Our society puts a premium on our waking hours and has the tendency to underestimate the importance of a full-night’s sleep. Often, good sleep hygiene is an afterthought for many people. Millions of people are besieged with insomnia and look for quick fixes instead of exploring the root causes of the problem.
Evening is a time to allow our minds and bodies to turn inward to our subconscious. Excessive lighting at night, evening shift work, evening computing, video games, television and late-night eating all serve to counteract the body’s natural rhythms. It’s no wonder people have trouble sleeping. Exposure to early morning light and dusk helps to regulate sleep hormones in the body. Rather than embrace nighttime we tend to let our minds wander from one element of stress to another keeping us up for hours or perhaps an entire evening. We are then forced to approach the new day without having benefited from the regenerative powers that night time brings.
In Oriental medicine sleep occurs when the yang energy of the day folds into Yin - nighttime. Yin energy of the body is cooling and restorative. It is the time of day when our bodies turn inward and regenerate. This is the time we dream and explore the caverns of our unconscious mind. Conversely, daytime is yang, which is expansive. We expend the energy we have built up from the process of sleeping. Together, this is the cycle of yin and yang.
To apply the concept of yin and yang to your everyday life try eating your last meal at least three hours before going to bed. If you are a hot excess type, you can cool your body down by avoiding hot and spicy food and drink. Avoid alcohol, coffee, chocolate any other stimulants, especially late in the day.
Help circulate your body’s energy by working out or by gentle exercising. Build your body’s nutritive aspect by eating marrow based soups and stews, dark pigmented vegetables and fruits. Avoid overworking or over rumination as well.
Meditation is an invaluable tool to help your brain unwind. Helping the body create a sense of calm meditation can reduce stress, increase feelings of well-being, and improve overall health. It is of specific use to help one increase alertness, relaxation and reflection even in “waking” states. Meditation is best practiced during the day to help ease your sleep patterns at night.
One contributor to insomnia, stress, weakens the function of the liver, which in turn affects the health of your nerves. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine have a calming effect on the nervous system clearing obstructions in the muscle and nerve channels, assisting the flow of oxygen-enriched energy and relaxing the system. Common noted benefits include deeper breathing, improved digestive abilities, better sleeping patterns, and a general sense of well being.
If you or someone you know has insomnia or are having difficulties getting a restful sleep call for your appointment today!
Acupuncture is a gentle technique in which specific points on the body along energy pathways referred to as channels, or meridians, most often by inserting very thin, sterile needles through the skin to access the flow of energy.
Colon Hydrotherapy is the gentle irrigation of the colon (large intestine) with use of filtered, UV-sanitized, temperature-controlled water, Colon Hydrotherapy is also sometimes referred to as a colonic and functions as a simple, time-proven method of managing colon health .
Ionic Foot Detox is a simple means of using a high current and low voltage energy throughout the body to stimulate release of toxins and waste through the lymphatic system and released though the feet while soaking in hot salted water.
Gua Sha is another method in the compendium or "tool kit" of Traditional Chinese Medicine used to release toxins and metabolic waste stored and stuck in the muscle fibers mostly wherever you feel and accumulate tension and stress.
Comprehensive testing analysis reveals deficiencies in the body that are the root cause of illnesses or disorders. Rather than simply treating symptoms, our testing protocols enable us to create treatment plans for each individual that address the underlying issues.
The Lymphstar is a powerful tool to motivate your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a vital part of our circulatory system. It manages the elimination of toxins from our bloodstream and body. This functions as the body’s primary immune defense.