Sleeping is vital for the balancing, restoring, rejuvenating and detoxing our bodies. Follow the below tips to experience more restful, deep and fulfilling sleep.
Acupuncture: helps to balance Qi, regulate the body's energy and promote harmony between the organ systems.
Promote healthy Blood flow through diet: consume plenty of dark leafy greens, bone broth, berries and seaweed. Make sure to eat a warm and hearty breakfast like oatmeal or sweet potato. Keep up with adding healthy fats to your meal like avocados and refrain from processed foods, sugars and fried foods. Focus on warming foods like soups, stews, steamed vegetables to nourish the Stomach.
Suan Zao Ren Tang is an ancient formula that helps the smooth flow of emotions, Blood, Qi as well as the natural detoxification process of the Liver. Great for people experiencing stress. It nourishes the Heart, Liver and Shen (Spirit).
Remove alcohol: though people may feel that it helps them initially fall asleep, it worsens the quality of sleep and ends up waking the body up in the middle of the night. It also causes strain to the Liver, mood and digestion. One of the leading causes of insomnia is excess Heat, something alcohol creates when consumed.
*Unnatural light: mobile phones, TVs, laptops, tablets, etc emit light that delays the body's natural circadian rhythm, suppresses the release of the sleep inducing hormone melatonin, and makes it more difficult to fall asleep. Give them up at least an hour before bed. Try and sleep in a room that is completely dark and use only soft light in your room. I love using the soft glow of Himalayan pink salt lamps instead of harsh lighting to make my environment more relaxing.
*I usually request that patients come off all screens minimum 2 hours before bed. From TICM perspective, the Soul resides in the Liver and the Liver opens out into the eyes
Magnesium: plays a role in supporting deep, restorative sleep by maintaining healthy levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. Research indicates supplemental magnesium can improve sleep quality, especially in people with poor sleep.
Room: air out your bedroom, keep it cool and make sure you are happy in your space. Remove clutter on your nightstands and under your bed. Cluttered spaces can directly impact your mental state and weaken sleep. Use essential oils like orange, lavender, rose, geranium and sandalwood to calm your mind and spirit.
Qigong, Yoga or Salaah: use the rhythmic and flowing movements of this ancient practice to give the body relaxing energy and resolve emotional turbulence. These movements are so powerful and can transform the negative into positive.
Do not eat late: this perhaps can be the most important initial tip. It does indeed matter when you eat. Eating past 7pm hinders your body's ability to digest, detox and transform food into nutrients. Eating past 9pm will directly impact the quality of your sleep and the level of repair your body will be able to have the energy for. Long term this can cause severe damage to your Liver and Heart and overall health.
Mediate: if you only do it for 5-10 minutes twice a day, you will still notice an improvement. It helps bring the body to a relaxed, parasympathetic state, which will become easily accessible the more you practice, meaning, it will be easier to fall and stay asleep.
Journal: if you notice that your mind is racing uncontrollably before bed, start writing down your thoughts. This allows room to address what's going on internally and gain perspective on what you're thinking. Just the simple act of putting pen to paper can feel like a weight off your shoulders and leave room for more relaxation.
Affirmations: the power of affirmations are incredible. They can reprogram the subconscious mind, to shift our beliefs to a more positive mindset. The more you are thankful, appreciative and grateful, the less you will worry about the things that usually keep people up at night.
Gently acupressure acupuncture points Yintang and Anmian as per diagrams below.
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