The Yin and Yang of Catching Some Zzzz

It is a common complaint in the clinic.  “I am having a terrible time sleeping, is there anything you can do to help me?” 

The truth is we can help identify imbalances in the system that may be causing sleep disorders such as insomnia, restless sleep, and nightmares.  However, often simple life style changes can go a long way toward achieving a full night’s rest.  Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a philosophy of yin and yang that becomes quite valuable when identifying ways to adapt our lifestyle for catching more Zzzz.   

Yin and yang are opposing and complementary energy forces that are mutually supportive; we cannot have one without the other.  To understand how a healthy balance between yin and yang energy can help sleep, it is helpful to delve more deeply into the concept of yin and yang.  Yin qualities are nourishing and include nighttime, coolness, body fluids, female energy, receiving, and wintertime.  Conversely, aspects of yang energy include sunlight, warmth, energy, male energy, giving, and summertime, just to name a few. 

Although they are of equal value, as a society that treasures productivity, we tend to value yang energy more than yin energy.  We are quick to embrace activities such as going to work, striving to meet the next deadline, getting the house clean, getting our kids to their activities, and extending a hand to friends and family who may be in need.  Activities that are more yin in nature, which act to nourish and rejuvenate, take a back seat quite often. 

For example, taking naps, sitting down to eat regular meals, meditating, going to bed at a decent hour, and receiving help from others are “luxuries” we do not feel we can afford.   As yin and yang energies support one another, it is essential to our health to also acknowledge and honor the value of yin energy in our lives.  One cannot effectively experience yang without yin, and vice versa.  This dynamic is eloquently illustrated in the tai chi symbol below.                                

Editing this blurb / tip in about how-to be learning at Lumigrate's forums, or as a reminder on September 9, 2017.  (1,034 reads of this topic at this time.) Several topics in this forum have had 1,000 views or more, and I hope people are knowing how to navigate the website to find more in the 'area' of information you seek.  

You can see the 'map' of the website .. Home on the left, then the Forums tab, then container/section. If you just click on the one at the end (right) you'll then see other topics in the forum.  If you click the one before that you'll see what forums are in the section, and if you click Forum you'll get the whole forum area. Click home and you get the landing page/home page.  I think people know that, they often don't think to click on the link to look into the forum at what other topics there are.  Particlarly when their brains are not working well, which --- is why you're here! So I hope that tip helps.

To make it easier if you'd prefer, here's a link to the forum showing all the topics that are in this sleep / insomnia forum.  www.lumigrate.com/forums/health-issuesdis-eases/sleep-and-insomnia

You will see a sleep survey provided by Dr. Jim Kennedy, DDS of the holistic kind.  I suggest you read and consider taking it and then taking action from there.  Take Care! ~ Mardy

The irony is that in an effort to supplement our yang energy, we often shoot ourselves in the foot.  When the afternoon drowsiness sets in, we may reach for our 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th cup of coffee, our favorite candy bar, or an energy drink.  These substances create an artificial sense that our yang energy is more plentiful, but in actuality they are depleting our yin energy and subsequently yin and yang both suffer.  Furthermore, despite our need for rest, we push forward demanding that our bodies continue to be functional.  We also experience stress coming at us from multiple angles and sometimes worry incessantly, both of which further deplete our energy stores and lead to what is sometimes referred to as adrenal fatigue. 

If this sounds familiar to you, as the yin energy of night time ensues, you may experience anxiety, restlessness, endless thinking, and physical symptoms such as heart palpitations and hot flashes.

If the dream catcher is still empty after the lifestyle interventions of honoring the yin energy have been implemented, there may be treatment strategies available to you that you have not tried before.  For example, acupuncture helps to calm the nervous system, Chinese herbs can nourish the yin and clear heat created by artificial yang energy, and biofeedback can create balance when experiencing stress.