When eyes don’t shut !
For most of us, a sleepless night means crippling tiredness and constant dizziness the next day. But for a quarter of the population, insomnia is a daily struggle.
Harshitha Raj, a 46-year-old senior consultant from Bangalore, spent the last seven years lying awake in bed next to her sleeping husband.
Her husband Ashwin was an entrepreneur captivated by work with over-scheduled routine and constant travelling, and even without realising he was falling into the traps of a workaholic. Due to their demanding careers and poor family time, she was constantly worried about her two children. Parenting is tough and it needs indulgence of both parents but in Harshitha’s case, none of them were able to stand by their growing children. Her brain would be whirring through all the thoughts of raising their children wrong and a making decision that could wreck their lives.
She’d watch the clock ticking 1am, 2am, 3am — without so much as dozing off. In the morning she’d slump into the bathroom, exhausted at the thought of the day ahead.
Ashwin had told her once that she had changed beyond recognition, that she was no longer the carefree, happy woman he’d met and married. She had become a walking shadow of her former self, constantly depressed, irritable, snappy and negative about everything. Looking back, she knew why. Because for the previous seven years she’d been suffering from crippling insomnia and now it hadn’t just stolen her night-times, but it had also affected her relationship with her husband and her children.
She ended her career, and thus began a journey into crippling anxiety, insomnia and medication. Finally, she made the move and visited an Ayurvedic clinic for sleeping help that won’t cause any side effects. The Ayurvedic doctor prescribed her Nidramitra tablets and taught her a few Pranayama and yoga posture. Advised her to take self massage daily with brihatriksheerabalataila. Also taught her, how to write gratitude diary and how to look at life differently. The new life kicked in her hormones and she began to sleep as soundly as a baby. After seven long years she finally woke up to a morning that was refreshing, happy and full of energy.
Insomnia is a serious ailment that can open the door to a range of chronic disorders. Listen to your tired eyes and visit a doctor soon