In a world full of distractions – OTTs, mobile phones overflowing with content, along with hectic schedules, and a mind that’s brimming with anxiety, self-doubt, and chaos—sleeping has become a task, even a disorder.
Great Indian Sleep Scorecard, a recent survey by a company, threw up startling revelations: 60% of Indian employees experience drowsiness at work due to poor sleep, while 33% struggle with insomnia. Work schedules, hormonal changes in women, thinking patterns and constant exposure to blue light and information are causing sleep disorders like insomnia, Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder – a circadian rhythm sleep disorder—and chronic restlessness. Sleep Apnea is another disorder that is triggered by lifestyle habits – smoking, alcohol consumption, medical conditions, old age, etc.
Good and restful sleep is necessary for a healthy body and mind, which is a proven fact. As people are realising the potential damage brought on by sleeplessness, they are resorting to a mix of science-backed techniques, natural supplements, and ancient knowledge to reclaim control over their sleep—and their health.
Magnesium: A magical supplement
London-based civil servant Sunetra Chakravarti balances home and office and loves gardening. To maintain her sprawling garden that has two apple trees, one pear, one plum, one persimmon, cherry blossoms, an array of berries, and a whole lot of veggies, Chakravarti expends her physical labour to the point that she experiences muscle pains and cramps and hence is unable to sleep at night. Hormonal changes and a hectic life also contributed towards making her sleep deprived until she came across an article in a reputed international magazine. “I just felt tired at bedtime, tired when I woke up, kept tossing and turning at night. I had lot of aches and pains. I started taking magnesium and it has changed my life. I sleep well and don’t wake up feeling tired at all,” says Chakravarti, adding that she consulted her doctor before taking magnesium.
According to an article in Sleep Foundation, “Magnesium is an essential mineral in the body that plays a role in nerve and muscle function, bone development, blood sugar control, and heart rhythm consistency. Research suggests that magnesium helps people keep healthy sleep schedules. To maintain adequate magnesium levels, people must replenish their stores by eating magnesium-rich foods daily. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium falls between 310 and 340 milligrams.” Nuts, green leafy vegetables, whole grains and soy products are rich in magnesium.
The world of supplements
45 year-old Shrimali Deb from Delhi is an animal lover and had 3 dogs and 1 cat. Being the sole caretaker of her pets, who developed age-related medical problems, Deb would be physically and mentally stressed and experienced sleeplessness. “Cat being the noctural animal also affected my sleep. I slept with one eye and ear open, like with toddlers. Now I can’t break out of it. Perimenopause, age, other tensions also played their part. So I started taking magnesium and it helped me. Personally, I don’t like relying on sleep aids for a long time. So I take supplements only if I am really unable to sleep. I find listening to something boring works extremely well. Or something read out in a monotonous tone,” says Deb with a chuckle.
Melatonin, a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain, helps with jet lag, shift work, and circadian rhythm disturbances. It also aids in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle.
Another supplement gaining popularity is magnesium, especially in forms like magnesium glycinate or citrate—it is known that it may reduce anxiety, relax muscles and promote deeper sleep. These supplements don’t lead to dependency or morning grogginess and enable the body’s natural sleep processes .
Doctor Ishan Capoor, consultant pulmonologist at Narayana Health, Bengaluru, also feels that these supplements have a role in sleep but says that they shouldn’t be taken without consulting a doctor.
“Out of 20-25 patients I see in the OPD, at least about 5 to 7 of those patients come with sleep-related issues like difficulty in falling asleep, loud snoring and unrefreshed sleep. Some of these patients work in shifts in BPO centres. I do advise some of them to take melatonin supplements about 30 mins to an hour before sleeping in the afternoon. Melatonin is a neurotransmitter that helps in inducing sleep. I also prescribe magnesium supplements in a subset of patients because it has a role not only with regard to sleep but also muscle and nerve health,” says Dr Capoor.
Beyond medicines and supplements
After Delhi-based HR professional Tina Baruah lost her parents to Covid-19, sleep became a struggle. Overflowing with repetitive thoughts, she felt overwhelmed by emotions, especially at night. She would be tired after office work and home chores but sleep remained distant.
She started practicing meditation and, along with it a strict diet and sleep regime – light dinner by 6:30 pm, hitting the bed by 9 pm and waking up at 4 am followed by yoga and meditation.
“One hour before I sleep, I keep my mobile away and I start listening to calming music like Buddhist gongs on earphones at a very low sound. I have seen a drastic change in the quality of sleep, and in my physical and mental health,” says Baruah.
Ancient practices give hope
Covid-19 also fuelled an interest in ancient knowledge, which is how people are going back to the diet and health practices followed by our ancestors. According to Dr Mohit Sandhu, Director and Consultant at AgniShalya Ayurved and Research Centre, Himachal Pradesh, a lot of his patients are opting for shirodhara.
Shirodhara is an ayurvedic therapy in which medicated oil or medicated decoctions drip slowly and steadily on the forehead. It balances the ajna chakra, or the third eye, resulting in benefits like mental relaxation, improved sleep quality, emotional stability and increased focus and clarity.
“A lot of people can’t sleep well because of different aches and pains in the body. So I also do various treatments, including marma therapy in which different energy points are healed to enable a smooth flow of energy or prana removing balancing chakras and doshas in the body. When pain reduces and vanishes, people are able to sleep,” says Dr Sandhu, .
Ashwagandha is another go-to for people struggling to sleep well. According to an article published by the National Institutes of Health, “A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis included five studies (including the two described above) that investigated using ashwagandha to promote sleep. All the studies were conducted in India. A total of 372 adults, either self-described as healthy or with insomnia, took ashwagandha or a placebo for 6 to 12 weeks. The dose of the ashwagandha supplement used in these studies ranged from 250 to 600 mg/day as a root extract (KSM-66) or, in one study, 120 mg/day of a root and leaf extract (Shoden). Overall, the studies found that ashwagandha extract had a small but significant effect on improving sleep compared with placebo. The benefits were more prominent when the dose was 600 mg/day and when the treatment duration was at least 8 weeks. Benefits were also more prominent in participants with insomnia.”
Saurabh Bothra, IIT-ian and founder of self-funded online yoga startup Habuild, can often be heard telling his students to practice box breathing before bedtime to sleep better. The breathing technique reduces stress and anxiety, paving the way for restful sleep.
Important realisations about sleep are dawning on people now. Scrolling and browsing seem to have taken a backseat, with people prioritising their restful sleep to gain control over body and mind. People undertake unique bedtime rituals only to wake up better and take on the next day with optimal health.
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