From both Western and Eastern viewpoints sleeping is the time in which the body replenishes and heals itself.
A good night’s sleep is vital from a Chinese Medicine viewpoint in enabling the body to replenish qi (energy) and helping to cleanse the body.
I’m sure for all those suffering from inadequate sleep you know how this can affect your health and the ability to function well on a daily basis.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, in order for the energetic organs to repair themselves, we should get to sleep between 10:00 to 10:30 pm. This is because the Gallbladder and Liver’s “optimal functioning and repair time” starts at 11:00 pm. and continues through to 3:00 am. The liver has so much to process that if you aren’t asleep by that time the livers ability to cleanse the toxins we have ingested or have been exposed to during the day is highly impaired.
Also getting to sleep by 10:00 -10.30 pm allows the liver to not only cleanse but also do it’s other functions from a Traditional Chinese Medicine viewpoint such as storing the blood which influences our ability to fight off sickness and also affects the quality of a females menstrual cycle. Another important function of the liver is responsible for the smooth flow of qi through the body. Having a smooth flow of qi is vital if you want good health as qi is the thing that supports all functions of your body and is essential part of cleansing or removing the toxic waste and bi products from your body.
An example from Western science points out that we have a growth hormone that gets secreted from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., which means that this is the ideal sleep period. This hormone is secreted in deep dreamless sleep and can help repair the daily toxic insults to our body.
Both Western and Eastern medicine, then, promote the idea of getting to bed earlier than many of us are used to but it is an important factor in allowing your body to cleanse and regenerate from your day’s activity.
Scott is available Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday for consultation at Mornington Chinese Medicine.
To book an appointment simply call us on ph: 5973 6886