January 2006

In honor of this cold winter month, this column is about one of my favorite winter activities: Sleep. We should all be scheduling in more sleep this time of the year, just to help us build up the energy we will need to fend off cold illnesses and be ready to spring into action come Spring.

What is Sleep?

Sleeping is a mysterious state. It is a unique sub-conscious experience that most of us take for granted since we sleep as naturally as we breathe.  But at almost no other time other than sleep can our bodies repair and heal themselves so effectively. And when good sleep is elusive, individuals stop taking that healing for granted and begin to search for ways to have better sleep.

Part of the uniqueness of sleeping is the way we can lull ourselves to sleep or prevent ourselves from sleeping. At what other time in our day do we convince our body to be still, to be calm, to rest? The mind and body are a seamless unit when it comes to sleep. If something is disrupting our mind or body, poor sleep will result.

Searching for better sleep

One of the ways people search for better sleep is by using medications. For some, this is the only way they will get to sleep. But medication has its limitations in terms of providing true quality sleep. Chemically induced sleep may not be as refreshing or may leave the person groggy and fatigued the following day. Addressing the whole body with activities like yoga and Chinese medicine can really resolve the core issues AND bring good sleep.

Who suffers from lack of sleep?

“40 million Americans are chronically ill with various sleep disorders and an additional 20 to 30 million experience intermittent sleep-related problems.” (National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research)

Many people think, “I have no trouble falling asleep and I don’t wake up during the night, I don’t have a sleep problem”, but they don’t wake rested and suffer from fatigue throughout the day. The first reason may be that they are not sleeping the right amount. For the vast majority, this means too little sleep. Our lives are too busy and what we cut out is sleep. Less commonly, people sleep too much and will be groggy.

The second reason is that the sleep people are getting is long enough, but it is not good quality. They may suffer from sleep apnea or wild dreams.

Lots of other health problems stem from poor sleep. One of my teachers of Chinese Medicine stopped me abruptly in the middle of telling him the symptoms a current patient was having. “How is their sleep?”, he asked me. “Not very good”, was my response, “But I was telling you about their skin problem”. “Doesn’t matter,” he replied, “Their sleep is the key to all of their symptoms right now.”

Of course, it turned out my teacher was right about the patient. Sleep and its mysterious ability to heal what ails us is an often missed component of good medical care.

What do you do if you’ve got a sleep problem?

Speak to your doctor or primary health care provider about the nature of your sleep problem. There are medical conditions that make sleep more difficult. If sleep problems are very severe, coordinated care with your doctor and acupuncturist is your best bet.

Assess your daily caffeine consumption- too much caffeine can make a big difference in quality of sleep! Assess other dietary and exercise factors. Consider trying yoga or meditation to quiet your mind and body if you feel like you are running at top speed.

Chinese medicine can help improve sleep through acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Herbal treatments tend to be milder than drugs and do not have the side effect of making you groggy. Constitutional treatment, based on the holistic picture of your body and mind, can readjust your sleep along with other symptoms.

And try the following tips for better sleep:

Tips to try

1. Bedtime ritual. Let your body and mind know when it is time to go to sleep by using a bedtime ritual. My mother used to call this “Winding down”. Turn off music or the TV, have a glass of water or a cup of herbal tea, brush your teeth, or do some deep breathing before getting into bed. Over time, your body will respond to these repeated cues and you will go to sleep more easily.
2. Unwind. Many patients tell say they have a hard time getting to sleep because of a racing mind. Doing a breathing exercise before bed or in bed can help you break out of this. Don’t worry about taking huge deep in-breaths: focus on breathing out longer. Try taking a breath and relaxing one body part at a time: foot, lower leg, knee, thigh, lower back. Don’t forget to relax your face, ears, and jaw as part of this process.
3. Download. If a breathing relaxation is still not taking your mind off the day, try this exercise: Before you begin your bedtime ritual, take a pen and paper and write down all your worries or hang-ups from the day. Do the same for upcoming worries or stresses. Make a list of what you don’t want to forget. Even if it is the same things on the list every day, like, “Tommorrow will be so hectic”, you will have an easier time unwinding with your breathing if you know that what you are worried about or can’t forget to do tomorrow are recorded someplace other than your subconscious.
4. Bedroom “hygiene”. Peaceful sleep depends in part on a peaceful, safe environment; and our subconscious records more than we may think. Two rules of bedroom hygiene are to clear out clutter and limit activity. Clear your bedroom or at least your bed space of all work, projects, or stimulus. Don’t eat, watch TV, or argue in your bed. Some people find reading puts them to sleep- but if the sleep is not refreshing- stop reading! Read in another location before your bedtime ritual. If possible, clear out clutter under and over the bed as well as within line of sight from the bed.
5. Practice reassuring self talk. If you have trouble getting to sleep or wake frequently, your self-talk can be your own worst enemy. If you wake up and think, “Oh, great, I’m not going to sleep well, tomorrow will be ruined,” then you’ll introduce stress and worry into the equation. Try to use positive self-talk. “I’m not sleeping yet, but it is very restful laying here in bed. I am relaxed and my body is resting. I trust that my body is doing its best to rest.” “I am very safe and cozy in my bed; this is a good place for me”.