For Sleepless Nights (Sequel) 🙏 Thinking Through Eastern Medicine
A Second Prescription 🙏 Sleep that relaxes the liver
Do not let stress and stagnant energy linger into the night
In Eastern medicine, one of the organs deeply involved in the quality of sleep is the "Liver" (Kan).
The Liver referred to here does not simply mean the liver in Western medicine. In Eastern medicine, the Liver is responsible for regulating the "flow of Qi" and keeping emotional and mental activity smooth.
In other words, the Liver is an organ deeply connected to our "mood" and "stress."
Anger, anxiety, impatience, and suppression felt during the day.
If these emotions are not properly released and remain in the body, the flow of Qi becomes stagnant.
In Eastern medicine, this state is called "Qi stagnation" (Kitai).
When Qi stagnates, an invisible tension is created within the body.
A feeling of tightness in the chest, stiffness in the shoulders and neck, increased sighing, and irritability.
These states are all signs that the Liver's Qi is not circulating well.
If this stagnation of Qi continues into the night, it also affects your sleep.
You cannot stop thinking even after getting into bed.
Your sleep is shallow, and you have many dreams.
You wake up around 2 or 3 in the morning.
In Eastern medicine, these are considered to be "a state where the Liver's function is tense."
The Liver is an organ that inherently prefers "spaciousness."
It prefers a state where Qi circulates freely, like wind blowing across a meadow.
However, modern life is not very compatible with this nature.
Long hours of desk work, smartphone screens, busy schedules, and many situations where you have to suppress your emotions.
Such environments cause the flow of Qi to stagnate and make the Liver prone to tension.
Therefore, it is important to consciously create "time to relax the Liver" during the night.
The easiest way to relax the Liver is to move your body slowly.
It is not intense exercise.
Rather, slow and gentle movements are suitable.
Rotating your shoulders
Stretching
Slowly rotating your neck
Even with such simple movements, the flow of Qi will gradually unravel.
This is because moving the body causes the stagnant Qi to begin circulating again.
Another effective method is a deep sigh.
In Eastern medicine, a sigh is considered a natural function to release stagnant Qi outward.
When you exhale with a "haaa," the tension that had accumulated deep in your chest relaxes.
There is no need to force yourself to stop sighing.
Rather, breathing out slowly in a quiet place helps to gently regulate the Liver.
Also, eye strain is deeply related to tension in the liver.
This is because in Eastern medicine, the liver is considered the 'organ connected to the eyes'.
A lifestyle of staring at screens until late at night robs the liver of time to rest.
Even just taking 30 minutes before bed to step away from smartphones and computers will relax eye tension and help settle the liver's qi.
Furthermore, connecting with nature is an important way to regulate the liver.
In nature, the liver is considered an organ with the properties of 'wood' and is linked to expansive energy.
Looking up at the sky during the day
Walking in a park
Feeling the breeze
These small moments help the liver's qi expand and flow, which in turn leads to better sleep at night.
There is a saying in Eastern medicine:
'When the liver is harmonious, all vessels are at peace.'
This means that when the liver is calm, the entire flow of the body is regulated.
The quality of sleep also exists within this flow.
When the liver relaxes, qi naturally descends, and the mind also settles.
Night is not a time to keep fighting while holding onto the events of the day.
It is a time to let go, relax, and return the body to its original stillness.
Try relaxing your shoulders and exhaling slowly.
You may feel the qi that had been stagnant in your body begin to flow little by little.
When the liver relaxes, sleep also quietly draws near.
