Ask The Expert: What Can Traditional Chinese Medicine Teach Us About Our Sleep Pattern?

Struggling to drift off at night? If the answer is ‘yes’, you’re not alone. And when counting sheep and magnesium fail to do the trick, the experts recommend looking a little closer at the causes of disrupted sleep – aka, looking at the problem from an Easter medicine-inspired approach. With this in mind, we ask Dr Ross J. Barr everything we need to know about the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to sleep.

The Role Of Traditional Chinese Medicine In Understanding Sleep

Sleep has always been a major concern in the wellness space – but now it seems like a bigger concern for more people. Why do you think that is?

I think more people are finding it difficult to get a good night’s rest – and noticing that it’s become so much harder for many of us to achieve. The awareness of the effects of less sleep – on our mental health, productivity, concentration and social life – have also become so much more profound.

How important is a good night’s sleep to our overall health?

Sleep is the original medicine. It cures a thousand ills. Sleep, alongside eating and drinking, is one of the ways in which we were designed to heal and replenish ourselves. That makes it inherently important in maintaining our overall health and wellbeing.

What role does Traditional Chinese Medicine play in our understanding of sleep?

There’s a huge focus on sleep in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). And Eastern medicine recognises so many physiological reasons why sleep varies so much. TCM has spent over 3,000 years studying the art of sleep, and it understands its beautifully well.

And what can it tell us about irregularities in our sleep pattern?

TCM puts a huge onus on the different types of sleep imbalances we have; small details are incredibly important in helping a practitioner diagnose the root cause of the issue.

Ask yourself: is it getting off to sleep or staying asleep that’s difficult? What time in the night do you wake and how do you feel during that moment? If you wake up at 3am, do you find yourself unusually hot or is your mind bizarrely active?

A more specific example would be that someone who is very prone to running on adrenaline could often find they wake up earlier than everyone else in the house (and earlier than they need to). The next step would be to address the source of all this adrenaline – stress, anxiety or imbalanced hormones, maybe.

How can we work with these ideas to improve our sleep?

The more information, the more we can help diagnose what the physiological imbalances are. Once we have this, we can together look at ways of addressing any issues. With TCM, it’s about using the little details to see the bigger picture when it comes to sleep.

Are there any products that can help?

We offer a Sleep Support Duo – a set of patches to help with the symptoms of not enough sleep, and a supplement to help address underlying imbalances. I like the process of treating the root and manifestation of an issue simultaneously.

What are some of your top tips for getting a good night’s sleep?

• Diet: Nourish yourself with enough good food during the day.
• Caffeine: Avoid coffee in the afternoon and before bed – the more you have at this time, the more you’re going to distance yourself from good sleep.
• Routine: Don’t wait until you’re too exhausted before going to bed. Trying to tick off things off your ‘to do’ list when you know you’re tired will only make falling asleep harder later, because you’ll be running on adrenaline. It’s often that level of exhaustion that is making sleep so superficial.
• Devices: Try leaving your phone off in another room. All the studies are true – we all know it, but we’re all so addicted to our phones we overlook their effect on us.
• Alcohol: Avoid consuming alcohol if you want a good night’s sleep. It might help you fall asleep faster, but it will disrupt the quality of your sleep so you still feel tired the next day.

Anything else we should know?

Sleep is not something that can be fixed overnight, or by throwing money at it. It will usually be about us taking better care of ourselves. For some, that will be just getting to bed earlier, for others though it might mean giving up that one glass of wine each night. But ask yourself that question and start there

About The Expert

Dr Ross J. Barr registered acupuncturist and wellness expert. Specialising in Eastern medicine, stress management and women’s health, Barr has previously treated the likes of Meghan Markle and Alexa Chung at his London-based practice. rossbarr.com