Good morning again
Have you been finding yourself tossing and turning when you should be sleeping? Is the lack of sleep starting to affect your quality of life?
According to the National Sleep Foundation 25 percent of Americans report their sleep quality is “poor”. With 25 percent reporting that they did not wake up feeling refreshed and rested. It should not surprise any one suffering from a lack of sleep that this can seriously impact your quality of life, health, and work.
Many people will resort to pharmaceuticals that may or may not work or that may leave them feeling groggy in the morning. Many of these common drugs have side effects that can include dizziness and upset stomach. Some report even more severe symptoms, especially when the medication is not taken as prescribed by their doctor. Many of these medications can also cause dependence when taken for long periods of time, resulting in even more severe side effects when attempting to quit them. So what are some alternatives to sleep issues that will not have all of these side effects?
How Liver and Heart Patterns Can Affect Sleep
Chinese medicine is a great alternative to addressing sleep issues. Chinese Medicine looks to identify the specific pattern of the sleep problems that are showing up. It is hard to fall asleep or difficult to stay asleep? Is your sleep disturbed by excessive dreaming? What time of night do you wake up? All of the answers to these questions can begin to reveal something about organ imbalances in the body that can be contributing to restless nights.
A common time for many to wake up at night is the window between 1am and 3am. This time of night is related to Liver issues in Chinese Medicine. So what does this tell us and how can we begin addressing this? The Liver channel is notorious with “movement”. The main function of the Liver is to filter everything that goes through it and to ensure the proper flow of Qi in the body. This helps to free up stagnation caused by diet environment, and emotions. Chinese Medicine addresses this with regular acupuncture and Chinese herbal protocols that will begin clearing stagnation in the the Liver channel system. Over time, this can result in more sound sleep.
Another channel that can affect sleep quality is the Heart channel. Each organ system in Chinese Medicine what is called spirit. “Shen” is the name of the spirit that resides in the Heart. If the “Shen” is not plentiful and at peace, this can lead to restless nights of disturbed sleep. It might be easier to think of the importance of the rich blood that the physical heart is responsible for pumping throughout the body. When the quality of this blood is not rich and healthy it is important to properly nourish this organ system to restore its health. Again, acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy play a huge role in improving Heart channel health.
Acupuncture has been used in China for thousands of years to treat insomnia with great success. According to several clinical studies acupuncture can help improve sleep by calming down the central nervous system and releasing extra serotonin which helps regulate sleep. One study showed acupuncture to be superior to medication with an average of 3 hours increase of sleep per night for some patients. It was also noted that there was an even more significant improvement when acupuncture was combined with herbs. As a result, acupuncture can be used to improve quality of sleep without the sluggish side effect associated with most sleeping pills.
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Chinese Herbal Formulas for Sleep
There are several great formula’s of Chinese Herbs to choose from to balance sleep. One of my favorite formulas is Suan Zao Ren Tang. This classical formula is great to support insomnia, restlessness, and poor memory due to Heart blood deficiency causing heat. It also helps regulate and calm the Liver. Both of these can result in a more restful night of sleep and a feeling of calm during the day.
It’s important to remember though that in Chinese Medicine each person may present with their own unique pattern. This is why it is advisable to see a Chinese Medicine practitioner that can properly diagnose the root cause of your condition. There are many other Chinese formulas that can help improve sleep without side effects.
Hummingbird Community Acupuncture in Boulder can help you address your sleep issues. Come in today for a consultation and treatment protocol to start feeling better
