Insomnia and Poor Sleep: Tired or Energetic? Part 1
This is the first in a series about understanding your energy questions. We would like to hear how you manage your energy issues so you can stay engaged in your day.
Nighttime is a very vulnerable time when your body can get it wrong by revving up instead of settling down. Lying awake in bed with nothing to do is boring at best and just downright miserable usually. None of us can afford not to be well rested during the day so what do we do?
Ancient writings in Chinese medicine say the heart is the home of the shen or human spirit and nighttime is when the human spirit should come home to rest. If this is not the case, the heart feels restless and this leads to insomnia. Therefore, we find that the calming and nurturing treatments available with various methods allow the “spirit to come home” so the heart can rest at night. The happy result is more energy during the day.
Many people find that energy work focusing on the body’s confused circadian rhythm is a good answer. I treat my clients with acupuncture or homeopathy – both methods are energetic ways of assisting the spirit. If you are not ready to engage with one of these choices you might choose from one of many other “energy” techniques that include Reiki, gentle massage with essential oils, and Bach Flower Remedies. You might try a customized service offered by Rupam Herbals. They offer a ”personal nervous system support” which combines herbs and flower essences for your particular situation. (http://www.rupamherbals.com/Products.htm)
Of course there are some other very real and manageable reasons for poor sleep at night. You will want to make sure you have eaten “well” during your evening meal. You should have some good quality protein and green leafy vegetables. Avoid all forms of caffeine. If you need a snack before bedtime, make it a protein based treat with a minimal amount of carbohydrates. The protein will give your body a sustained and constant metabolic energy so your body will feel more at ease and not be in the throes of spiking and plummeting blood sugar.
You may need some assistance in digesting your supper. This is especially true with aging. This one is pretty easy. I recommend many of my clients take hydrochloric acid to assist their own stomach’s production of the valuable digestive product. HCL+2 is available from UniKey (http://www.unikeyhealth.com/category/Unikey_products).
Worries and fears can arise when everything is quiet. This is more difficult to address. Science is using new brain imaging techniques to follow the electrical pathways of recurring fears and repeating trauma responses. That is amazing. But the really amazing thing is that they now know that there are techniques that can actually ameliorate and soften these habitual and terrifying responses. The techniques of Buddhist meditation can train a mind to observe itself without becoming gripped by the endless cycles of fear and response. That takes a while to learn but it is effective. Although homeopathy takes a different pathway, it too can bring about life affecting insights. Mixing homeopathy with spiritual guidance and/or counseling can be great.
This is my first post so please help me out. What do you think of the information here? What can you share with us? Please tell me your coping strategies.
In my next post I’ll talk about medications and herbs in their role in fatigue and malaise.
