CHRONIC SLEEP DISORDERS: A HOLISTIC

PERSPECTIVE
Abstract: In the US, chronic sleep disorders are steadil risin!" I#S Health, a research co$pan
reports a %&'( increase sleepin! pill prescriptions in last %' ears" Eastern #edicine, incl)din! *oth
A)r+eda and Traditional Chinese #edicine or TC#, +ie, chronic sleep is considered as a s$pto$
o- deeper patho!enic conditions" Eastern $edicine o.ers an )nderstandin! and re$ed to treat the
disease at the root le+el"
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/About 42 million sleeping pill prescriptions were flled last year, according to the research
company IMS Health, up nearly 6 percent since 2!"#$he %ew &or' $imes, (ebruary ), 26!
*An estimated 6 million sleeping pill prescriptions were flled last year in the +!S! According to IMS
Health, a health care ser,ices company, this number grew -rom 4) million in 26!" . consumer.
drug.report!com March 2), 2/2 0 1http233www!consumer.drug.report!com3miscellaneous3new.
study.re,eals.sleeping.pill.ris's.2)4/2//5246 0 In *rie-, 01 $illion prescriptions in ear 0''', &0
$illion in 0''1, &2 $illion in 0''3, and 3' $illion in 0'%%, i"e" %&'( increase in last %' ears!
Sleep is a 4e in!redient -or a health and 5o-)l li-e" 6ood sleep acts as a re5)+enator o- $ind and
re!enerator o- *od, ena*lin! )s to ha+e an opti$)$ -)nctional per-or$ance d)rin! o)r ,a4in!
ho)rs" E+en po,er-)l $edicine is hardl o- an )se i- this -)nda$ental in!redient o- li-e is $issin!"
Sleep is i$portant *eca)se it s)pports the !eneration o- essence 7called O5as in A)r+eda or 8in! in
TC#9" Essence is one the three treas)res 7other t,o *ein! Prana or :i in TC# and Te5as or Shen in
TC#9 that inte!rates *od, $ind, and spirit into an opti$all -)nctionin! indi+id)al" Interaction o-
shen and 5in!;essence prod)ces the /li!ht< o- conscio)sness o*ser+ed in t,in4le o- a clear ee" 8in!
or Essence is the re=ned s)*stance that is deri+ed -ro$ di!estion and assi$ilation o- -ood" It
!o+erns the !ro,th and de+elop$ent processes o- the *od and enhances the i$$)ne sste$"
*Dependent on sleep is happiness and $iser, corp)lence and leanness, stren!th and ,ea4ness,
potenc and i$potenc, intellect and non>intellect, li-e and death<, sas Sa!e Char4a, the -ather o-
$odern A)r+eda"
%
UNDERSTANDIN6 SLEEP
Accordin! to TC#, sleep is a res)lt o- har$onio)s coordination *et,een an! 7,ei ?i or de-ensi+e
?i9 and in 7in! ?i or n)triti+e ?i9" In the @ello, E$perorAs Inner Canon 7H)an! Di Nei 8in! Lin!
Sh)9, the chapter %B sas, ,ei ?i circ)lates t,ent =+e ti$es in the in $eridians d)rin! the ni!ht
and t,ent =+e ti$es in the an! $eridians d)rin! the da, that is to sa, ,ei ?i circ)lates =-t
ti$es in t,ent -o)r ho)rs" As a res)lt, ,hen it arri+es at the an! 7$eridians9, it /a,a4ens<, and
,hen it arri+es at the in 7$eridians9, it /!oes to sleep<
0
"
On the other hand, in! ?i -ollo,s the re!)lar $eridian Co, and contin)o)sl circ)lates thro)!h the
*od in a dail ccle" Accordin! to the @ello, E$perorAs Inner Canon 7H)an! Di Nei 8in! S) Den9,
the in! ?iEs path,a is > l)n! $eridian > lar!e intestine $eridian F sto$ach $eridian F spleen
$eridian F heart $eridian F s$all $eridian F *ladder $eridian F 4idne $eridian F pericardi)$
$eridian F san 5iao $eridian F !all*ladder $eridian F li+er $eridian F 6o+ernor Vessel F Conception
Vessel" Goth in! and ,ei ?i share the sa$e ori!in and the $o+e$ents o- these t,o tpes o- ?i
,or4 in a coordinated $anner to $aintain a har$onio)s *alance, incl)din! sleep>,a4e ccle"
Sleep is a res)lt o- har$on *et,een the in 7in! ?i9 and the an! 7,ei ?i9 ,hich then allo,s
anchorin! o- shen in the heart" Dhen the an! and in interaction is o)t o- *alance and ,ea4enin!
o- the in! ?i encroaches on ,ei ?i circ)lation at ni!ht then it *eco$e the ca)se o- restlessness o-
shen or shen Coatin! )p,ards instead o- restin! in the heart and this res)lts in sleep>disorders"
In the Indian tradition o- @o!a and A)r+eda, sleep is considered as one o- the state o-
conscio)sness 7the other t,o *ein! ,a4e-)lness and drea$ state"9 Prashnopanishad
H
sas that the
state o- sleep is the res)lt o- a,areness ,ithdra,in! -ro$ the senses" The Grihadarana4a
Upanishad
&
7classic teIt o- @o!a and A)r+eda9, sas that the heart is the centre o- the 20,''' nadis
or s)*tle channels, and the place into ,hich the senses are ,ithdra,n d)rin! sleep" In other ,ords,
i- o)r a,areness is not a*le to ,ithdra, to the heart center then the ?)alit o- sleep is ad+ersel
a.ected" Accordin! to A)r+eda the t,o pri$ar reasons -or sleep>disorder are )n*alanced +ata
7inner>,ind9 and ha*it)all i$proper li-e>stle" Chara4 Sa$hita, sas, /Jear, anIiet, an!er,
s$o4in!, eIercise, *lood>lettin!, -astin!, )nco$-orta*le *edKthese +er -actors $a *e ta4en as
ca)ses o- inso$nia, alon! ,ith o+er,or4, old a!e, +ati4a 7inner>,ind9 disorders and a!!ra+ation o-
+ata 7inner>,ind>pattern9 itsel-"<
1

TREAT#ENT
Goth TC# and A)r+eda -oc)s on )nderstandin! the pattern *ehind sleep disorders" #ost access
patterns are d)e to heat or phle!$ ca)sin! a!itation o- the an! or inner>,ind res)ltin! in
restlessness o- the shen" In A)r+eda it is de=ned as restless sense>conscio)sness not a*le to
,ithdra, to the heart center at ni!ht" Ac)p)nct)re, her*al $edicine, and $an)al therapies can
treat the access conditions to restore the *alance o- in and an!"
Chronic sleep disorders are )s)all de=cienc patterns ,here ins)Lcienc o- in -ails to anchor
shen in the heart and sense>conscio)sness re$ain acti+e at ni!ht 7)na*le to ,ithdra, to the heart
center"9 Chronic sleep disorders are s)per=cial s$pto$s o- )nderlin! deeper i$*alances"
Altho)!h, ac)p)nct)re, her*al $edicine, and $an)al therapies are help-)l ho,e+er, person needs
to address deeper i$*alances * incl)din! health li-e stle, proper diet, e$otional *alance,
$editation, eIercise, and $ana!e$ent o- stress"
IN CONCLUSION
Chronic sleep disorders are a $ani-estation o- )nderlin! deeper i$*alances o- *od>$ind
ener!ies" I$proper li-e>stle, eatin! ha*its, stress and *eha+ioral patterns create an i$*alance in
the inner>en+iron$ent ,hich e+ent)all res)lts in correspondin! sleep disorders" Altho)!h
recei+in! co)rses o- treat$ent is i$portant ho,e+er, the last thin! one sho)ld do is $as4 the
s$pto$s * si$pl ta4in! $edications" It is e?)all i$portant to address the deeper i$*alances
* adoptin! a health li-e stle, proper diet, $editation, eIercise, $ana!e$ent o- stress -or
e$otional *alance"
7ro-essor 7hilippe (roguel, the corresponding author o- the research -rom the 8epartment o-
9enomic Medicine at Imperial :ollege ;ondon, said2 <$here is already some research to suggest
there are lin's between sleep problems and conditions such as obesity and depression, both o-
which are associated with diabetes! (or e=ample, we 'now that obese children tend to sleep badly
and that people become more obese i- they are not ha,ing enough sleep! >ur new study
demonstrates that abnormalities in the circadian rhythm may partly be causing diabetes and high
blood sugar le,els! ?e hope it will ultimately pro,ide new options -or treating people!< #
medicalnewstoday!com, 8ecember, @th 2A!
Re-erences:
%" Chara4 Sa$hita S)trasthana IIi H3>H2 tr" PV Shar$a Cha)4ha$*ha Orientalia %MM&"
0" Chap %B Lin! Sh) F N!)en Van N!hi > N"V"N" Edition, Translated -ro$ the Jrench * Ed,ard S"
6ar*acN, #D Dith Additional Co$$entar * Sean Christiaan #arshall, D" Ac" O 8)n! Tao School o-
Classical Chinese #edicine F 0''0
H" http:;;en",i4ipedia"or!;,i4i;PrashnaPUpanishad
&" Grhadarana4a Upanishad > TeIt)al So)rces -or the St)d o- Hind)is$, G Dend Doni!er" #anchester
Uni+ersit press" %MBB, p! HB > 6oo!le Goo4s: http:;;tin)rl"co$;*rihadarana4a>Upanishad>0>H
1" Chara4 Sa$hita S)trasthana IIi 11>12 tr" PV Shar$a Cha)4ha$*ha Orientalia %MM&"