IC and Getting Up At Night: 10 Helpful Solutions

From an energy science perspective nutrition, rest, and exercise are the foundational pillars to a healthy life  In chronic disease like the IC bladder pain syndrome (interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, chronic prostatitis, IBS, GERD, and fibromyalgia) all pilllars get typically involved to produce disease progression  But rest can be an energy drain to the mindbody and since healing is already an energy drain there is a significant stress on the physiology that requires remedy

Rest

The pineal gland located in the third ventricle is a significant endocrine gland involved in the daily rest cycle and secretes two important neurotransmitters, serotonin and melatonin  The former is the energetic equivalent of groundedness and the latter is intimately involved in the diurnal variations of daylight and nighttime, signaling our mindbody when it is ready for rest

As usual in the energy science the amount of rest varies according to the constitutional energy makeup  Vata due to its delicacy requires the most rest, typically 7-8h per night and Kapha requires the least, 5-6h and Pitta somewhere in between  Most of us have 2 dominant patterns so PV would be around 6-7h and PK 6h  But commonly Kapha loves to sleep in and so even though Kapha “desires” more rest, in fact Kapha needs to “move it” and take advantage of its good stamina and endurance

When there are health challenges we can see that there are more energetic demands on the mindbody so that naps are naturally an acceptable way to “catch up”  So keeping the same rest schedule at night with PV in bed by no later than 103o and PK 1130 are reasonable guidelines  Appropriate rising times no later than 7 for PV and 6 for PK are reasonable  But if fatigue sets in during the afternoon a nap could be valuable

We are a culture guided by the alarm clock but the energy science of Ayurveda would suggest that such a tool is Vata provoking and physiologically disruptive  So if we set a good sleeping schedule there becomes less of a need to use an alarm because the mindbody gets set into a rhythm of rest, allowing the mindbody to go “au naturale”

Sleep disruption comes in all forms of shapes and sizes  Some have trouble getting to sleep, other wake up during Vata time(2-6a) and can’t get back to sleep,  and others wake up to urinate several times a night due to interstitial cystitis

Helpful Solutions for Rest

There are tools that can help with setting the tone for getting into a “normal rest cycle  Of course this is not an all inclusive list but some of these have stood the test of time  Using one or a combination of these solutions may be helpful

Having a set time for bed every night is a good lifestyle habit to cultivate  The mindbody is subject to habit which sets the tone for rest

The bedroom should be just that….a place for the bed and for rest  Some turn their bedroom into a media suite or library and this creates confusion

Cherry juice is a source of melatonin and seratonin as mentioned above are important in rest  Amazingly cherry juice is a rich natural source of both and using glass of warm cherry juice with perhaps cinnamon before 30min before bed would be helpful for rest

Warm milk with ground almonds(without skins) and pinch of cardamom and pinch of nutmeg  Nutmeg is a culinary sleep aid and can be quite effective

Chamomile tea has been a longstanding herbal remedy for inducing rest, relaxation, and sleep

Cup tomato juice with 2t sugar and 2 pinches nutmeg

Herbal therapies such as tagar can be helpful in inducing sleep

Bhringaraj oil to feet and head after a warm tub bath for relaxation can also help for sleep inducement

Practicing So Hum mantra meditation can be a way to soothe the Vata aggravated mindbody and put it in relaxation mode  It’s a way of counting sheep but much more peaceful

The addition of a pharmacological such as Ambien or other sleep aids can be used as prescription and supported by the above