- Sleep deprivation! Yes, it's something we've all experienced one time or another during our lives. Some of us more often than others. I, for one, was never a good sleeper - even as a child. One in ten Americans suffers with chronic insomnia. Chances are, you are one of them. If you aren't already doing this, lay off the caffeine and alcohol before bed. Reserve your (dark, cool) bedroom for sleep and sex. Avoid scary movies and news shows in the evening. Schedule your exercise at least four hours before bedtime. Sounds corny and old fashioned, but try some warm milk (preferably non-homogenized) with some nutmeg.
In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), any sleep disturbance is seen as a disorder of the heart. I'm not just talking about you actual beating heart. Our very spirit makes its home in the heart. If the spirit cannot find rest in the heart, the mind will be restless. If your spirit is affected, then this affects your body instantaneously (ever have one of those nights of tossing and turning because you just can't turn your mind off). It pays to examine your life for symptoms of emotional or spiritual unrest and work on that. Not always easy to do.
Isabell Gatto (the nurse who developed the IGM Acupressure treatment I am certified in) gives this advice - If you are disturbed by someone or something, write a letter to the person or situation that is disturbing you. Everything - write everything! Good, Bad, Ugly (especially the bad and ugly). Now, once you've written that all down in the letter, take the letter, read it one last time, rip it up. Throw the letter into the toilet (not the garbage mind you), poop on it (this is key here - you must poop on it - it's symbolic) and flush the toilet. Sometimes just getting those words out, even if the letter is written to someone you love, is important - you NEED to write them. Then just move on with your life as best you can. Sound advice? It's worked for me.
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