In search of golden sleep

First published online on blueheronclinic.com/blog.html on June 7th, 2012.

There are twelve hours in the day, and above fifty in the night.  ~Marie de Rabutin-Chantal

A good night’s sleep works wonders. By contrast a bad night’s sleep can leave one in a state of exhaustion and despair. Insomnia is a common complaint for many adults who are often driven to extreme measures in search of the Holy Grail of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Ask anyone suffering from this ailment and they will likely tell you that there is nothing worse than staring at the ceiling for hours on end as their mind refuses to switch off in the dark of night.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a corresponding clock for all of the major organs. Each organ will have a low and high-energy period of two hours. The Heart is said to house the Mind and if it becomes unsettled, it can cause stress and anxiety. The heart has its low time between 11pm and 1am so it really helps if you can be in bed by 11pm. In order to give your mind the rest it deserves.

The Liver has its high time between 1am and 3am.  This means its energy is at its highest as it works to detoxify the body from the previous stresses of the day.

The Liver is also said to house the ‘Hun’ or ethereal soul. This is the part of us that the Chinese believe to live on once the body has died. If the Liver is too worked up eliminating toxins-caffeine, alcohol, etc. it cannot ground the ‘Hun’ and it will in effect start to ‘wander’ which will cause vivid dreams and nightmares.

Avoid products containing caffeine after 4pm and try to eat your last meal before 7pm as going by the Chinese clock again, your stomach is at its lowest point between 7 and 9pm.  Any food ingested after 7pm will thus lead to gas and bloating, making it very difficult to fall asleep while eating at the correct time gives your digestive system a chance to properly process any food ingested.

There is an acupuncture point, which is easily accessible and promotes deep relaxation. It is called Yin Tang and it is located right in between your eyebrows. Massage this point when you get into bed and throughout the night, should you wake.

Meditation is also a great stress buster and doesn’t take long to perform. Try it even when you are unable to sleep.  Sometimes spending a few minutes getting up out of bed and concentrating on calming the mind through meditation can save you hours in tossing and turning.

Hopefully these tips will have you sleeping like a baby!Shhhhh!

Your guide to a Natural First Aid Kit

Read today in The Irish Times today that Ireland's only homoeopathic chemist, Nelson's on Grafton Street is to close with the loss of 8 jobs. It's a sad sign of the times I feel as homoeopathic remedies are great in relieving pain, stress, infection and anxiety while being kinder on the system than antibiotics and creams and mixtures that are loaded with synthetic chemicals. I find that kids respond really well to them too!

Keep these 12 remedies within easy reach as a natural medicine chest. Available from chemists and health stores.

1. ARNICA
These homoeopathic tablets are great for bruising, swelling, sprains, muscle and joint pain and nosebleeds. They help calm kids after little bumps and grazes and you can also buy a cream form to help speed up the healing process for bruises and spots.

2. CAMOMILE TEA

A gentle, calming remedy. Use for childhood and digestive upsets, colic, wind, constipation, diarrhoea and teething problems. Give children a couple of small spoonfuls of cold tea or add a cupful of strong tea to their bath to help them sleep. Soak a cotton flannel in cold tea and apply to minor sunburn, eczema or sore nipples as required.

3. LEMON BALM

It is great for calming nerves and also aids PMS, period pain, indigestion, headache and colds. You can grow your own or buy fresh or dried from health food stores. Use this recipe to make a tea from it whenever you are feeling a bit low for an instant uplift.

Add 500ml of just off the boil water to 75g of fresh leaves or 25g of dried lemon balm. Infuse for 10 minutes, strain and enjoy! 

4. ECHINACEA TINCTURE
Essential for warding off colds, flu, gum infections, sore throats, cystitis and for boosting immunity in people who continuously fight ailments. Take it at the first sign of illness-it can be taken with water or a little fruit juice to improve the taste. Caution-do not use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Not recommended for children under 12 months.


5. LAVENDER OIL
Has many healing benefits. Can be applied to spots, cuts, bites and minor burns. Soak a flannel in water containing 4 drops of lavender oil and apply to bruises and minor skin irritations. Sprinkle 3 drops on a tissue and inhale to relieve headaches, hay fever or travel sickness.

6. GINGER

This is great for relieving nausea and indigestion. It can alleviate migraine and helps to clear colds and blocked sinuses if taken early. Can be taken in capsule form or infuse a fresh piece of ginger root in boiling water.

7. CALENDULA CREAM
This is fantastic for skin irritations. It's a gentle antiseptic and anti fungal homoeopathic cream which promotes healing, fights infection and reduces inflammation. It's great for minor burns, sunburn, blisters, insect bites, stings, eczema, acne, corns and sores.

8. NUX VOMICA
Another homoeopathic remedy particularly useful for combating the woes of the morning after the night before and for when cigarette smoke or over eating has left you feeling queasy. Can help to combat morning sickness or travel sickness and can even help to overcome sleeplessness caused by working late, lack of exercise or indigestion. It is taken in tablet form. Can be used for babies who wake around the 3am mark and are unable to go back to sleep after feeding. Give a crushed tablet in the 30c potency once a day for up to 10 days.

9. PEPPERMINT
Use in tea and essential oil form. To help clear a headache, apply a small amount of diluted peppermint oil around the back of the head or below the skull. Peppermint tea is a great remedy for heartburn, indigestion and stomach cramps.

10. SAGE
Common sage is great for treating heavy periods, hot flushes, period pains and digestive upsets. Make into tea the same way as for the lemon balm and drink 3 times a day, discarding any left over brew at the end of the day. Use cold tea as a mouthwash for ulcers and inflammed gums and as a gargle for sore throats. Caution-do not use during pregnancy or breastfeeding or if you have epilepsy.


11. TEA TREE OIL
A wonderful, natural antiseptic. Add 2 drops of pure essential oil to a small bowl of cool water and use to wash wounds, spots and itchy skin. Apply one drop neat on a cotton bud to cold sores, spots, insect bites and stings. To ease a sore throat, gargle with 2 drops of oil in15ml of vinegar added to a glass of hot water-take care not to swallow the mixture and spit it out after gargling!

12. RESCUE REMEDY
This is an excellent remedy for shock, panic or stress. Use Rescue cream on rashes and eczema.