People often ask me what the best way is to prevent disease and I always tell them, “eat well, stay active and, very importantly, get a good nights sleep”. We all need to zone out everyday and fall into a deep sleep. This allows our bodies to recharge, rejuvenate and de-stress, all important functions to both prevent and heal from disease, particularly ones related to our skin.
In our modern world we are all too easily distracted with many stresses – financial, parenting, environmental, work, etc. This will obviously take its toll on our health. If we do not allow our bodies to get ample rest everyday fatigue will set in, allowing for multiple diseases to take hold. The earliest classics written about Chinese medicine, some 2000 years ago, clearly state that in order for disease to take root the bodies energies must be weakened first. It is when the body is fatigued by inadequate rest that we are more prone to get sick. Plain and simple really.
Doctor’s of Chinese medicine thus put great emphasis into understanding the quality of a persons sleep. In fact a lot can be learned about the individual who doesn’t sleep very well. Restlessness, night sweating, waking to urinate, and itching of the skin are common questions asked that help determine both the quality of the sleep and the nature of an individual’s problem.
Asking the parent of a toddler how many times their child awoke in the night is good method to monitor the child’s progress when being treated for eczema. The less the child wakes, the less itchy they must feel and thus the better the quality of life for both the child and parent, as both get a better nights sleep! With better quality sleep, deeper healing of the skin can occur, creating a good cycle of progress.
Some simple tricks to help have a deeper sleep and thus a more energetic day would be:
- Go to bed earlier, say by 10 or 11pm. The closer to midnight we go to bed, the greater the chance that our body will get hungry and want to keep staying awake.
- Try to keep the bedroom as dark and cozy as possible and then immerse yourself in nice bright light when you first wake up. Melatonin, the natural sleep hormone, is regulated by light. The more light, the lower the levels the hormone will be, and vice versa.
- Keep a regular routine.
- Do something relaxing before bed, like reading an interesting novel, listening to calming music, or even meditating. Try to avoid over stimulating activities like the news, strenuous exercise, or television. I remember when my daughter was 10 and had watched an episode of CSI at someone else’s house. The TV showed a criminal smashing through a window, who then proceeded to commit a violent crime. Good old prime time television for you! Well my daughter had nightmares for 6 months after that incident. To think only youngsters are the ones affected by these types of shows is wrong, we are all affected in some way. Violent and overstimulating visual images disturb us all and can leave their toll.
Much better to end ones day with a relaxing and calming environment, that allows us to just float away…
Wishing you health,
Dr. Trevor Erikson
Copyright © 2019 Dr. Trevor Erikson