Do you have trouble sleeping?

Chinese Medicine uses acupuncture, herbs, and moxibustion (a heat therapy) to address the following sleep difficulties:

• Trouble falling asleep
• Trouble staying asleep
• Waking between 1-3am or 3-5am
• Very light or restless sleep
• Dream disturbed sleep or nightmares
• Waking too early and unable to fall back to sleep
• Other nuanced sleep issues (contact me to see if acupuncture can help yours!)

How Does Sleep Work?

Your body is regulated by cycles. Your sleep cycle is maintained by many hormones and physiological mechanisms, but perhaps the most important one in play is the Melatonin/Cortisol Cycle.

• Melatonin is a hormone that creates a sense of restfulness in the body. It makes you sleepy. Your brain's pineal gland is inactive during the daytime, but when the sun sets - usually between 7-9pm - it naturally creates and releases melatonin into your blood stream.
• Cortisol is produced in response to stress, by the adrenal glands on top of your Kidneys. This hormone jolts your body into alertness and wakes you up. Cortisol levels in the body naturally rise with the sun in the early morning between 5-7am.

Because of the ebb and flow of cortisol and melatonin throughout the day and night, in an ideal state your body would regulate to a natural cycle of wakefulness with light and sleepiness with darkness. However, in our modern society we rarely turn the lights off when the sun goes down. We are busy! We have work to do, relationships to maintain, and fun to have. Unfortunately, our bodies and hormones have not acclimated to our modern routines, and as a side effect our ability to sleep soundly sometimes declines. We can only make Melatonin naturally in darkness, and even our artificial indoor lighting can inhibit its production. On top of that, in contrast with how humans lived for most of our history, our current lifestyles are laden with an unusual amount of stress. Throughout most of human history, cortisol levels would rise in response to extreme stressors, like being chased by a predatory animal. This would create a dramatic release of cortisol, but because this was not an every day occurrence, human bodies would have ample time in between these high-stress moments to recover to their natural cortisol flow. Now, our cortisol levels rise less dramatically, but more often. With daily stressors such as driving through traffic, getting through rigorous programs of study, and emotionally managing current events/the news/politics, we are living in a state of continually elevated levels of cortisol, and this can wreak havoc on our ability to calm down when it's time for bed.

So How Does Acupuncture Help?

In Chinese Medical Theory, melatonin pertains to the "Yin" of the body, and cortisol pertains to the "Yang" of the body. Using acupuncture (certain acu-points and meridians amplify Yin and calm Yang) and Herbal medicines to appropriately regulate the relationship between Yin and Yang, a new and natural balance is created that improves sleep at night and energy throughout the day.

There is A LOT you can do at home to improve your sleep!

Sleep Hygiene Tips:

• Sleep only when you're sleepy
• Don't take naps - this can disrupt your ability to sleep at night
• Go to bed on time (be asleep between 9-11pm, before melatonin is at its highest levels)
• Time your exercise - so you don't over-exhaust yourself, AND so you move your body enough to circulate blood, which improves your sleep
• Develop sleep rituals - examples: chamomile tea at the same time each night, meditation before bed, etc.
• Only use your bed for sleep - not work, not reading, not watching TV
• Use black-out curtains or a sleep-mask
• No caffeine, No nicotine, No alcohol (all of these dis-regulate hormones in your body)
• Have a light snack before bed, especially if your insomnia manifests as waking too early in the morning
• Take a hot bath before bed
• Cool down the temperature of your bedroom
• Don't use electronics before bed - blue light inhibits the pineal gland from producing the melatonin you need to start feeling sleepy

Sleep Facts:

"Daylight Deficiency" - Being indoors too often affects your Circadian Rhythm
"Darkness Deficiency" - You can only produce melatonin when in the dark
Being awake too often creates adrenal fatigue (forcing your adrenal glands to produce cortisol too often)
Under 6 hours of sleep per night for a prolonged period of time causes Sleep Deprivation

During Sleep Your Body:
Catalogues Memories
Rejuvenates Energy
Repairs Tissues
Replenishes Blood
Purges Toxins