Insomnia and Sleepless Nights

Sleep Problems

Deep Rejuvenation

The Chinese believe that each 24 hour period should be perfectly balanced into 12 hours of Yin and 12 hours of Yang. Yin properties are rest, quiet, dark, nighttime, cold, female. The properties of Yang are active, sun, restless, daytime, fire, male. The two are a concept rooted in Chinese philosophy, they are opposite, but always interconnected. The opposing forces that interact actually create a dynamic system and are what brings balance to our bodies and the world around us.

Sleep (Yin time) is the only time, other then meditation, that our body’s recover, repair and rejuvenate. Without that respite every night, we end up operating at a deficit every day, it’s very similar to a bank account in the red. If it continues for long lengths of time, the body will struggle and symptoms, illness or disease will eventually surface. Sleep is a built in healing mechanism.

Whether you have trouble falling asleep initially, you wake up at 1 AM and can’t fall back or seem to jolt awake at 4 AM hours before your alarm, there is a rhyme and reason for all of that.

With a thorough intake and some diagnostics, many different diagnoses may be revealed, however the most common scenarios for insomnia could be Liver stagnation which might be accompanied with other symptoms like irritability, tension headaches or difficult menstruation. Or maybe Heart fire, too much Yang in the Heart, which could also include palpitations and anxiety. Also, Kidney deficiency which might posses other symptoms such as low back pain, urination issues, and fatigue.

In addition, we also look to the circadian clock in Chinese medicine. This is a 24 hour body clock that’s based on the idea that each of the bodies 12 organ systems are most active for two hours within that period. It’s similar to circadian rhythms but much more detailed and is a brilliant contribution that helps us to pinpoint which organ might be out of balance.

Lastly, there’s a saying in Chinese medicine, “the mind sleeps in the heart”. It seems to be the norm to overwork and burn the candle at both ends, we always seem to be going, going, going! And even when we are not physically going, our minds never seem to be settled, we suffer with worry and stress. We ruminate and replay situations in our minds, we rehearse future conversations, we have what’s called a monkey mind; a constant chattering. And for some, that state of restlessness can interrupt our sleep as well.

In Chinese medicine, every person is unique and each treatment is tailored to the individual. Our approach is very different then receiving a medication prescribed to many or being told to take 5 grams of melatonin, instead we uncover your story; symptoms, habits, struggles and from there create the medicine needed to bring you back to balance.

Both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are highly effective in treating all sleep struggles. A large research study in 2009 comprised of 46 trials with 3,811 patients with insomnia, the study concluded that acupuncture was an effective treatment for insomnia. Acupuncture works as an active modality, breaking through stagnations and de-stressing the body overall. Chinese herbal medicine helps nourish the organs, quiet the nervous system and helps create space and tranquility in the heart.

We’d love to support you in this area. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to connect with us.