Deepa Kannan’s new book taps ancient Ayurvedic wisdom to help you sleep better

By Apoorva Gairola

Don’t miss the sleep bus – hop on it when it makes a stop. This is good advice for most but then there are those for whom the bus won’t halt. A third of the world population suffers from insomnia symptoms in which one in 10 people have chronic insomnia.

I am one of the many for whom sleeplessness has been more of a companion than sleep ever was. So, when I received the book How to Sleep Better (HarperCollins India, INR 399), my impulsive response was an almost arrogant eye roll. I was humbled soon enough. Authored by Deepa Kannan, an allied functional medicine practitioner and Ayurvedic health counselor, this book is a refreshing “research versus individual” take on sleep or the lack thereof. It offers a 10-step framework to resolve sleep deprivation by transforming the state of one’s sleep.

Functional medicine is a holistic approach to identifying the underlying factors causing disease or distress. It goes a step beyond the limits of the medical model by also addressing factors like lifestyle and nutrition. The focus is to diagnose the root cause of dysfunction.

Ayurveda, on the other hand, is an ancient alternative medicine system that originated in India. Together with yogic sciences, it’s an approach to healing that focuses on detoxification and restoring balance to cure disease. The two methodologies are fluently interwoven throughout the length of Kannan’s book.

Kannan shares her own struggle with sleep and begins by explaining why we need sleep, the different stages of sleep and the multitude of health complications that chronic sleep deprivation can cause.

The concept of indriyas in Ayurveda refers to the senses we possess. A total of 10 indriyas are divided into five jnana indriyas and five karma indriyas. Jnana indriyas include the five entry sense organs – eyes, nose, tongue, ears and skin – which enable us to see, smell, taste, hear and touch. Karma indriyas are five exit organs including mouth, hands, feet, genitals and the rectum, which allow the experience of speech, dexterity, locomotion, reproduction and excretion.

The indriyas or senses are the basis of the overarching macro structure of the book as well. It is, as the author explains, “a plan that works synergistically between science and symbolism to offer you a chance to restore great sleep.” There are 10 sections, each dedicated to a specific sense, divided into chapters that delve deeper into the subject.

The sections begin with identifying the connections between the specific sense and sleep followed by a detailed overview of what causes dysfunction and how it manifests. It draws on subjects like Ayurveda, yogic sciences, neuroscience, endocrinology and nutritional sciences where the links between imbalance of doshas, hormone function and the neurobiological underpinnings of circadian rhythm are explored.

All sections close with a chapter on therapies to restore balance for the sensory function especially as it corresponds to sleep. Advice on what to do, what to avoid, supplements that could be helpful and rituals like sadhana are suggested or prescribed. Each section also includes a corresponding case study.

At the end, the author introduces the 10-step protocol which is a programme spanning four weeks. Every week includes a 10-step plan which has calming or balancing practices for each of the senses, recommendations on what to eat and how, as well as what to avoid, supplements and a description of what a typical day in that week would look like.

From week two onwards, she also includes a questionnaire that would help the reader identify their most vulnerable sense and suggests add-on remedies for it. At the end of the protocol, a chapter on sleeping positions talks about how consciously choosing a certain position to fall asleep in can make a difference. At the end come meal guidelines and a 10-sense plate framework that incorporates all six tastes as per Ayurveda to restore balance and support quality sleep. 

The book is written in a simple yet effective style, which enlightens one on the many causes of sleep-onset or sleep-maintenance insomnia and how to rectify it holistically.

The format is easy to follow and flexible enough to be adapted to suit one’s specific needs. As the author says, it is for everyone at some point in their lives. It would serve anyone looking to make a change in their sleep routine, be it a person with a diagnosed sleep disorder or one who is looking to better their sleep quality and general wellbeing.

While many of the recommendations like limiting screen time, exercising, eating early and on time come across as common sense, they do leave an impact when interwoven with specific therapies from Ayurveda, yoga and nutrition sciences.

One in particular that stood out for me is the practice of pratyahara or sense withdrawal to give the sensory system a break or a rest. We can think of giving our limbs, eyes or speech a rest but do not think of a break being soothing for senses controlled by the autonomic nervous system like breathing, digestion, detoxification and uro-reproduction.

Breath restraint and pranayama are soothing for the sense of smell, fasting for digestion, restricting indulgence for detoxification, and walking and maintaining a spiritual practice for uro-reproduction. Sadhanas are routine or daily efforts that are effective in balancing doshas.

Suggestions for sadhanas from Ayurveda and yogic sciences are quite appealing. Some examples include trataka, karna purana, jal neti, abhyanga, brahmari and ujjayi pranayama. A detailed step-by-step guide on how to implement these is included in the text.

The parallels as well as connections drawn between ancient wisdom and modern biological sciences to approach the subject of sleep and insomnia from a 10-sense perspective are impressive and hold much promise.

Since the book draws from different disciplines, there is a lot of varied terminology embedded throughout the text. Though most terms have been introduced, the book could greatly benefit from the addition of an appendix in future editions.

While both the quantity and quality of sleep does affect us profoundly, I was a bit put off by the grandiosity of claims that the book will transform one’s life and make one the best version of oneself, even if that may be true for some. Despite being beneficial to some degree for all, the protocol has its limitations and would most likely not suffice for people suffering from insomnia due to chronic medical and mental illnesses.

Overall, if you are someone who is tired of and tired from losing sleep, have tried multiple things to resolve it and not much has worked, the promising 10-sense and 10-step protocol may offer a solution to some or all of your sleep-related issues. Approach the book with an open mind and a degree of commitment to let deep, restorative slumber make its way back into your life.

Apoorva Gairola is a psychology professional and former journalist who is passionate about mental health, women’s and gender issues.