Ayurveda for insomnia in San Ramon

Lying awake at 2 a.m., falling asleep easily but waking at 3, or sleeping eight hours and still feeling groggy: people describe insomnia in very different ways. Preeti Gupta at Minute Wonder Ayurveda in San Ramon asks when your sleep goes wrong, because the hour often points to the reason.

Preeti does not diagnose pathological conditions from a Western perspective, so her work sits alongside the care of your physician and never replaces it.

What Ayurveda looks at

In Ayurveda, trouble falling asleep is linked to vata, waking in the small hours to pitta, and groggy mornings to kapha. Preeti looks at:

• When you wake: trouble falling asleep, waking between 2 and 4 am, or heavy mornings.

• Evening habits: late meals, screens, caffeine and how you wind down.

• The daytime rhythm: naps, exercise, light, and whether meals fall at regular times.

What a First Visit covers

A First Visit is 90 minutes ($250). Preeti reviews your daily routine, diet, digestion, exercise and sleep, using a health history, pulse analysis and tongue diagnosis. For insomnia, expect time on:

• Your sleep and wake times across a normal week, including naps.

• Digestion, because a heavy dinner or a restless gut often shows up as poor sleep.

• An evening routine, and whether Shirodhara, $150 for 60 minutes, fits your plan.

You leave with a written diet, herbal and lifestyle plan. Follow-ups are $125 for 60 minutes. See pricing.

What you can start this week

Two evening ideas from her recipe pages:

• Vanilla bean milk. Her page describes warm milk as grounding for vata's cold, airy tendencies. Skip it with a dairy allergy.

• Vegetable soup. A light, warm supper. Her page calls vegetable soup sattvic, promoting a clear mind and a nourished body.

See your physician first if

• Loud snoring, pauses in breathing, or waking up gasping.

• Sleepiness during the day that is dangerous, such as while driving.

• Sleep trouble lasting weeks alongside low mood, or any thought of harming yourself. Call or text 988, or call 911.

Common questions about insomnia

What is Shirodhara and could it help me sleep?

Warm oil is poured in a steady stream over the forehead after a head massage. Preeti's page says many clients choose it to support relaxation and sleep. It is $150 for 60 minutes, happens in the clinic, and is not suited to a cold, flu or fever.

Should I stop my sleeping pills?

Do not stop or change sleep medicine without the doctor who prescribed it. Preeti plans around what you take.

Why does Preeti ask about naps and meals when I came for sleep?

Because in Ayurveda sleep belongs to the daily rhythm. Naps, meal times, exercise and evening habits all push sleep one way or the other, and these are usually easier to change than sleep itself.

Ayurveda is a traditional system of wellness and is not a substitute for medical care. Content here is educational. Please consult your physician about any medical condition. Preeti Gupta is not licensed by the State of California as a healing arts practitioner; Ayurvedic services are complementary to the care of licensed providers.