Western medicine divides sleep into 5 phases that we cycle through every night. In phase 2 our breath becomes regular, our body temperature drops, and our heart rate slows. Phases 3 and 4 are known as deep sleep. Blood pressure drops to it's lowest levels, and breathing and brain activity slows further still. In Chinese medical speak, sleep is the time when yang qi that propels our daily activities and metabolism is embraced and enfolded by the coolness and quiet of the yin aspect of our nature. In a newly published book, Dr. Mark Lachs, director of geriatrics at the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System, discusses major influences on how well older people are able to function. The first, called physiologic reserve, refers to excess capacity in organs and biological systems that we are given at birth, and tends to decrease over time. A secret of successful aging is to slow down the loss of physiologic reserve. It is no surprise that along with diet and exercise one of the keys to maintaining physiological reserve is sleep. Phase 4 sleep is seen as being very restorative, a time when our body conserves energy, the brain is biochemically replenished, the nervous system recuperates, bones and muscles are built, and tissues regenerated. Simply put, Phase 4 sleep helps to protect our physiological reserve.
While using different language and viewing the body through a different lens, the ancient Chinese figured this out thousands of years ago. Jing or essence is explained as being our deeper energetic reserves. Prenatal essence is described as being innate at birth, finite in amount, and endowed to us from our parents. This prenatal essence is then reinforced or supplemented by what is called postnatal essence or qi. This essence is built through the food that we eat, air we breathe, and the exercise we engage in. If our diet and lifestyle are appropriate and we produce more qi than we consume during the day, the excess is in effect banked and stored as a supplement to our deeper energies. In the Chinese model, aging occurs when we are drawing down our essence or reserves at a faster rate than we are building them up.
There are many excellent resources available if you are chronically having a hard time sleeping well. My personal and clinical experience says that proper diet, exercise, and lifestyle behaviors with a short term assist from Chinese herbs and possibly acupuncture is a far superior alternative to over the counter or prescription sleeping medications. The earth is spinning. Enjoy it.
