Sleep & Energy Medicine

A physician I know once told me that aside from the primary reason patients schedule visits, poor sleep and stress are the second and third reasons. It’s estimated that 1 in 5 Americans rely on sleep aids. Sleep can be compromised by a number of things, but stress and hormones are typical culprits.

Whether you’re having a hard time falling asleep or you’re waking up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, the reasons can be uncovered during an Energy Medicine session. 

One of the main systems we work with in Energy Medicine is the Meridians. Meridians are energetic pathways that run through the body and govern our organs. Acupuncturists use points along the Meridians to place their needles, and Energy Medicine practitioners work with them through holding, tapping or by pressing the points.

Each Meridian has a two hour ‘high tide’ and ‘low tide’ during the course of a 24-hour day when the organ it governs is in its most active state. Looking at the time frames in which your sleep disturbances occur gives us clues where balancing may be needed. Sometimes it's not the Meridian itself, but rather different energy systems or parts of the body that correlate with that Meridian.

If sleep disturbances are being caused or exacerbated by hormonal imbalances, we can muscle test to determine what kind of hormone balancing is needed. There is rarely a single cause of sleep issues, so addressing as many root causes as possible will provide the most amount of relief.

I like to look at wellness from many different angles and while I’m not an expert on circadian rhythms, I do know that working with mine drastically improved my sleep quality. When our cortisol/leptin/melatonin production is off kilter, it sends mixed signals to the body on when it should energize or slow down.

In addition to eating appropriately for leptin sensitivity, triggering cortisol to rise and melatonin production to begin at appropriate times is paramount. Going outside for at least 10 minutes when you first wake up signals the body to start making cortisol. It is also helpful to get outside frequently throughout the day without sunglasses or sunscreen. Then an evening walk or sunset gazing will signal your body to switch from cortisol to melatonin production. 

Getting in bed by 10:30 pm is also helpful. Triple Warmer is a Meridian whose high tide is 9:00-11:00 pm. Triple Warmer governs our stress response, and if we stay awake past its high tide window it goes on high alert. Going to bed during its window reassures the body that it’s safe to relax and go to sleep.

In addition to uncovering the energetic causes of sleep disturbances, a session with me always includes exercises and simple things you can do on your own to encourage the body and mind to settle. It can take some time to unweave poor sleep patterns, but discovering the root causes and being supported with a holistic plan can provide tremendous and immediate relief.

How Energy Medicine Works

Mental, physical and emotional stress can cause us to experience things like pain, neurological and mood disorders, addictions, and chronic and tough-to-treat ailments like digestive issues, hormonal imbalances and autoimmune conditions. Toxins in our indoor and outdoor environments add to the burden.

While we may not be thriving while experiencing uncomfortable symptoms, the body is simply prioritizing vital operations like heart, lung and kidney functions to keep us going until it has more support and energy to deal with the less critical functions like ideal digestion and hormone production.

In addition to stressors, the body stores our life experiences, including what we experienced in utero. Our minds may not remember a traumatic experience (perceived or otherwise), but our physical and energetic bodies always do.

One person’s perceived traumas may manifest as physical symptoms like an autoimmune condition, whereas another’s may manifest as an emotional imbalance. Regardless of the symptoms, the vitality of the energetic body is always at play.

When we rely solely on medical interventions to alleviate symptoms or to alter feelings and behaviors, we are merely suppressing sensations. This can encourage the underlying issues to root in deeper and proliferate because we are cutting off the body’s intricately designed feedback and restoration loops.

Energy Medicine is a gentle and obtainable way to alchemize ill health. It can be done in tandem with conventional treatments, and can be very supportive to the body before and after surgery or during chemotherapy and radiation.

Rather than treating isolated symptoms, it provides clues to what areas of the body need to be freed and balanced. Balancing the body’s energies gives it the space it needs to perform optimally and for innate healing to occur. 

The more well-known energetic systems we work with in Energy Medicine are the meridians, chakras and aura. The meridians are energetic pathways which govern our organs. They run throughout the body and contain the points that acupuncturists work with.

Chakras are energy centers located along the centerline of the body which hold our experiences. They influence our hormones and the organs and glands within the areas of the body they are located.

The aura is the energy field that surrounds us and acts as a filter for energies coming in and going out. The aura plays a vital role in how we process everything we experience.

One of my favorite things about Energy Medicine is we don’t need to know what’s causing symptoms to work with them; the body will tell us through muscle testing! You and your unique body do the communicating. I simply hold space and translate the messages.

Oftentimes when we balance one area or system, others will naturally come into balance. It’s beautiful and the results are tangible as we move through the sessions together.