Dr. S V Kulkarni

Lack of sleep can make you feel tired, worn-out and less productive the next day. However, it might not be your fault entirely because the brain tends to become active when the body is at rest, which could be a reason why you aren’t getting enough sleep at night.

Here are a few tips which might be useful for you to sleep at night:

1. Keep your room dark: Even the faintest light from your mobile is enough to disrupt your sleep. Thus, try and switch off all your lights and gadgets before going to sleep. If doing that doesn’t help either, use an eye mask to keep the light out.

2. Carefully select your dinner: Don’t go to bed hungry or overstuffed because either of them might cause discomfort while sleeping and lead to a disruption in your sleep. Also, limit your alcohol consumption at night to refrain from making numerous trips to the washroom. Avoid consuming nicotine and caffeine before going to bed as they take a long time to wear off and can cause havoc in your sleep routine.

3. Don’t exercise before going to bed: Exercising daily is a necessity as it keeps your body healthy and in shape, but exercising right before going to bed can be disruptive as it might make you more pumped up due to the adrenaline rush. Thus, you should avoid exercising heavily right before going to bed.

4. Plug out all your devices: Create a technology free zone by plugging out all your devices one hour prior to your usual sleep time. The blue light radiated from your devices can trick your brain into believing that it is daylight and cause a disruption in circadian rhythm (which is an ongoing 24-hour physiological process which is regulated by external factors such as sunlight and temperature).

5. Consume snooze food: Certain food items can be classified as snooze foods as they ensure better sleep at night. Warm milk contains ‘tryptophan’ which is a precursor to melatonin (hormone that is responsible for the onset of sleep) and ensures better sleep or you could have a spoon of honey which releases ‘orexin’ (a chemical that affects wakefulness and appetite) that reduces alertness levels.

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One of the best pleasures of life is to watch a child grow up and begin to learn and explore new things in the surroundings. However, children affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism may not be able to do this at the same pace as other kids. They are a little slow to respond and may not socialise very easily.

ASD is a collective term used for a range of symptoms, including poor verbal and nonverbal communication, poor social skills, repetitive behaviour, and impaired learning abilities. The onset and severity of symptoms also vary across children. While some show symptoms in preschool, others would be completely normal and start showing symptoms after a couple of years of schooling. The following are some symptoms that indicate the child could have autism.

1. Lack of babbling by 9 months of age
2. No response when called by their name even after 12 months of age
3. Not uttering single words by the age of 16 months, two words by 24 months
4. Lack of social skills including resistance to cuddling, not mingling with other kids
5. Self-injurious behaviour like banging head on the wall, hurting a toy, etc.

Homeopathy offers safe, effective remedy for children with autism. Treatment regime is highly customised based on underlying and accompanying symptoms of each patient. The following are commonly used ingredients; however, self-medication is best avoided.

1. Agaricus: The child talks and sings but does not respond. There is indifference, fearlessness, shouting, constant jerking of the head, difficulty reading, possible double vision and feels awkward physically and mentally.
2. Carcinosin: The child is obstinate and has compulsive obsessive tendencies. It is hyperactive, does not sleep, has addictive tendencies, and likes to drink milk which worsens the symptoms.
3. Androctonus: The child is destructive, suspicious, mischievous, but very quick to respond. The child behaves very well at times and can be very naughty at other times.
4. Helleborus: The child is generally weak, slow to respond, appears thoughtless, often stares into air, and looks depressed with involuntary sighing and habit of lip biting. Sight, hearing, and taste could be affected.
5. Cuprum Metallicum: The child is extremely tense, irritable, rigid, malicious, and very difficult to handle. Does not like to be touched or spoken to or played with. Can be aggressive with the parents, driving them to despair.

May have tics infestation on the scalp.
Another recent approach is the CEASE (Complete Elimination Autism Spectrum Expression) Therapy. This combines homoeopathy with orthomolecular medicines that provide the required nutrition for brain development (vitamins, minerals, Omega 3 fatty acids, etc.) This helps in overall brain development and restoring function in affected children. As noted, the right potency of these products will determine the response to treatment.