Abstract
Prevalence of various types of sleep disturbanceshave been increasing at an alarming rate in the past few decades and have also been associated with several physiological as well as psychological problems. Pharmaceutical hypnotics have been the first-line of pharmacotherapy to be used for the treatment of such sleep disturbances. However, in the past two decades, complementary and alternative therapies have gained grounds in this field and reviews have been done on some of these therapies. Some of the notable therapies that have been reviewed extensively include homeopathic remedies, ayurvedic preparations, acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy. However, the literature lacks an extensive comparative study of the physiological explanations behind these alternative approaches to enhance sleep and this study aims to fill in that gap. Various studies pertaining to alternative approaches to enhance sleep such as nutritional interventions, herbal medicines, essential oils, acupuncture, bright light therapy, music therapy, massage and touch therapies, yoga and tai-chi are reviewed here, thereby providing a potent source of information for both clinicians and patients on these specific alternative therapies to alleviate sleep disturbances. The physiological basics of homeopathy and Ayurveda are beyond the scope of this review. Apart from reviewing the physiological elucidations behind the simpler alternative therapies suggested, their effectiveness over a wide range of people is also reviewed in this study.
Highlights
In common man’s terms, sleep is a state of rest for the body
This review gives a broad idea of the various types of complementary and alternative methods and their physiological mode of action to alleviate sleep disturbances
Researchers are concentrating on such methods as the widely used pharmacological therapies have the limitation of their inability to be used as a long-term intervention due to their potential side effects
Summary
In common man’s terms, sleep is a state of rest for the body. It is a time when our body is at rest; only basic functions are happening involuntarily and our mind is at rest. A typical sleep starts with NREM (Non Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and that includes slow wave sleep stages N1, N2 and N3 [3]. This is followed by REM sleep, often called “active sleep” and is identified by its characteristic low-amplitude (small), high-frequency (fast) waves and alpha rhythm, as well as the eye movements for which it is named [4]. One should wake up energized for the rest of the day ahead
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