Sleep Hygiene

​If you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early then you know how difficult it is to live life without enough restful sleep. Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs and CranioSacral Therapy can all help support you to find the rest that you need. In addition, here are some simple tips that are often times overlooked by too many patients that come in for treatments for insomnia at my acupuncture clinic in Sebastopol.
 
Sleep Hygiene

• Limit stimulants like caffeine & nicotine at least 4-6 hours before bed
• Avoid alcohol 3 hours before bed
• Environment: quiet, dark, cool
• Keep electronics out of the bedroom and don’t use screens before bed
• Make sure mattress & pillows are supportive
• Develop a soothing pre-bedtime routine like meditation or other relaxation techniques
• Go to bed when you are truly tired & don’t watch the clock
• Keep a consistent sleep & rise schedule
• Nap early in the day or not at all
• Eat lighter at dinnertime and don’t eat too late
• Some people need to eat before bed, if that’s you then make sure it is a light snack & easily digestible. I often recommend high protein snacks like unsweetened nut butters or yogurts.
• Exercise earlier in the day or if you must exercise before bedtime try yin forms of exercise where you are not sweating or breathing hard.
• Get plenty of daytime sunlight. (this regulates internal clock)
• Cover mirrors in the bedroom and close closet doors & drawers
• If you can’t sleep after 20-30 min, then get out of bed and relax on your couch in the darkness. Keep your bed for sleep, sex and sickness only.

 
If you try all of these adjustments and still can’t find relief, please make an appointment and give Chinese Medicine a try. Many people have benefitted from herbal prescriptions and gentle acupuncture, without the harmful side effects of pharmaceutical sleep aids. If you live in Sebastopol, or any surrounding West County towns like Guerneville, Forestville, Occidental, Graton or Bodega, my acupuncture techniques may help you with your insomnia so that you can rest easy.