running, studying maths and the rest of the time I read spiritual books ((not the best routine I know)) plus after my classes alot is left in my mind thus chanting goes really bad)

I really want to wake up at 5:00 am but since I'm in the start of teenage I need at least 8 hour sleep (according to my mom) so I really don't know what to do about this insomnia because everyone else is asking me to change my alarm to 7:30 but that makes it worse! I won't be able to chant! So, I thought that devotees on this forum might help.

Hare Krishna!

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  • Okay Hare Krishna mata ji,

    I read only half of ur question and " esp. the  title is cure for insomnia" and thought what weird questions they are asking like this is not a medical advice forum .. I thought so., but yes it is related to bhakti you want to get up early to practice chanting. Which is a good question only.

    It was my mistake to read only the title.

    As mata ji suggested yes, doing chanting is best way to use the time when we are awake and not able to sleep.

    And many cases young devotees also complain that when they try to chant they fall asleep somehow. Maybe that is best you can you mahamantra for curing sleep related problems.

    pls. tell me when did you get into bhakti and when did you stop having your caffinate drinks how long time it has passed? Because as far as I know the caffine related withdrawal symptoms like sleeplessness and headaches they stay for about 1-2 months for some heavy coffee drinkers.

    Yes, you will need min. 8 hour so sleep as you are just 14-15 yr old child.  

    And pls. don't label your problem as a " insomnia" google has too much information and is generalized for all kinds of people. We cannot take whatever available on net and self diagnose.

    What I feel you must do is, as you have already told you are a writer and even write poems on Lord. You must use that time for doing such works.

    usually when our mind is filled with too much stuff (like whole day's activities) we generally find it difficult to put off the mind and go to sleep. 

    Sleep is wonderful rejenuativing, self repairing state of the body. To fall instantly to sleep as soon as one hits the bed is now a days becoming difficult because we get too much exposed to so many materialistic activities, 

    Doctors are saying these days this problem is even creeping into teens and pre teens. It is like too much stress taking.

    I see from your post you day is starting so much early as 7 am. and you have so many things for the rest of the day doing so many activities, piano, running, classes, studies, maths. These are surely involving lot of interactions with people of all types. 

    What I want to tell you is, Sleep is a biological rhythm it like a cyclic pattern. it is called " cicardian rhythm'  you can change the pattern.

    Let me give you one example.
    Whenever we visit India, I am from USA. so, what is observe is there is time gap called " jet lag" period. That is see here its day time now and its night over there. that time lag it take some one week or in some worse cases months also sometimes to become get to normalcy.  Whenever we come there we feel sleepy all day time and awake all night time. That is called jet lag.

    So, this pattern how we adjust is, when we come there we keep busy even during day time even if we get immense sleep we just avoid it. If not at all possible , well first one week it is tough for all ( we tend to keep awake whole day but at about 11 am we feel sleepy then we postpone it for 2-3 more hours and after that it comes automatically. like that every day what we do is one hour we delay our sleep in the day time until we reach like 7pm or 8 pm reducing daily one - two hours  to change the pattern.

    So, cure for this late sleep is slowly redcuing the time of ur getting up early in the morning.

    for suppose today you got up at 7 am tomorrow please get up at 6:45am set ur alarm clock like that. next day set ur alarm clock at  6:30 am , slowly daily you are reducing 15 min of sleep in the morning. This in a course of time will become 5 am then ur night sleep will also move 15 min back daily. you may not notice but It become slow change  in one month you can change this pattern.

    This is what doctors suggest how to cope up with sleeping patterns for jet laggers who travel. Because various countries have various time zones.

    And one thing I am understanding is when u have extra work home work or project work dont keep it for late hours in the night. This will spoil a routine.
    Are you able to follow what I suggested.

    If you want to have medication you can go to a doctor if at all the problem is very much , they can prescibe non habit forming small dose of sleep inducing melatonin to change the pattern. But basically I would suggest not to go to medications at the start. Just try changing habit. daily reduce 15 min of sleep in the morning and it automatically will make you got to sleep 15 min early at night. do this for a month keep reducing daily 15 min morning time. As a homeopathic doctor myself, I can prescribe u some sleep inducing medicines to calm your mind and change the pattern ( without side effects) but I don't think it is so muhc needed also. slowly you can change it.

    listening to soft music and chanting ( listening to kirtan or lecture) will certainly help.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIYr3vUuQss

    this one is nice one. listen to this one too. But the thing is for me chanting and kirtan will make me awake HEHEHE. I get connected to Lord when I am chanting or listening to kirtan and I start to be become active more and more not sleepy. that is my problem anyways. That is why if i start kirtan or chanting at night I cannot fall asleep at all. That is my issue. 

    But many neophyte devotees say chanting makes you sleepy. some complain even that as soon as they start chanting the doze off. which is another bad habit that they have to overcome. because when we chant we forget all other things in the world and around us so mind becomes like cool and peaceful so it will feel like relaxing and sleep comes in. That is another big issue to avoid sleep and be wakeful while chanting.

    https://www.harekrishnajapa.com/archives/7085  ( check this one)

     

    Hare Krishna.

    • Hare Krishna Mata ji!

      PAMHO

      THank you so much for talking about this in such detail! I have been in bhakti for approx. 2 years and started chanting since june when I got my japa mala. Although even before this I hated tea and I drank cofee sometimes just to look "cool"😂 Otherwise I prefer milk and water to any other beverage. I even made a joke that I'm always in tamo gun except for night time. that's when I come into rajas! I will surely listen to slow kirtan because it makes me feel relaxed and thus putting off stress from materialistic activities (especially maths). Even I won't like to go for medication because unnessecary medication will simply harm me. so for now, I'll just change my habits like you and Radha mata ji said

      thank you!

      Hare Krishna!

  • E-Counselor

    Hare Krsna dear Mataji,

    PAMHO.

    You need to tire yourself during the day. 

    If you are not able to sleep in the night, then chant at that time. That is the best antidote to insomnia. Or try to hear any lecture. YOu will surely fall asleep. I

    Since you are very young, maybe you are not sleeping alone in your room and what I have suggested so far may not be possible for you. In that case, chant mentally when sleep is not coming. You will never know when you fell asleep. Even if sleep doesnt come, you have no loss. You have spent your time chanting.

    And baby, preteens nobody gets insomnia. Dont go to Dr Google - go to proper doctor if you think this is really a problem. 

    Haribol,

    Your servant,

    Radha Rasamayi DD

    • Hare Krishna Mata ji

      PAMHO

      thank you so much mata ji! I had even started to cry because of this problem since I felt I was harming my body (which is a gift of Krishna) thank you so much! I'll definitely try this! you really relieved me of a big problem because come to think of it most of the time I couldn't sleep was because of fear of ghosts (i'm still scared of them unfortunately) and because of stress THAT I cannot sleep! but now that I have a vaishnava's mercy, I'm sure these 2 things won't bother me!

      Hare Krishna!

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