Health
10 Remedies to Improve Sleep Naturally By Donna Bunte, MSOM, LAc
NATURAL Nutmeg
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JULY / AUGUST 2022
18 “There are many options for addressing insomnia, from lifestyle changes and diet to herbal medicine, that can help resolve the underlying cause.” —Donna Bunte, MSOM, LAc
nsomnia is on the rise these days for so many people, young and old. Many cases seem to be due to our new state of remote working, or at least to how much more often we are on devices. This is especially true for children who can’t seem to get away from their screens. There is also so much going on in the world, with the war in Ukraine and the threat of climate change in the not-too-distant future, that almost everyone has some form of stress response. So, what can we do about this all-too-common problem? Implementing practices that help calm the mind and the nervous system, changing our habits, and taking certain herbal medicine can all help. Let’s start with the things we can do for ourselves.
relax as well. Using an app can be very helpful rather than trying to do it on your own. Because it is something they can turn to when they feel stressed, children can also benefit greatly from meditation. I suggest meditating together with your children if they are young, as this will start them out at a young age with calming tools they will become comfortable with.
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Exercise Outdoors
Qigong is an ancient system of exercise similar to the more familiar tai chi that uses slow movement, self-massage of acupuncture pathways, and conscious breathwork to move one’s energy through the body. It boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, improves balance, calms the mind, and relieves anxiety. Qigong and tai chi are gentle and safe for people of all ages. Qigong is becoming more popular in the U.S., so try your local library or community recreation resources to find out if there is a class near you, or find one on Zoom, YouTube, or elsewhere online.
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Set a Regular Bedtime
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Qigong and Tai Chi
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Meditation
There are many forms of meditation available. In guided meditation, a practitioner is leading you with breath work or a body scan or is taking you on a journey to another place. You can also work on focusing your breath on your own, but this can be difficult if you’re just starting out. Some meditation apps offer music or nature sounds to
Moving your body creates chemicals in the brain called endorphins, also known as feel-good hormones. These chemicals can help create a positive outlook on life and completely change your mood. Exercising outside has the added benefit of sunlight, which is thought to increase the brain’s release of serotonin, helping you to feel calm and focused. Our bodies adapt to circadian rhythms, which work on a 24-hour cycle. If we do things like wake up, eat, and sleep at the same time every day, our bodies are programmed to be ready for those activities. For instance, if we go to bed earlier than usual our body is not ready for sleep. According to Chinese medicine it is best to go to sleep between 9–11 pm, since 11 pm–1 am is the time of the gallbladder, which is releasing bile (see the Chinese Clock on page 20). We need to be resting when this is happening so the body can fully restore. From 1–3 am, the liver nourishes and cleans the blood. If we are not in a deep sleep during this time the blood is not able to flow back to the liver to be cleansed, preventing fresh blood from being made. Chinese medicine dictates that if we don’t have this nourishment every night the organs will become out of balance, which lead to serious emotional and physical health issues. As so many of us have
