A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF BEKHWABI (INSOMNIA)

Ehtisham*, Rizwan Mansoor Khan, A.H. Ansari

ABSTRACT

Insomnia is the most common condition among the sleep disorders. Insomnia refers to the difficulty in initiation, maintenance, duration or quality of sleep. The initial references of insomnia date back to the ancient Greeks. The causes of insomnia include use of excessive alcohol at night and other depressant, poor sleep habits, dietary habit, medical condition like arthritis, asthma, sleep apnoea etc. In Unani system of medicine the main cause of Bekhwabi (insomnia) is (dryness) of brain. Although the pathophysiology of primary insomnia remains an enigma, numerous treatments both pharmacological and behavioural have been developed and found to be efficacious in controlled studies. In the classical Unani literature, ancient Unani physicians have also described a comprehensive view of the management for insomnia. This review study is carried out with the aim to give a comprehensive description of insomnia both in modern and Unani medicine.

Keywords: Bekhwabi, Insomnia, Unani Medicine, Sleep Disorders.