Having a good quality of sleep is extremely important for health. Especially since the circuit breaker, many people might have their sleep cycles disrupted and suffer from insomnia while staying at home all day.
Insomnia or chronic insomnia may cause changes in mood, lack of motivation and energy, irritability, decrease immune function and more.
Besides TCM Treatments or prescriptions, you can also start with some simple TCM self-care tips.
1. Comb your hair before going to bed
Proper stimulation of acupuncture points on the head can help balance your yin and yang. It also helps to relieve headaches, relax the body for a good sleep, improve brain function, and promote hair growth.
Patients with high blood pressure are especially recommended to comb their hair. It helps to calm the liver, open the mind and calm the nerves, and play an auxiliary role in lowering blood pressure.
How to comb your hair
Use a wooden comb or if you don’t have one, your ten fingers can be used as a comb as well.
Method:
- Comb along the five lines as shown in the picture (Du meridian, two bladder channels, two gallbladder channels).
- Use the lines as a guide, and move your fingers or the comb from the forehead to the back of the head.
- Repeat this motion for about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Stretch your body
Stretching is a natural and instinctive activity. Without it, the muscles can shorten and become tight. Proper stretching of the body helps to clear the meridians and sick energy, promote the flow of qi and blood, and allow the body to relax for a good sleep.
How to stretch
When stretching, inhale as much as possible, straighten your limbs to extend your body, and exert muscles all over your body.
When relaxing, the muscles of the whole body should also relax and exhale as much as possible.
This will make the exercise much more effective.
3. Soak your feet with hot ginger water
Soaking your feet in hot water before going to bed every night can prevent illnesses and prolong life. It can promote blood circulation, relax the body, relieve fatigue and greatly improve sleep quality.
As ginger has a special anti-cold and wind-relieving effect, rheumatic patients can soak their feet every night to alleviate their conditions.
Using ginger for soaking also helps to remove wind from the body, lose weight, warm and nourish the kidneys, delay aging, and treat symptoms of cold.
How to prepare hot ginger water
- Take half a piece of ginger and flatten it or cut it into ginger slices.
- Place it in a pot and boil it in water for about 10 minutes with the lid covered.
- Transfer the hot water to a foot bath tub or pail.
- Add cold water to your foot bath tub to adjust the temperature to your own liking. The temperature of the foot bath is generally maintained at 38 ℃ ～ 43 ℃. But this is not required, because everyone has different heat tolerance.
- It is best to rub your feet while soaking to relax and accelerate blood circulation in the body.
Should you peel your ginger?
No, do not peel your ginger. This is because the outer skin of ginger has the effect of reducing swelling.
Soaking your feet for 15-30 minutes a day can help you sleep better. If you like the ginger foot soak, be sure to check TCM Herbal Bath for a whole body detox and restoration.
Maintain healthy emotional-well being
Remember that our internal organs and emotions are closely related and influencing one another. Maintaining a healthy emotionally well-being is crucial for sleeping well at night. Besides meditation, yoga or stress relieving tuina massage, you should also find appropriate means of expressing yourself to release stress.
Learn what works best for you in order to put your anxieties aside before going to bed. When your mind is cleared and body relaxed, you should fall asleep much easier.
Make sleep a top priority so you can be well rested and recharged every single day. 🙂