Why do we sleep?

The answer is, to repair our bodies.

I will draw an analogy here to help us understand the need for sleep. In order to maintain or fix a vehicle we have to shut it off,  also in order to repair the hardware on a computer,  we must shut it down. Basically, in order to maintain anything physically we must slow it down or shut it off all together. The only time we leave a vehicle or computer on while repairing them is to troubleshoot or to update the firmware.

Before we start repairing a vehicle or computer, we must have access to tools and supplies to replace parts or to maintain the machine. Shutting down machinery without having access to tools or enough supplies to complete the task will not fix the problem. The same could be said of our bodies. In order to maintain our health and allow our bodies to repair, we must sleep while having enough nutrients to complete the task.

Difficulty falling asleep is an indicator that the body is lacking supplies or nutrients required for properly entering sleep. These nutrients are referred to as blood in Chinese medicine, but could be seen as the nutrients in the blood.

The inability to stay asleep is an indicator that the supplies or the nutrients provided in the blood are lacking nutrients necessary to finish the task at hand. Those special parts are called yin in Chinese medicine. You wouldn’t keep a vehicle in a shop knowing that you are missing a special part required to continue repairing the vehicle. You would first need to go out and get that part in order to finish the repairs.

We could use this analogy when we think of blood; blood in Chinese medicine is more like changing and topping off fluids, rotating tires, cleaning the vehicle, changing filters and so on. But sometimes new parts are required in order for the problem to be solved, which is where the idea of Yin comes in.

Repairing yin is more like changing a part or replacing a broken bolt. For instance, changing the oil on an engine is not enough if we have an engine leak, and greasing a wheel bearing is also pointless if the bearings need to be replaced. You could have a faulty car part without having a leak or dirty fluids that need to be replaced, but having prolonged dirty fluids or a leak could cause a faulty or damaged part to occur.

We could wrap this article up by saying that sleeping in Chinese Medicine is a necessary maintenance phase in our daily routine to preserve and prolong health and longevity.

Restoring sleep requires our digestive system to be working optimally for the absorption of nutrients (building\Strengthening yin and blood- Chinese medicine terms)

Acupuncture could play a big role in restoring sleep patterns for the purpose of maintaining our bodies.

Let’s not forget about the second pillar of Chinese Medicine System which is Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbal formulas, Chinese herbal formulas could also help provide a potent dose of super nutrients that are ready to be absorbed while simultaneously strengthening our digestive system .