Ayurveda is 5000 year old medicine system from India.
The word "Ayurveda" is actually made up of two words, Ayu + Veda.
Ayu means life and Veda means science.
Thus Ayurveda goes beyond the realm of just illness and treatment.
According to Ayurveda, nature is made up of five elements

1. Akash (Space)
2. Jal (Water)
3. Agni (Fire)
4. Vaayu (Air)
5. Prithvi (Earth)

Human body is also treated as a perfect combination of above elements.
These elements combine to create "Dosha" and the doshas in turn produce various effects in the human body.
Ayurveda identifies three types of doshas

1. Vaata: Created by combination of Air and Earth.
   Governs the movement in the body i.
   e.
   nerve impulses, circulation, respiration and elimination.
   
2. Pitta: Created by combination of Fire and water.
   Governs metabolism.
   
3. Kapha : Created by combination of Water and Earth.
   Governs growth of the body.
   

Ailment is looked as imbalance of these doshas and/or presence of toxins.
How Ayurveda looks at insomnia? According to Ayurveda, unbalanced Vaata causes insomnia.
The normal symptoms of Vaata are anxiety, worry, fear, and restlessness.
These symptoms can also create Vaata imbalance.
Stress, high calorie diet, staying up late creates agitation in nervous system and adds to Vaata imbalance in the body.
Another major factor for insomnia is disturbed rhythm i.
e when you break the regular pattern by working late, working in night shifts or moving across time zones.
This disturbance puts the body out of sync with nature's own rhythm and there by causes sleep deprivation.
Ayurveda recommends usage of herbs to correct the Vaata imbalance and disturbed rhythm and thus curing the insomnia.
Herbal remedy for Insomnia yurveda has proposed use of several herbs for curing Insomnia.
Two important ones are listed below

• Ashwagandha: Calms mind, releases tension in nervous system, energizes fatigued body.
  
• Jatamansi: Restores natural sleep pattern and disturbed rhythm.
  

Along with herbal treatment, meditation, breathing exercise also help in curing the insomnia.