Ayurveda to Help Overcome Tiredness

• Ayurveda to Help Overcome Tiredness

Almost everyone has to work long hours these days, sacrificing rest and sleep. This may cause temporary or even chronic tiredness or fatigue. It refers to a feeling of weariness or lack of energy. This condition can be remedied by adequate rest.

 Ayurveda & Tiredness

According to Ayurveda, fatigue is caused by the imbalance of the three Doshas. Fatigue can have three causative factors at the level which are physical, mental and emotional. Vata is often the dosha that is involved, yet the manifestation is of the Kapha dosha, the heavier, slower constitution.

Increased level of Vata causes poor circulation which leads to a feeling of fatigue.

Kapha Creates Tiredness

However, according to Ayurveda, the Kapha dosha (Earth and Water) is the primary dosha that is imbalanced in case of tiredness. Those with Kapha dominant dosha are more prone to develop it. The usual reason for feeling worn-down is a poor diet apart from dissatisfaction at work and stress. Exhaustion from too much work (called shrama) may also be the cause of body pain, fever, headaches, etc. which may feel like fatigue and one can feel better after a period of relaxation.

Fatigue or tiredness can be responsible for a wide range of physical, mental and emotional symptoms, including:

 .        Sore or aching muscles

·        Muscular weakness

·        Slow reflexes and responses

·        Impaired decision-making and judgment

·        Mood swings, such as irritability and apathy

·        Impaired hand-to-eye coordination

·        Continued tiredness or sleepiness

·        Frequent headaches

·        Dizziness

·        Loss of appetite

·        Reduced immunity

·        Blurred vision

·        Sleep disorders

·        Not feeling refreshed in the morning

·        Feeling breathless after minor tasks

·        Sluggishness and loss of interest in activities you previously enjoyed

·        Anxiety and depression

·        Short-term memory issues

·        Lack of concentration

·        Hallucinations

·        Low motivation

·        Frequent episodes of sore throat

·        Tender and swollen lymph nodes in the neck and armpits

To treat this kind of condition, Ayurveda says that there are three pillars of good health: food, sleep, and a regulated lifestyle. This will not just overcome tiredness and but may also help prevent medical issues.

Excercise 

Lack of physical fitness, any daily good activity is good for the body and helps it to unwind and create energy. Fitness is very important nowadays, it helps the body to reuvenate.

FOOD

 Ayurveda reveres food as providing nourishment to the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of human life. Even further, if we do not follow the proper rules of eating then the consumption of food can generate ‘ama’ [undigested food material, toxins] and the absorption of these toxins can be a detriment to overall health and wellbeing. “Ama” is a concept of Ayurveda which can be best understood as the accumulation of toxic metabolic by-products at various levels of physiology. More simply, ama is the by-product of poor digestion and according to the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda – ama is the root cause of nearly all diseases.

Suggestions 

Eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner on time, and do not compromise on the quality of your meals. Choose foods that are digested easily and nourish body, mind, and spirit. They include fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, ghee, whole grains and light beans like mung dhal. When you eat such foods, you are sure to feel rested and yet energetic.

Another, according to Ayurveda, the improper combining of food items is a major cause of digestive conditions, poor nourishment, and tiredness. It is thought that by combining incompatible food items that this leads to a disturbance in the normal functioning of the digestive system and can even result in a form of toxicity [i.e. fermentation, putrefaction] which can lead to both and physical tiredness and mental fatigue; i.e. lack of clarity.

Here are 10 tips on how to intake food properly.

 1.      Food Should Be Warm: Freshly cooked warm food is delicious and helps to stimulate ‘Agni’ (i.e. digestive fire) which then helps to promote optimal digestion of food. Therefore, enjoy your nice warm meals with great delight.

2.      Food Should Be Unctuous [Oily]: Good quality oily food is often considered to be more delicious and assists to emulsify food for better digestion. Kapha usually will eat too much oily food and can add to its lethargy.

 3.      Food Must Be Taken In Proper Quantity: The quantity of food depends on your digestive fire. There are no fixed criteria for the amount of food according to age, sex, race, etc. However, “parigraha”— takes into consideration the quantity of each item and “sarvagraha” means the total quantity to be consumed. Proper quantity of food promotes longevity without negatively impacting Vata, Pitta, and Kapha [bodily humors].

 4.      Allowing Enough Time Between Meals: Eat only when the previous meal is properly digested. If food is taken after the proper digestion of the previous meal, then the first tissue created [called rasa – “the juice of life”] is properly formed. This rasa, in turn, creates optimal nutrients to help support all bodily tissue and therefore maintains optimal health and wellbeing.

5.      Avoid Food With Contradictory Properties: While preparing food the ingredients must be compatible and properly mixed together. For example, combining sour fruits with milk will curd and is not considered beneficial due to poor food combining and incompatibility of ingredients.

6.      Do Not Eat In A Hurry: Meals must be taken in a relaxed, calm and cheerful atmosphere. One should not eat, when feeling nervous, angry, anxious, or in a disturbed state of mind.

 7.      Do Not Eat Too Slowly Or Too Quickly: Eating too slowly or too rapidly along with eating while talking, laughing, thinking or watching television is also not advisable.

8.      Pay Attention To Your Food While Eating: Rather than talking excessively while eating it’s considered more beneficial to pay greater attention to the actual act of eating. Therefore it is better if we concentrate on the food only with the thought that this food is going to benefit both the body and mind.

 9.      Do Not Eat Food Which Is Too Hot Or Too Cold: As mentioned above, food which is warm stimulates ‘Agni’ [the digestive fire] and helps to promote optimal digestive function. Food which is cold impairs the digestive function from an ayurvedic perspective. Similarly, food which is too hot can aggravate certain conditions of the body [i.e. pitta dosha].

 10.   Take Food With Proper Respect For Yourself: Every person must take into consideration his own constitution, the capacity of his digestive power, the season, time of day, and whether the previously taken food has been digested or not.

 SLEEP

Sleep is one of the fundamental mainstays in Ayurveda. It is vital to sleep the appropriate hours at specific times in order to achieve balanced health. Sufficient sleep has tremendous health benefits including relieving stress, anxiety and restoring vitality.

During sleep, the body works to repair and rejuvenate tissues along with aiding protein synthesis and muscle growth. Sleep also promotes metabolic waste removal as well as assisting the immune system. In young children particularly, sleep is vital to the development of brain tissue. Adequate sleep also facilitates learning and memory skills and is, therefore, an integral part of the maintenance of health.

Ayurveda herbs to support you

Ashwagandha is a strength promoting formula, helps to support the nervous system  

Chywanprash is the iconic Ayurveda jam that promotes wellbeing and brings energy to the body