These Restful Resorts For Your Good Night's Sleep: Get Your Unwind

Last few weeks ago, I went to Sitara Himalaya, a luxury estate close to Manali, with several well-being offerings, including yoga. I loved to receive the services they were providing. I love travelling like every traveller, but on the other side, I nurture my body and soul especially, when I surround myself with nature. So, I chose to forego yoga, my first love, and utilise the fresh mountain air for a more pressing requirement for sleep.

As per a 2019 survey conducted across 12 countries, over 62 per cent of the population is unable to sleep well. India is now the second-most sleep-deprived nation after Japan. “There are four main reasons for (sleep) deprivation—social changes, including lifestyle and work patterns; nervous changes due to stress and related conditions; nutritional issues; and post-COVID symptoms.

Image source Fransiskus Filbert Mangundap on Unsplash

Food at Kalari Rasayana in KeralaDr Joel Kahn, a holistic cardiologist, once told me that most people expect sleep to come as soon as they close their eyes. But sleep, just like a holiday, needs to be planned. That might explain why sleep tourism has been on the rise over the past few years. Whether it’s traditional panchakarma to cure anidra (sleeplessness) at Kalari Rasayana in Kerala or the lavender sleep balm at Westin Resort & Spa, Himalayas, there are options across the country to help you reset and refresh. Food at Kalari Rasayana in Kerala Dr. Joel Kahn, once told me that most people expect sleep to come as soon as they close their eyes. But sleep, just like a holiday, needs to be planned. That's why sleep tourism has been on the rise over the past few years.

It's traditional panchakarma to cure (sleeplessness) at Kalari Rasayana in Kerala or the lavender sleep balm at Westine Resort & Spa, Himalayas, there are options across the country to help you reset and refresh.

“People expect sleep to come as soon as they close their eyes. But it needs to be planned”

The sleep programme at Ananda in the Himalayas uses a multidisciplinary approach. Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), yoga, and emotional healing therapies work in harmony for long-term benefits. The Ayurvedic Brahmana diet helps increase Kapha in the body. The Kapha types are known to sleep better than their fiery pitta or anxious vata counterparts.

Treatments like Shirodhara and Netra tarpan relax the mind and the eyes. Foot and body massages decrease the Vata element. Yoga is practised in the morning to reset the body clock. TCM also comes into the fold, guided by Dr. Jitender Uniyal, one of the leading TCM practitioners in India. My sleep was so restful that I remember it even today. Sharing his wisdom. In TCM, jujube seeds are used for insomnia, which you can consume before bedtime or chop raw seeds and add them to soups. Two to four seeds are required per person. Six senses Vana In Dehradun

Ananda in the Himalayas Six Senses offers a sleep programme at both Vana in Dehradun and Fort Barwara in Rajasthan. Developed with renowned experts such as Dr Michael Breus, who’s written books like The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan and Good Night, it includes practices such as yoga, breathwork, Tibetan therapies (at Vana), massages, reflexology, and physiotherapy. The programme tracks sleep and includes evidence-based remedies like a diet with magnesium-rich foods such as bananas, walnuts, and avocados. Its dried banana peel tea, rich in L-tryptophan, raises serotonin levels to help you sleep faster.

Being in touch with the five elements is also prioritised at Prakriti Shakti, using naturopathic remedies. Whether it's yoga facing the sunlight hills of Panchalimedu, acupressure walks, mud baths, or banana-leaf body wraps, the elements of nature help relax the mind and body.

The kind of light you expose yourself to first thing in the morning determines the quality of your sleep at night.

Atmantan Wellness Centre

I prioritised rest during travel. About 42 per cent of travellers complain about sleep-related discomfort. As sleep is one of the main pillars of wellness at Atmantan Wellness Centre. There are remedies like chiropractic mattresses, therapeutic salt baths with rose and geranium, Ayurvedic massages and therapies, sound baths, acupuncture, and pranic healing.

Atmantan Wellness CentreOf course, everyone has a different way to unwind and even activities like hiking, nature walks, and fishing can help reset your inner clock. The key is to tune it with circadian rhythms.