5 HACKS FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

Stress and anxiety can help you binge watch 3 seasons of Outlander all in one night if you’re not careful. And while the scenery is beautiful, you still have to get up in the morning and function - meals to prepare, a dog to walk, a parent who needs your attention…..Even a pandemic doesn’t slow life down to a reasonable pace! So how do you turn off your brain and get a good night’s sleep?

In Chinese medicine, problems with sleep fall into 2 categories: excess and deficiency. With excess there’s too much heat, too much mental activity, too much tension which constricts the body and interferes with the flow of energy. This excess heat that builds up in the body will affect the heart, which then heats up and then sends “steam” up to the mind. Your mind and spirit then feel like they’re “dancing on fire” - so no wonder you can’t sleep!

On the other side there’s deficiency. Not enough blood to nourish the heart. At night the mind - which, in Chinese, literally translates to “Heart Spirit”, is supposed to descend into the heart and rest there. But without sufficient blood, the mind, or heart spirit, doesn’t feel grounded, and so it becomes restless.

In order to prescribe a correct herbal formula, you would need to be diagnosed by a competent practitioner, but there are a few acupuncture points which, when massaged gently, can help relax you and help you fall asleep.

You can massage each of these points on either side of the body - or both sides. But if you find that one side is more tender than the other, then concentrate on that side a little more.

1. The first point is called “Anmian”, which means “Peaceful sleep”:

You’ll find it just below the occiput behind your ear. You can massage both sides at once for about 30 seconds to a minute, depending upon your need.

2. The second point is called “Sanyinjiao”, or “3 yin meeting point”. You find this point by laying your hand with the edge of the knuckle of your pinky finger on the high point of your ankle bone, on the inside of your leg. The point is located on the leg just where the knuckle of your first finger lies. It’s not on the bone, it’s just off of the bone. This point is actually fairly large, so you might want to feel around for the most sensitive place in that area:

Again - 30 seconds to 1 minute usually does it.

3. And the last point, called “Shen Men”, or “Spirit Gate” is on the Heart channel on the inside of the wrist, just next to the tendon and below the bone. If you’re having a lot of trouble sleeping, you’ll find this point can be quite tender:

OK - so those are some acupressure points which can help. But there’s more.

4. Light coming into your eyes can signal the brain that you need to be alert. There are lots of different eye masks out there these days, and I highly recommend that you find one that’s comfortable. Unless you have blackout drapes, you’ll find that an eye mask can really help calm the brain down and let you sleep far longer and deeper.

5. This last hack is one that might require a change of habit. You need to make sure your room is cool. If your body overheats, you won’t sleep. And also, the quality of your sleep will be poor. So if you’re someone who freezes at the drop of a degree, then keep your room cool and keep those warm blankets on the bed. Start out with just one light blanket and only add more if you absolutely have to.

So those are my 5 hacks….hopefully ones that you didn’t know before. Come join me in my private Facebook group, where I teach qigong for all kinds of health conditions related to stress - and let me know how these worked for you!