Written by John Immel, Asheville, NC
Insomnia is generally associated with dry Vata constitution. When fluids are depleted, the heart, which houses the mind in Chinese Medicine, becomes deficient and beats rapidly. It can no longer ground the mind and thus the mind "wanders homeless at night".
Among the many reasons people report insomnia include racing thoughts, waking up to go to the bathroom, depleted electrolytes, digestive disturbance, and pain. Are there any physical sensations accompanying night time restlessness? The location and nature of these physical sensations will tell you which organs are disturbing your slumber.
Trying to fall asleep makes your nervous system hypersensitive to stimuli. Praying for others can help redirect your mind towards others, which calms the psyche. Repetitive type prayer also helps relax the mind. Avoid empty bowl meditation or other practices which lift your attention to the mind.
When you have insomnia, stay in bed. Do not watch TV, use the computer, or do other mentally stimulating or eye straining activities like reading. Keep the lights off. Gentle stretching is okay.
After a night of poor sleep, sunbathe for at least ten minutes to restore liver strength. Soothe prana vayu with aromatic herbs like cumin, coriander, and fennel tea. Massage your digestive tract and eat easy to digest foods only. Apple sauce will gently cleanse as well as strengthen your liver. Take a nap in the afternoon during kidney time (3pm-5pm).
Avoid activities an hour before sleep, especially those that engage the eyes such as reading or watching TV. Try to go to be before 10pm. After 10pm our energy ramps up for nightly organ cleansing and repair activities. This 'second wind' last until 2am. If we are awake during that time, the brain steals the energy and our organs lose their chance to repair.
- Do you have trouble falling asleep?
- What wakes you up? heart racing, mind ruminating, restless leg, night-time urination, indigestion, noise, pets, children, etc.?
- Do you feel too exhausted, frustrated, anxious, irritated to fall asleep?
- When you wake up can you feel your pulse more strongly in the abdomen, chest, head or anywhere else in your body?
- Are you in pain anywhere in the body?
- Do you have a regular meal and bed time schedule/routine?
- What are your stress levels?
- Do you get cold or hot easily? Neither?
- Do you often have indigestion, gas, or bloating at night?
- You can't control when you fall asleep but you can control when you go to bed.
Here are some other tips when you can't fall asleep:
- Avoid using eyes. Make tiny, relaxing circles with the eyes to relax them.
- Pull down butt cheeks. This brings the contact point with the mattress to the upper sacrum instead of tip of the tail-bone.
- Pray for others redirects the focus away from your body and the concerns of the day. Also, a person needs lees sleep when focused on spiritual growth.
- Create loving, tender thoughts for whatever wakes you up.
- Repetitive prayers calm the mind and bring on a meditative state.
- Exercise during the day helps.
