We’ve all been there. You are wide awake at 3 a.m., your mind racing with a rising sense of panic about the difficult day ahead if you don’t fall back to sleep fast.

What you’re experiencing is a type of insomnia, says sleep disorders specialist Harneet Walia, MD, DABSM, of Cleveland Clinic’s Sleep Disorders Center.

Tips to Help You Back to Sleep Fast

Many underlying health problems such as chronic pain, sleep apnea or acid reflex can cause insomnia. But if your difficulty in sleeping is not due to health problems, here are some tips that can help you get back to sleep fast.

1. Stop watching the clock. Marking off the minutes only heightens your distress about being awake.
2. Try relaxing your body to fall asleep. Working from your toes to your forehead, tightly tense each muscle group for five seconds, then relax.
3. If you can’t fall back to sleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed.  Use your “mind clock, ” Dr. Walia says, to estimate how long you’ve been awake. After 20 minutes of wakefulness, get up and leave your bedroom. “Don’t spend time in bed trying to fall asleep fast,” she says. “You probably  will start worrying about falling asleep and then learn to associate the bedroom with not sleeping well.”
4. Find an uninteresting activity. Read something uninteresting. Listen to relaxing music. When you start to feel drowsy, go back to bed.

You also can adopt daytime habits that will help you sleep better at night, Dr. Walia says.

• Create a consistent sleeping and waking schedule — even on the weekends and days off work. “What works best is going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time every day,” Dr. Walia says.
• Avoid consuming drinks or food with caffeine before bedtime. Abstain from caffeine for at least five to six hours before you plan to retire, Dr. Walia says. “Caffeine can play a major role in getting a good night’s sleep,” she says.
• Make your sleeping environment comfortable. The room should have a temperature that is not too warm or too cold. Find a mattress and pillow with a firmness level that you find restful.
• One hour before bedtime, stop doing work or other mentally challenging tasks. Switch to something calming such as reading a book.
• Use your bed only for sleep or intimacy. Do not watch television or play with electronic devices while lying in bed. “Otherwise, we come to associate the bedroom with not sleeping,” Dr. Walia says.

Chronic insomnia affects up to 20 percent of adults. Many adults don’t seek treatment for it.

Original post: health.clevelandclinic.org

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Western medicine offers various pharmaceuticals like Ambien, which could potentially cause side effects like depression, dizziness, difficulty breathing, unusual excitement or irritability, and even rebound insomnia.

What Happens During Sleep & What Can Affect Sleep?

According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, sleep is an important function for cell repair and growth, and creates balance and homeostasis within the body. Sleep was once considered a time when your body and mind “turn off,” and science has proved otherwise. Some processes are most active during sleep, such as the increase of growth hormone. Muscle growth, tissue repair, and protein synthesis also occur during sleep.

Stress is the biggest factor that I see in practice that interferes with people’s sleep. Overthinking, worry, fear, and anxiety can disrupt and disturb your sleep. Our bodies are programmed to respond in stressful situations, so if you are stressed, your body prevents itself from going into deep sleep as a protective mechanism.

Pain is the second biggest factor, where pain prohibits you from sleeping in certain positions or the severity of pain actually wakes you up. Medications such as beta-blockers or antidepressants, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, hormones, diet and exercise can also affect your sleep cycles.

Sleep and Disease Risk:

Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine explains that lack of sleep on a regular basis is linked to many long-term health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

Obesity: People who sleep 8 hours have the lowest BMI (body mas index), and those who sleep 6 hours or less have higher BMI’s. Poor sleep leads to an imbalance of important hormones that balance the control of appetite, energy metabolism and glucose processing. It leads to an increase in the production of cortisol, or the “stress hormone.”

It also increases insulin release after a meal, which is responsible for glucose metabolism and fat storage. Lack of sleep is linked to lower levels of leptin, a hormone that tells your brain you’ve had enough food, and higher levels of ghrelin, a biochemical that stimulates appetite. All of this can lead to food cravings and overeating.

Diabetes: Researchers have found lack of sleep linked to Type 2 diabetes because it influences the way the body processes glucose (the carbohydrate that cells use for fuel). Numerous studies have found that adults who sleep less than 5 hours per night have an increased risk of having or developing diabetes.


Heart Disease and Hypertension: Studies have shown that even 1 night of poor sleep in someone who already has high blood pressure can cause elevated blood pressure the entire next day. Studies have also shown too little (less than 6 hours) or too much (more than 9 hours) can increase the risk of heart disease in women.

Mood Disorders: Chronic bad sleep can potentially lead to long-term mood disorders, and have been linked to depression, anxiety, and mental distress.

Immune Function: Substances produced by the immune system to help fight infection also cause fatigue, so it makes sense to sleep more when you are sick. It is believed that during sleep you are better able to fight the infection. Lack of sleep can inhibit these processes and may take longer to get well.

Four Ways to Master Sleep

1) Acupuncture:

There is not one “prescription” for sleep problems or insomnia in Chinese Medicine. Instead, we look at the symptoms and factors of each individual as a whole and treat the pattern. Symptoms arise if there is an imbalance somewhere in your body.

We use points on specific channels and specific organ systems to help correct that imbalance. The idea is by allowing the energy in the channels to be unblocked or re-directed, your body will correct itself, and your sleep patterns will be resolved.

The great thing about acupuncture is there are no side effects. Most people also report less stress overall. Acupuncture literally calms your nervous system, reduces cortisol, and regulates proper hormone and biochemical function.

A 2004 study showed that in patients with anxiety, acupuncture increased nighttime melatonin production and total sleep time, fell asleep faster, and were less restless during the night.

A 2008 study concluded that acupuncture plus medication was superior to medication alone for insomnia.

2) Sleep Herbs:

Many people underestimate the power of herbs. Herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years, and the University of Maryland Medical Center explains how ¼ of all prescription drugs come from botanicals. Many clinical trials are emerging showing their effectiveness, and some countries in Europe even classify herbs as drugs and are regulated.

Similar to acupuncture, TCM uses a variety of herbal formulas for different patterns of sleep. Depending on the root of the problem, people with insomnia will have various symptoms such as trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and/or waking up early, which call for different herbs to re-regulate their circadian cycle.

One of my favorite sleep formulas is a variation of Suan Zao Ren Tang, which helps with trouble falling asleep and promotes a calm and restful mind. Consult with your acupuncturist about either recommending a good formula for you or customizing a blend of herbs to fit your needs.

NOW® Sleep : My favorite sleep herb formula that I take every day! It has Valerian, Hops, GABA, and passionflower – Western herbs that are all really great to promote restful, deep, good sleep.


Chamomile is a sedative herb that helps with restlessness and irritability, especially in kids. Chamomile tea is the most common, while the oil can be diluted and used in a bath or massage oil.

Hops (found in beer) has long been used for sleeplessness, nervousness, and is often added to other herbal formulas for sleep. They also make hops pillows! For fun, you can always make your own.

Lavender: I always use lavender oil in my practice for its calming and soothing effects. You can make a bedtime spray out of a few drops of lavender oil mixed with water and spray on your sheets before bed. You can also massage your feet using lavender oil which will have a grounding and calming effect.

Passion flower, Valerian, and Kava Kava: used on their own or often combined with other herbs and are great for insomnia caused by nervous exhaustion, trouble falling asleep, mental worry, and restlessness.

3) Sleep Supplements:

Dr. Hyman MD describes magnesium as the “most powerful relaxation mineral available.” It is responsible for over 300 enzyme reactions found in all of your tissues, but mostly bones, muscles and your brain. Most people are deficient in magnesium because our typical diet lacks enough seaweeds, nuts, greens, and beans. Most people can take 400-1000mg per day. The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate. Avoid the others which are the cheapest and found and found in most supplements.

* Supplement Tip! One that is highly advertised for sleep, but that I don’t really recommend that often is a melatonin supplement. Melatonin is what your body naturally produces to control your sleep-wake cycle. However, I’ve found that for many people (not all, but many), melatonin only works initially: for 1-2 weeks or if you are jet-lagged. In the long-term, it can put you to sleep initially, but it actually wakes you up, and you are so wide awake you are unable to fall back asleep.
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• Potassium as an important complement with magnesium. This also helps with nighttime leg cramps! Citrate or potassium bicarbonate are recommended. Don’t megadose on this one – all potassium supplements affect the heart, but 100-200mg is safe for most people. Consult your health practitioner.
• GABA is what your brain uses to shut itself down, so it’s really great to use for relaxation before bedtime.

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4) Night-Time Environment & Routine

These three were the last addition to my list, but by no means the least important.

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• Screen Off Rule: You need to phase out your day from blue-screens from computers, phones, and ipads that mess up your melatonin production, and prevent you from getting sound sleep. I turn off or turn down all lights an hour before sleep and turn off all screens 30 minutes before sleep. This really helps my body get ready for bed. I have zero electronics in my bedroom.
• Black out Curtains: I have also recently purchased black out curtains, which makes my room completely pitch black when I sleep, and allows my body to feel like it should be asleep, and not awake with outside lights.
• Temperature control: Your body sleeps better when its comfortable. Although this may vary from person to person, most people sleep better in cooler temperatures. Get a fan and/or a temperature topper on your mattress to keep it cool and comfortable.

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Seems like a lot of changes, but trust me a few small shifts will make a world of difference. Don’t get intimidated by the suggestions, but pick one or two to start with that resonate with you. Like most things, it’s the culmination of many things, versus one single thing, that gives you the result you are looking for. In a nutshell, reduce stress and pain, customize your night-time routine, eat well and promote a lifestyle that supports a good sleep system, and be open to trying a few supplements along the way.

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Malnutrition impairs immune function. Burgers, Fries and Bourbon do not build a strong immune system or healthy white blood cells either. Nope, sorry, it’s through virtuous, self-righteous diets jammed packed with nutrients that promote and support a healthy immune system. This means eating foods like organic fruits and vegetables, lean healthy proteins, healthy fats and nuts and seeds are the cornerstones for good immune function.

Using Medicinal Mushrooms such as shiitake, maitake and reishi can boost immune function because they contain beta-glucans that enhance immune activity against infections and cancer as well as reduce allergy responses.


As for foods to avoid, research shows us that simple sugars in the form of surgery foods and juices impair immune function. Of course, the data suggests that gluten donating foods are especially destructive to the immune system.

We specialize in Nutritional Protocols to Optimize Immune Function. Call us to schedule your Nutritional Consultation.

Reduce Stress Level

When we are stressed out, our poor adrenal glands churn out epinephrine and cortisol. When we are running from a Grizzly Bear this is a very helpful response, but most of us are stressed out and activating our adrenal output on an hourly and daily basis. Long-term activation of the stress response depletes our immune system. Research shows us clearly that psychological stress raises the risk for common colds and other viruses. We are 30% more likely to get the “flu” when we are under stress.

Chronic stress can also promote a ” hyper-immune response” and aggravate underlying conditions such as allergies, asthma and autoimmune disease.

One of the things that we focus on at Integrative Acupuncture is finding opportunities and tools to help our patients reduce unwanted stress. Check out our Acupuncture, Meditation Workshops and our Hypnotherapy services.

There have been many studies that have shown that acupuncture induces the relaxation response in patients for up to 48 hrs after treatment. And regular acupuncture helps to decrease the negative side effects of stress in our daily lives.

Move Your Body

Moderate exercise has been shown to enhance the immune system as well as discharge stress and tension. In a recent study, researchers took 115 postmenopausal women and assigned half of them to stretch exercises 1 time per week and the other half to at least 45 min of moderate-intensity exercise 5 times per week. At the end of the year-long study, the “stretchers” had 4 times more colds as the moderate exercisers.

So find a moderate exercise program that works well for you. There are many different ways to address this and we can guide you in your search for the right program for you.

Sleep Soundly Every Night

Sleep is the time when growth-promoting and reparative hormones undo the damage done in our busy hectic daily lives. Sleep deprivation, as well as sleep disturbance, activates the stress response, depresses our immune function and elevates inflammatory chemicals being made in our body.

In one study, after researchers inoculated adult volunteers noses with cold viruses, men and women who habitually slept less than 7 hours were 4 times more likely to develop colds than those who slept 8 hours or more.

If you or someone you know is not getting sufficient healthy restful sleep consider acupuncture to help alleviate this issue. Acupuncture has been shown to improve both the length of time we sleep as well as improve the overall quality of our sleep.

Expose Yourself !

If you cannot get enough sun exposure then make sure that you supplement with Vit D. Vitamin D plays a critically important role in promoting and modulating immune function. Vitamin D deficiency correlates with lower immune strength, cancer, several autoimmune diseases and our body’s susceptibility to infections ( including viral and bacterial respiratory infections.)

Unfortunately, nearly 1/3 of the U.S. population is Vitamin D deficient. Optimal levels of Vitamin D should be between 50-80. If you know your levels are low, ask us about proper supplementation.

If we can help you in any way to Optimize and Strengthen your Immune System call us at 608-236-9000 or email us at drxzhou@acupunctureherbalmd.com

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The health implications of insomnia are staggering and they have reached epidemic proportions in the US. If you suffer from sleep disturbance a few nights/week you are at increased risk for: heart disease, stroke, illness such as colds, infections or the flu; memory/cognition disturbances, anxiety and depressed mood, diabetes, systematic inflammation, and weight gain.

Understanding the difficulties that lead to Insomnia and sleep disturbance can be quite complicated. Eastern & Western medicine offer insight into today’s ever-growing epidemic.

A Western Perspective

Stress: Hands down stress is the most frequent offender for sleep disturbance. With concerns about work, school, health, family, children, finances, and relationships, our list of stressful factors go on and on. These stressors accumulate in our world and intrusively interrupt our thoughts during those still quiet moments when we are trying to sleep.

Stressors don’t have to be events or circumstances we view as bad but can also be those things we are looking forward to enjoying like vacations, promotions, or family coming to visit. Regardless of the content, stressors can be identified as those factors that push their way into our quite still moments without an invitation.

As these stressors accumulate and continue to disrupt our much-needed sleep, we experience inner angst and anxiety – and the cycle continues as does our loss of sleep.

Medical Conditions: Chronic pain is the most likely offender to interfere with sleep. It is all too common for my clients to explain and inability to get comfortable and fall asleep. If they finally do fall asleep, they are awakened with discomfort and unable to get back to sleep. A cycle begins, lack of sleep exacerbates pain and pain interferes with sleep.

Medications: Many people do not realize that even common medications can disturb sleep. Some antidepressants, blood pressure medications, allergy medication, steroids, and even over-the-counter medication can disturb sleep. The more medication you take, the more likely you are to experience insomnia caused by medication side effects.

Lifestlye: Never underestimate the choices we make on a daily basis that affect a good night’s sleep. Eating too late, eating too much, drinking alcohol, or consuming caffeine late in the afternoon all negatively impact sleep.


Treatment from the Western Approach: Traditional western medicine focuses on treating the symptom (loss of sleep), and often does so through the use of prescription or over-the-counter medications to induce sleep.

In fact, the use of prescription sleep aids doubled from 2000-2004 and the number of children under the age of 18 who were prescribed sleep medications skyrocketed 85% in the same period.

This approach focuses on symptom resolution without addressing the imbalance creating the symptom. While sleep medications can be very effective in inducing sleep, they stop working when you stop taking them, and long-term is habit-forming. This only reinforces the insomnia cycle.

Eastern Perspective: Traditional Chinese Medicine breaks insomnia into four types: “Difficult to sleep” – inability to fall asleep; “early awake” – those who fall asleep but wake repeatedly throughout the night; “light sleep” – those who never achieve a deep sleep or who are disrupted by dreams or nightmares; and “awake all night” – the most serious and often most complex type, refers to patients who lie awake the entire night. Let’s take a deeper look at 3 of the 5 most common types of insomnia in Chinese Medicine:

Stagnation of Liver Qi Transforming into Liver Fire: This is an excess pattern, where the primary cause is prolonged emotions such as anger, suppressed depression, shock or worry creating stagnation of liver qi (energy). This describes the “difficult to fall asleep” pattern.

There is an inability to fall asleep, possibly taking hours, and maybe followed by vivid dreams. Other symptoms that can accompany this pattern include red burning eyes, frequent tension headaches, a quick temper, and/or irritability.

Disturbance of Phlegm-Heat

This excess pattern is due to poor lifestyle choices such as over-eating or over-drinking and is seen in patients whose diets have become habitually unhealthy. These cases usually have a pre-existing deficiency of spleen qi (energy), creating metabolic or digestive impairments.

Hyperactivity of Fire Due to Yin Deficiency

This deficiency pattern is unfortunately very common. This pattern accounts for the “early awake” and “light sleep” types. Patients with this pattern feel nervous, often experience various anxiety disorders and/or chronic worry, and wake with racing thoughts.

Treatment from the Eastern Approach

Traditional Chinese medicine and Acupuncture seek to restore balance to the body and resolve insomnia from a systematic perspective. Acupuncture has been proven to be greatly effective in the treatment of insomnia.

In 2004, the NIH found patients with insomnia and anxiety disorders treated with acupuncture increased nighttime melatonin production and total sleep time. In addition, those who received acupuncture also fell asleep faster, were less aroused at night, and were less stressed.

When treating insomnia, acupuncture targets points that have strong sedating qualities (points on the wrist, ear and between the eyebrows). When these points are needed, the brain releases natural opiates; patients feel calm, relaxed and often fall asleep in the treatment room.

They wake to feel relaxed and refreshed. Acupuncture is also effective in treating those conditions that are cyclic in nature with insomnia. Its effects are widely hailed in treating chronic pain and reducing overall stress. Acupuncture restores emotional ease and promotes restful sleep.

The real beauty of acupuncture is in its practice of treating the root cause of the imbalance. Acupuncture can nourish and balance the organ systems restoring qi, blood and yin and eliminating disease patterns. As you get relief from insomnia, you are also correcting a dis-ease state and creating a healthier, insomnia-free future.

We work with patients every day who are suffering from insomnia and other variations of health issues who have searched for answers and relief from the Western Medicine perspective without avail.

Using our integrative approach, blending Eastern and Western philosophies and treatment strategies we offer solutions to your underlying conditions and help you regain control of your good health.

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