Registered Acupuncturist Jane Hayes sees clients of all ages who have sleep challenges. “Living through a pandemic has presented a sleep challenge for all of my clients regardless of their age. Sleep has shifted later and they’re waking feeling tired. Many of them have to wake overnight, and in some cases seem to wake too early in the morning. If they wake too early, it can be hard to fall back asleep, no matter what time they go to bed. It’s like there’s an internal alarm clock that they can’t turn off. Waking with the light is actually natural to humans. It follows that going to bed should really be close to when it gets dark, at least in summer.”
Jane feels passionately about the importance of sleep, because our bodies perform some crucial, health-quality linked actions overnight, and we need to be fast asleep during these times for these processes to be served.
“One of the most important overnight processes is our liver’s powerful detox function. From 11pm-3am the job of the liver (and its companion the gallbladder) is to detox the blood of:
- naturally occurring metabolic waste (used up hormones, used lymphatic secretions, used neurotransmitters like ACH)
- blood cells that have aged out after 120 days
- Rx, over the counter, contraceptive, and recreational drugs and alcohol
- and other toxins which have entered the body through food and drinks, through our lungs from the air, and through our skin.
If we’re not heading to bed by 10 and deep into our restful sleep by 11, this health-quality critical detox function is not served. As a result we can end up never feeling completely rested. In many cases we are still in a haze after morning coffee, and can lack the energy we need to take on activities required to feel good. I want my clients to wake with a smile and feel like they can be successful in whatever comes their way, armed with energy and resilience.”
Stay tuned for more info on the importance of sleep quality and duration here, and tips on knowing if you’re getting it right!
Book Acupuncture or Biofield Tuning appointments here, to get some help with your sleep.