Trouble sleeping? What time do you wake up in the middle of the night?

When patients tell me they have trouble sleeping and wake up a lot throughout the night, I always ask what time they usually wake up because this will tell me what organs are not balanced. Every two hours your energy (Qi) moves through a different organ inside your body.  For example, if you wake up often between 1-3 am, that is Liver time. That tells me that something is going on with your Liver, so I will make sure to add a few acupuncture points to help balance the energy in your Liver.  

Your Liver’s job in Chinese medicine is to keep things flowing smoothly inside your body. When you have a lot of stress or a high pressure job, this can cause your energy to slow down or get “stuck” in your body. So those of us with stressful lives or jobs will find that our sleep is lousy.  So by treating your Liver, I can improve your sleep. Next time you wake up in the middle of the night, take a quick peek at the clock and then look at the picture above to see what organ is trying to get your attention.

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