Regulating your Sleep Schedule with Acupuncture
We all love sleep, right? There is no better feeling in the world than waking up after a solid night of sleep in the exact same position you fell asleep in.
But, why is sleep such a battle for some?
I came across an article and its headline was, “Humans are the only mammals that willingly delay sleep”. Sleep has a crucial role in keeping us healthy. It’s right up there with diet and exercise. With no surprise, sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your health. You need sleep to repair your skin, fight off infections, support your metabolism, heal from injuries, and simply just refuel on energy to live another day. The fact that we are the only mammals that put off sleep willingly puts things into perspective — how disconnected we are becoming to sleep?
Sleep is a restorative activity that allows the brain to catalog information and heal the body. It also allows the blood vessels and heart to heal and repair. By consistently missing sleep you create a sleep deficit that can be dangerous for your health because it can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, and more. But the good news is, sleep can be replenished.
Sleep explained by Traditional Chinese Medicine
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, insomnia and other sleep disorders are the result of an imbalance of Qi pronounced ‘ch-ee’ (energy). As Qi circulates through the body, it flows through the body’s “meridians,” such as the lungs, heart, spleen, liver, kidneys, stomach, gallbladder and so on. Meridians are lines along the body where energy flows, and they correspond with different organ systems. Of the twelve main meridians, six are considered yin, and six are considered yang. Sleep disorders are usually attributed to imbalances of yin and yang within the body. Oversleeping is a yang deficiency, while insomnia is a yin deficiency, and is associated with poor circulation, spleen deficiency or stress. Nightmares are associated with emotional imbalances or overindulgence in rich foods.
In TCM principles, our organs have their own “time slots” in the 24 hours of a day also known as our circadian rhythm or biological clock. This is the time in which they are most active, or if we were a computer it would be the moment we would be booting up after being in standby.
To understand our TCM biological clock, let’s assume we are already at home by 7:00 pm. This is the perfect time to relax, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, as it is the time for our Pericardium (the area around our heart). The Pericardium enjoys the feeling of protection, safety and love. This would be the perfect time for spending time with loved ones, meditation, or light reading. Hopefully you’ve had dinner before or around this time to allow your body to rest and digest.
Between 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm our body starts to prepare for sleep. This is the time for what TCM refers to as the Triple Burner or endocrine system. When this is activated, our hormones are swapping roles from the stimulating hormones, to melatonin and relaxing hormones of the body.
Between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am is the best time to be asleep. This time is for the Gallbladder. Bile is released and our blood is running around at full speed cleaning up the day’s dead cells while also repairing our damaged cells. These are the hours of rejuvenation.
1:00 am and 3:00 am belongs to the Liver. We should be in deep sleep by now; our blood is in detox mode and our body is in rest and recovery. When we wake up repeatedly within this time frame, we will generally not wake up feeling rested. The liver is associated with the emotions of frustration or anger. Waking up during this time may be due to high stress or emotions in your everyday life.
The time slot between 3:00 am and 5:00 am belongs to our Lungs. We should still be in deep sleep and normally have dreams and memories pop up. We are in Lung detox. A lot of people wake up at this time, this normally indicates anxiety and perhaps some pent up sadness.
Some people may be waking up to start their day between 5:00 am and 7:00 am; this time belongs to our Large Intestine. The organ has been busy collecting residues and toxins over night and now it is time to eliminate.
From 7:00 am to 9:00 am is the time of the Stomach. After a night’s sleep it is time to refuel and feed your body to start the day. Eating a warm and nourishing breakfast such as oatmeal or eggs and toast is ideal for the digestive system in TCM. Don’t forget to drink water! Make a habit of taking in one glass of water before your breakfast or coffee to hydrate your body after a night of hard work and rejuvenation.
This understanding of our natural biological clock and how it works can help you to reconnect with the rhythm of your body and sleep.
Where do you lack and where can you improve?
I know I struggle with falling asleep early in the night as I’m a night owl. Try to improve where you know you are struggling and see the positive effects it has on your body.
Questions with how acupuncture can assist regulating the many facet of sleep including hormonal imbalances, stress, anxiety — I’m here to help!
