Sleep

Yoga

Herbs

Acupressure

Sleep Hygiene

Sleep Tech

Acupuncture

Yoga for Sleep

Practice 10 minutes of restorative yoga in bed, or right before bed. Relax your body, mind, and spirit.

Seated Forward Fold

Child's Pose

Pigeon

Happy Baby

Supine Figure-4

Supine Twist

Legs up the Wall

Reclining Butterfly

Herbs for Sleep

Drink a soothing tea after dinner, take a relaxing tincture before sleep, and/ or keep a tincture by your bedside for a good night's rest.

Chamomile

Matricaria recutita

Passionflower

Passiflora incarnata

Skullcap

Scutellaria spp.

Valerian

Valeriana officinalis

Acupressure for Sleep

Press on each point for 1+ minutes, closing your eyes, and calming your breath.

Yin Palace

陰堂 . Yin Tang

Inner Pass

Pc6 . 内觀 . Nei Guan

Three Yin Junction

Sp6 . 三陰交 . San Yin Jiao

Bubbling Spring

Kd1 . 湧泉 . Yong Quan

Sleep Hygiene

Cultivate restorative sleep with your healthy lifestyle choices.

Consistency

Go to bed at the same time each night. Rise at the same time each morning. Set alarms for both sleeping + waking, if needed.

Rituals

Establish a relaxing bedtime routine. Start winding down at least an hour before your desired sleep-time. 

Comfort

Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, relaxing, and a comfy temperature.

Tech- Free

Remove electronic devices from your bedroom. (ie. phones, computers, TVs)

Darkness

Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.

Turn off electronic devices at least 1 hour before bedtime. Use black-out curtains, if it’s bright outside. 

Food

Eat your final meal of the day by 6 PM. Reduce your evening food/ fluid intake.

Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.

Movement

Create an evening stretching/ self- massage ritual. (ie. restorative yoga, using a foam-roller, massage-ball, or massage-gun)

Exercise regularly. Being physically active during the day can improve sleep.

Sleep Technology

Listen to soothing music/ stories while trying to fall asleep, or fall back to sleep. This lightly engages your mind to relax. Try:

Acupuncture for Sleep

Research

Acupuncture with herbs, lifestyle modifications, and other integrative modalities can greatly improve sleep quality and duration. Check out some Acupuncture for Sleep research:

Treatment Frequency

Get acupuncture once a week for your first four treatments.

Afterwards, we'll assess your progress, then determine whether to space out treatments to every other week, or once a month.

Continue regular maintenance treatments from once a month to once a quarter.

Chamomile

Matricaria recutita, Asteraceae

Drink a cup of chamomile tea after dinner. Allow Chamomile to soothe your digestion, calm your mind, and soften your senses in preparation for a relaxing evening. Sweet dreams!

Passionflower

Passiflora incarnata, Passifloraceae

  • Silence mental chatter and shut off your to-do list with Passionflower tincture!
  • For difficulty falling asleep, take 1-2 dropperfuls of Passionflower tincture 30 minutes before bedtime.
  • For waking up in the middle of the night, keep Passionflower tincture by your bed. Take 1-2 dropperfuls as needed upon waking. Combine with soothing music/ podcast + breathing meditation to ease back into sleep.
  • Also lovely combined with other herbs in teas. Use long-term for nervous system regulation.

Skullcap

Scutellaria spp., Lamiaceae

  • Soothe anxiety-induced gastric distress + nervous muscular tension with Skullcap tincture.
  • For difficulty falling asleep, take 1-2 dropperfuls of Skullcap tincture 30 minutes before bedtime.
  • For waking up in the middle of the night, keep Skullcap tincture by your bed. Take 1-2 dropperfuls as needed upon waking. Combine with soothing music/ podcast + breathing meditation to ease back into sleep.
  • Also lovely combined with other herbs in teas. Use long-term for nervous system regulation.

Valerian

Valeriana officinalis, Caprifoliaceae

  • For untenable insomnia, Valerian tincture is the strongest sedative hypnotic here.
  • Take only as needed. NOT for long-term use.
  • May induce excitability in some. May induce grogginess in others. Try a 1 oz bottle first, and experiment with different dosages. Also, get acupuncture, and make lifestyle changes (see "Sleep Hygiene.")
  • For difficulty falling asleep, take 1-2 dropperfuls of Valerian tincture 30 minutes before bedtime.
  • For waking up in the middle of the night, keep Valerian tincture by your bed. Take 1-2 dropperfuls as needed upon waking. Combine with soothing music/ podcast + breathing meditation to ease back into sleep.

Yin Palace

陰堂 . Yin Tang

Press just above the central point between your eyebrows.

  • Remind yourself, “Calm. Center. I am here. I am home.”
  • Close your eyes. Count 10 breaths in and out.
  • Find spacious rootedness within yourself.

Inner Pass

Pc6 . 内觀 . Nei Guan

Slide your thumb 2-3 inches from your inner wrist crease toward your body

Regulate your internal response to external circumstances:

  • Rest: sleep well. Calm mind.
  • Digest: eat well. Calm belly.
  • Calm your thoughts + gentle your actions.

Three Yin Junction

Sp6 . 三陰交 . San Yin Jiao

From your medial malleolus (inner ankle),

slide your thumb 3 inches up along your tibia.

  • Nourish resilience with radical self compassion.
  • Ground your energy down to your legs.
  • Root down into the Earth.
  • Rest & digest.

Bubbling Spring

Kd1 . 湧泉 . Yong Quan

Under your foot,

slide your thumb from your 2nd toe towards your heel,

stopping about 1/3 of the way down.

Feel your connection to Sky through the top of your head, and Earth through the bottom of your feet. Feel what it's like to be centered between Earth and Sky, rooted yet elongated, fully present.