How to fall asleep in the city that never sleeps

Sleep affects our daily productivity and our emotional and physical well-being in many ways. Here in NY, where life never takes a break, having a good night rest seems to be a particular challenge. There are some simple things we usually advise our clients to follow, if they want to improve the quality of their sleep.

First of all, computers and TVs need to be avoided at least 2 hours before going to bed. Reading a book has a more calming effect on us.

Take a short walk to the closest park or piers.
​
Avoid consuming big meals after 6 pm and have a light vegetarian snack only.

Small amount of alcohol has a calming effect but it loses its potency when consumed on a regular basis. Alcohol should be avoided at night.

​Avoid drinking coffee, especially in the afternoon and in the evening. A cup of coffee in the morning stimulates the adrenal glands, well contributing to the adrenal cycle. The adrenalin is secreted in the greatest amounts in the morning, and as the day progresses, the adrenaline level decreases, causing more relaxation and drowsiness. Taking coffee later during the day causes the adrenals to
work extra hard, in the long term causing exhaustion of the glands, a jittery feeling, and inability to fall asleep.

Create a calming, relaxing atmosphere in the bedroom:

• Have curtains on your windows to block the city lights.
• Place a bed in the bedroom in a Yin position: there should be no straight energy, emanating from the window, going across the bed and going to the door. If it is impossible to keep the bed away from this stream of energy, diffuse the energy with Shoji screen.
• Have a candle and incense burning in the bedroom before going to sleep for an hour. It cleanses the energetic field and creates a sacred space in the bedroom.
• A few drops of essential oils of sandalwood or rose, infused in water and sprayed above the bed is another way to cleanse and recharge the bedroom. These essential oils are a bit expensive, but they are time-tested aphrodisiacs and help to create intimate vibe in the bedroom, relax the mind, and balance the hormonal secretions.

Get a short relaxing massage. Foot or body rub received from your partner is a great way to finish a day.

Before going to bed drink a cup of mint and chrysanthemum tea. Both of these herbs help to relax your liver, the organ that Chinese medicine associates with nervous agitation.

Take a warm relaxing bath instead of a shower.
Avoid any arguments and if they happen, try to reconcile before going to bed.

In case when insomnia is chronic and stubborn and begins to influence the quality of life, it needs to be addressed with Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture.

Chinese herbal medicine focuses primarily on regulating person’s circadian rhythm and on balancing the body. To achieve this balance, herbs are combined into a unique, custom made formula, where the herbs compliment and balance each other to achieve a specific result.

Acupuncture treatment can be used to target insomnia specifically. Acupuncture influences neurotransmitter signals in the brain, responsible for sleep and wakefulness, and it balances these signals so that we can have a better, healthier sleep. Interestingly, different acupuncture needling techniques influence the structure of sleep, as shown by D. Tabaev. For example, bodily acupuncture mostly targets the slow phase of sleep and auricular acupuncture- the fast phase of sleep.

The choice of points and the way of needling them depends on a type of sleep disorder. In general, an acupuncture treatment makes clients feel relaxed and calm and very often they fall asleep right during the session. Most of our clients report a much better sleep after they had an acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture can be safely used concurrently with any sleep disorder medication.

Our sleep is a precious thing, which we all are entitled to, no matter where we live and what kind of life style we have. All we need to do is to use the tools around us wisely and we will be fresh and ready for life every single morning.