I like to sleep – Testimony of Christine cured of insomnia

“I’ve always slept well, but not much: 6 hours a night at most. I get up around 6-7am without an alarm clock. I would have liked to take naps, but it was impossible. I walk to ensure I sleep: the more I do, the better I sleep…until my insomnia started. I would walk up to 2-3 hours a day without necessarily being able to fall asleep.”

“Before I retired, I didn’t have a minute to myself. As a schoolteacher, I looked after 25 students, then my children at home. On Sundays, I looked after my parents. A very full schedule that left me little time for myself. I would fall asleep by 10 p.m., which made everyone laugh.

With the onset of my insomnia problems, I could no longer fall asleep before 1 a.m., and I tended to delay my bedtime further and further. I was very active at night and could have climbed Everest. The more tired I was, the less I slept. That's when I realized I had a gravity problem: I couldn't rest anymore.

I managed to resolve my insomnia about two years ago since I started seeing a therapist at the BioMed TCM clinic. I make sure to go to bed between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., as he advised. And it works very well for me!

I'd been through a series of uninterrupted misfortunes: a divorce, the loss of my parents, an accident. I hadn't even resurfaced when another tragedy struck. That's how life is sometimes.

I avoid taking medication as much as possible. Currently, I don't take any at all. I had tried sleeping pills, but I felt like I was taking more and more to make them work. I didn't want to become addicted.

A friend told me about acupuncture that allowed me to heal. At the beginning of my treatment at BioMed MTC, the initial objective was to "rebalance" me since I was "all out of whack" according to the terms of traditional Chinese medicine. I didn't understand well but I trusted. At first, I consulted once or twice a week. Since then, I sleep well and I consult every six weeks to maintain my health. I take the clinic's infusions to complement my acupuncture treatments.

I slept very well the first night after treatment acupuncture, which was not necessarily the case on the following nights. The improvement of one night was still a great relief and also a motivating hope : if it worked one night, it might work other times.

I had been advised to be patient for at least 10 weeks for the acupuncture to take full effect. After two months, I was feeling a little better but I was not yet completely stable and I had questions about the effectiveness of the treatment. Being a persistent person, I remained confident and continued the treatment until I was healed in about the third month.

The approach of traditional Chinese medicine is to integrate effective solutions like acupuncture with a general healthy lifestyle. My therapist encouraged me to exercise regularly; he also advised me on bedtimes and herbal teas. I complete my tasks in the morning to take advantage of my energy when I wake up, which I regenerate with a 30-minute walk in the afternoon.

I tend to manage on my own: "we can do it with good will!" I tried different approaches on my own to get my sleep back, but without success, which made the situation worse over time. A big step for me was realizing that I needed help.

My advice to others who suffer from insomnia is to seek help as soon as possible. It's a mistake to wait for a crisis or to be too tired before consulting. Once you're healed, it's good to keep going. acupuncture regularly and traditional Chinese medicine for better lifestyle.

The therapists at the BioMed MTC clinic will introduce you to the key elements of sleep according to science and traditional Chinese medicine.

Science

Sleep quality affects mental and behavioral health (well-being, productivity, decision-making, mood) as well as all tissues and physical systems in the body, including immunity.

Research shows that chronic sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality increases the risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity, and can even lead to behavioral disturbances and even hallucinations.

The mechanisms of sleep

Two internal biological mechanisms work together to regulate sleep and wake times: circadian rhythm and homeostasis.

The more energy we expend during the day, the more tired we are in the evening and the more easily we fall asleep. To ensure a good night's sleep, some hygiene factors must be respected such as:Go to bed early, avoid too many naps during the day, minimize screen time before bed, sleep on a good pillow.

Good quality sleep makes you feel better. Healthy sleep habits improve learning, memory, creativity, and mood. Getting enough sleep strengthens the immune system and makes it easier to maintain a good diet.

Sometimes it's obvious you haven't slept well; you might feel sluggish, foggy, depressed, and have little energy. In other cases, lack of sleep and its harmful effects gradually accumulate. It is common to get used to sleeping poorly without realizing it or noticing the very significant negative impact it has on your health and life.

Since ancient times, the Chinese have always understood the macro and microcosm through yin and yang.

It is said in the Huangdi Neijing Suwen (the oldest work of traditional Chinese medicine, also called the Internal Classic of the Yellow Emperor):

• The accumulation of Yang is Heaven;
• The accumulation of Yin is Earth.
• Yin is tranquility, Yang is agitation.
• Yang gives life, Yin stimulates growth.

Night is governed by yin, day by yang: sleep is yin, waking is yang. According to the theory of the eight principles (basis of traditional Chinese medicine, bā gāng in Chinese), sleep problems are directly linked to a disturbance between yin and yang, internal and external, where yang prevails at night (inability to sleep) and yin during the day (feeling tired).