Sleep
Sleep is the most restorative medicine for our bodies. Good sleep can change our health for the better at all levels. In this day and age, this is extremely underrated and under-emphasized. Our culture pushes for non-stop work and activity. The rest needed to balance this out is an afterthought and could be seen as even counter-productive. The caveat is that after we push ourselves to the brink of exhaustion, sometimes the body "forgets" how to slow down enough to be still and illicit restful sleep. After long-term conditioning of hustle-culture, we find ourselves in a constant state of fight-or-flight, where our sympathetic nervous system is hyperactive. This pattern results in problems like restlessness, overthinking/worrying, anxiety, panic attacks, poor digestion, mood disorders, etc. How ironic is it after we work so hard, our bodies have trouble sleeping.. The very thing that we need to restore and rejuvenate in order to keep progressing in our lives is out of reach, and the struggle is miserable. We must continue to work and move forward, and without proper sleep, we further exhaust ourselves, leading to a vicious cycle of exhaustion and despair. Even when we give ourselves a vacation, sometimes our bodies are so used to being in "survival-mode" that we can't even relax then!
How do we break the cycle??
Evaluate the other 4 foundations of health, look at the basics of sleep hygiene, and get help!
The most common first step I see when patients begin to have difficulty sleeping is the use of sleep-aids. Usually it's over-the-counter medications (antihistamines, melatonin, nyquil, etc.), Western single herbs (valerian root, chamomile, "sleepy-time teas"), or cannabis (indica). When those don't help or cause other problems, prescription meds are commonly the next step; sleeping pills and anti-anxiety sedatives are used to numb down the nervous system enough to "zonk out". This can be a very effective short-term solution for insomnia disorder, however, it doesn't address the root of the sleeping issue, and it can become a dependency. Being on sedatives for the rest of our lives is not going to help us embody our best-self. Not to mention that I have personally seen several patients try to quit sleep meds and they run into many challenges during that process which can be debilitating.
It’s a classic move for us to want the quick-fix and not have to do any work to get the desired effect. However, in my experience, this approach is not sustainable and actually creates a lot more work down the road. I believe that in acute episodes of insomnia due to some traumatic event or for whatever reason would be a good time to use the quick fix, but if it's something that's developed slowly over time, the best approach is to avoid this route and to consider a safer, lower-risk approach.
I believe the combination of acupuncture/herbal medicine and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the best combination of care. CBT has been shown to be equally, if not more effective than prescription medication in treatment of insomnia. In my line of work, we expect problems with sleep to show up as we get older. The gradual imbalance of yin and yang that is "aging" makes it commonplace to show up. That, along with the hyperactive cultural lifestyle we lead as a people in the modern era, contributes to this imbalance. Acupuncture treatments are designed to influence the body into homeostasis or equilibrium in this context. In biomedical terms we can think of it as influencing the central nervous system to relax into the restful and relaxing parasympathetic nervous system. Acupuncture and its associated modalities all work to this end and do it through addressing each individual's unique presentation and constitution. Furthermore, there can be several different and specific ways that the imbalance of yin and yang can show up in each person, and they must be precisely diagnosed and treated in order to get the desired effect. In other words, there is no "one size fits all" treatment with acupuncture and herbal medicine.
One of the best parts of seeing a doctor of acupuncture is that it is a generally passive treatment. For example, you show up to your acupuncture appointment, you discuss your problem, associated information, the doc gets their diagnosis and performs treatment. Your job at this point is to lay there and allow yourself to sink into the treatment, listen to your body, your breath, and the sensations of change happening within. When the treatment gets to this point, patients can potentially fall asleep, or go into deep, high frequency brain activity. Having one's energy being influenced by the treatment pulls the excess energy in the mind out to the body to create a coherent energy current throughout the body, connecting mind, body, and spirit. The result is a clear mind that is more connected to body. With all the clutter settled in the mind, you can allow yourself to feel your intuition better, make room for great ideas or epiphanies, and allow creative energy to flow freely. The mental clarity is reinforced with a more balanced body system and will contribute to a conducive nervous system for more restful sleep. After the treatment you are sent home with natural herbal formulae to reinforce the treatment principle outside of the treatment room. Additionally, the objective evaluation of your 5 foundations of health empowers you to make decisions that will help with your health goals.
