A leading sleep expert has revealed how knowing your sleep type can help you to get better shut-eye, and her top tip based on your personality.
Olivia Arezzolo, from Sydney, said she subscribes to the Ayurvedic principle of ‘doshas’ – whereby every person has one governing energy pattern, which dictates our overall thinking and behaviour.
By knowing whether you are predominantly ‘vata’, ‘pitta’ or ‘kapha’, you can hack your sleep to improve the quality and quantity of your shut-eye and sleep better from now on.
‘By identifying your dosha you can become more aware of your patterns, and signs of imbalance,’ Olivia posted on Instagram.
A leading sleep expert has revealed how knowing your sleep type can help you to get better shut-eye, and her top tip based on your personality (Olivia Arezzolo pictured)
To find out which dosha you are, Olivia recommends taking this simple quiz by the herbal tea brand, Pukka.
The quiz consists of 18 questions, based around your body shape, metabolism, appetite and basic personality.
It then reveals which is your dominant dosha or whether you’re a combination of two of the three types.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE A VATA
The first personality type that Olivia was keen to provide a sleep tip for is the ‘vata’ dosha.
Vata consists mostly of the two elements air and space and is generally described as cold, light, dry, rough, flowing and spacious.
‘Vata is me, so I know this dosha type very well. We are energetic, creative and often up in the sky,’ Olivia said in a video.
‘When we are out of balance, we become restless, nervous and we find it difficult to sleep.’
Olivia’s sleep tip for those among us who are vatas is to replace caffeine with herbal tea:
‘When we are sleep-deprived, we produce more adrenaline after caffeine than we usually would, which can leave us feeling even more restless,’ Olivia said.
Because vatas are slim, energetic and creative, they benefit from warming drinks like teas and herbal teas, rather than being overly stimulated through caffeine.
Olivia Arezzolo (pictured) subscribes to the Ayurvedic principle of ‘doshas’ – whereby every person has one governing energy pattern, which dictates our overall thinking and behaviour
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE A PITTA
The second dosha Olivia was keen to talk about is the ‘pitta’ dosha.
Known for being associated with a tenacious personality, the pitta dosha is based on fire and water.
It’s commonly described as hot, light, sharp, oily, liquid, and mobile. Summer is known as pitta season for its sunny, hot days.
‘Pittas are tenacious, fiery individuals, but out of balance, they can become too fiery,’ Olivia said.
‘This can often mean you are irritated at bedtime, which no one wants.’
Olivia’s top tip for the pitta dosha is to ensure you have a cool bedroom of about 18 degrees Celsius, because when your core body temperature is lower or cool, it helps you to produce melatonin.
Try to keep an eye on the temperature in your bedroom and invest in a fan if you consistently feel hot and stressed.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE A KAPHA
The final dosha is ‘kapha’. Kapha is based on earth and water. It can be described as steady, stable, heavy, slow, cold, and soft.
Spring is known as kapha season, as many parts of the world slowly exit hibernation.
‘Kaphas are grounded, steady, reliable individuals, but out of balance, they can become sluggish and prone to oversleeping,’ Olivia said.
‘My advice to kaphas is to ensure you expose yourself to 20 minutes of direct sunlight as soon as you wake up.’
The reason why this works is because it automatically reduces your melatonin levels, or the sleepiness hormone, meaning you’re less likely to feel sluggish throughout the day.
Finally, the sleep expert said there is one thing that all the doshas or personality types can do, and that is establish a decent wind-down routine before bed (stock image)
WHAT ALL THE DOSHAS NEED TO DO
Finally, the sleep expert said there is one thing that all the doshas or personality types can do, and that is establish a decent wind-down routine before bed.
‘It’s so important to practice relaxation in the evening, and there are generally three steps to doing that,’ Olivia said.
‘The first is to disconnect from all of your devices one hour before bed, at least.’
This means that you will stop exposing yourself to blue light, and your body will know it’s nearly time to relax.
The second step is instead of scrolling, you find the time to do a ‘mindfulness activity’ – whether that is 10 minutes of journalling, meditation or yin yoga.
Finally, Olivia said 45 minutes before you go to sleep, you should have a herbal night-time tea, her favourite of which is ‘Night Time’ from Pukka.
‘It includes lavender, which can reduce anxiety; plus valerian, which is an ancient herb shown to improve your overall sleep quality,’ she said.
To find out more about Olivia Arezzolo, you can visit her Instagram page here.