Anidra – An ayurvedic appreciation

Nidra is considered as one of the basic pillars of Health. Proper sleep helps an individual keep Energetic, Enthusiastic and does Brumhana, increases the Bala, vigour and vitality and keeps the Mind in stable state for gaining knowledge. The Ojus which is responsible for our body (immune system) also relies on sleep. Hence, Nidra is very important regimen of day to day life. Anidra or Nidranasha is one of the most prevalent health complaints, with approximately 10 to 15% of the general population suffering regularly from it and about 25 to 35% presenting transient or occasional insomnia. Anidra is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor quality of sleep. Estimates of insomnia prevalence have varied widely, from 10–40%. The reasons could be difficulty in falling asleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep or waking too early in the morning. The prevalence of Insomnia increases steadily with age and reported by up to one in 3 people aged 65 years and above and the incidence in women is 1.3 times greater than in men. Chronic Insomnia can lead to severe fatigue, anxiety, depression and lack of concentration. It comes under Vata nanatmaja vikara. There is no direct reference regarding the causative factors of Nidranasha. Scattered reference can be seen about Anidra in Ayurvedic Classics in different contexts. However, detailed description of Nidra and Nidranasha along with the different treatment modalities is given in Ayurvedic Samhitas and also in the works of later periods.