P. Sze 
Imagine Drifting Through the Night and Waking Rested, Calm, and Clear
We’ve all been there. You slip into bed, drift off easily, and then—bam—you’re wide awake at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., staring at the ceiling. Sometimes you fall back asleep, other times the night feels endless. For many, especially in their 60s and beyond, waking in the night becomes more common and more frustrating.
Western medicine often blames stress, aging, or hormones. But Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a deeper, body-wide perspective—one that connects the organs, mind, and rhythms of nature. When we weave modern science together with TCM wisdom, we begin to see why we wake at night and, more importantly, what gentle steps we can take to restore rest.
Below, we’ll explore the most common causes of broken sleep—stress, digestion, aging, hormones, and timing—through the TCM lens. Along the way, you’ll find calming rituals, acupressure points, and food choices that help the body return to balance.
Stress and the Busy Mind
Few things sabotage sleep more than stress. According to Ms. Mai, our in-house TCM therapist:
“Stress and excessive thinking can cause Qi stagnation, which leads to insomnia. When the Kidney and Heart are weakened, the body cannot properly nourish itself with fluids. This imbalance creates internal heat, which further disrupts sleep.”
The result? You lie awake with a racing mind, unable to settle.
Evening Ritual to Try: Before bed, try massaging your feet with warm oil or pressing calming acupoints such as Yongquan (KI-1, sole of the foot) or Shenmen (HT-7, on the wrist crease). Add slow breathing and the gentle scent of lavender or sandalwood to signal to your nervous system that it’s time to unwind.
Science Sidebar: Chronic stress raises levels of cortisol, the body’s “alert” hormone. High cortisol late in the day interferes with melatonin, the hormone that signals sleep. Simple rituals that lower heart rate and calm the nervous system—like acupressure and slow breathing—help cortisol drop, clearing the way for restful sleep.
Waking at 2 or 3 A.M.
This is perhaps the most universal frustration. You’re asleep one moment, then suddenly awake in the middle of the night.
Ms. Mai explains:
“As we age, Kidney function tends to weaken. This decline can reduce vitality and disrupt the smooth flow of Qi, leading to waking in the middle of the night. A weakened Kidney may also cause frequent urination or generate heat that disturbs the Heart.”
What Helps:
- Keep a glass of room-temperature water by your bed (avoid ice water).
- Support Kidney energy with warming, nourishing foods such as black beans, walnuts, and sesame seeds.
- If you wake, gently press Baihui (GV-20, crown of the head) to calm the mind before trying to drift back to sleep.
Science Sidebar: With age, the body produces less vasopressin, a hormone that helps us concentrate urine overnight. This can lead to waking for bathroom trips. At the same time, age-related changes in the brain’s sleep center reduce deep sleep. Supporting hydration, warmth, and relaxation can counteract these shifts.
Digestion and Nighttime Sleep
Have you ever noticed sleep is lighter when you eat late or heavy? In TCM, this is tied to the Spleen and Stomach.
Ms. Mai notes:
“When the Spleen becomes weak, digestion and absorption are impaired, leading to a deficiency of Qi and Blood needed to sustain restful sleep. It’s best to have dinner at least three hours before bedtime and choose foods that are easy to digest.”
Simple Shifts:
- Finish dinner early in the evening.
- Choose cooked root vegetables, legumes, pumpkin, or corn.
- Avoid rich, greasy meals or late-night snacking.
Science Sidebar: When digestion is still active at bedtime, blood flow is directed to the gut instead of allowing the brain to transition into deeper sleep stages. Late-night eating also raises blood sugar and insulin, which can trigger nighttime awakenings.
Aging, Hormones, and Yin Deficiency
For many in their 60s and beyond, broken sleep is not just about stress or food—it’s also about the natural shifts in hormones and Yin energy.
Ms. Mai recommends:
“Take a warm bath at around 40°C (104°F) for about 15 minutes, finishing at least 90 minutes before bedtime. During the day, drink plenty of non-diuretic fluids such as water or barley tea, and avoid iced drinks, which can chill the body.”
Why This Works: A warm bath mimics the body’s natural temperature drop at night, signaling sleep. Warm fluids restore Yin, cooling internal heat that can otherwise rise and disturb the Heart.
Science Sidebar: As estrogen and testosterone decline with age, the brain’s regulation of body temperature and sleep becomes less stable. Warm baths help trigger the body’s cooling response, while proper hydration prevents the nighttime spikes in core temperature that wake us up.
Waking at the Same Time Every Night
Some people find they always wake up at the same time—like 1:00 a.m. or 3:00 a.m.—as though on schedule. In TCM, this is explained by the Body Clock, which maps each organ to a two-hour window of peak activity. If you wake during the same window, it suggests that organ may be under strain.
But here’s the important part: the foods Ms. Mai recommends aren’t meant as midnight snacks—they’re foods you can include in your daytime meals to gently strengthen that organ system over time. By supporting the organ in its active window, you reduce the chance of it disturbing your sleep later.
- 11:00 p.m.–1:00 a.m. (Gallbladder): Goji berries nourish both the Liver and Gallbladder, helping them process fats and emotions more smoothly.
- 1:00–3:00 a.m. (Liver): Leafy greens, mushrooms, seaweed, and sour-flavored foods cool internal heat and support detoxification, easing restlessness.
- 3:00–5:00 a.m. (Lung): Moistening foods like pears, yam, and daikon radish soothe dryness that can trigger coughing or shallow breathing at night.
- 5:00–7:00 a.m. (Large Intestine): Fiber-rich and fermented foods promote healthy elimination, preventing sluggish mornings and keeping the digestive rhythm strong.
“According to TCM, waking at a specific time of night suggests that the corresponding organ is weakened during its active period. Supporting those organs with the right foods can help,” says Ms. Mai.
Science Sidebar: Modern research shows our organs do follow circadian rhythms—liver detox enzymes peak overnight, the lungs shift in breathing strength before dawn, and the gut prepares for elimination in the early morning. By eating foods that match each organ’s function, you’re working with the body’s rhythm instead of against it.
Gentle Acupressure for Seniors
If you wake and struggle to return to sleep, Ms. Mai recommends a few gentle points you can press in bed:
- Shenmen (HT-7, on the wrist crease) – calms the mind
- Neiguan (PC-6, inner forearm) – soothes anxiety
- Guanyuan (Ren-4, lower abdomen) – restores core energy
Try slow, steady pressure for 1–2 minutes on each point while breathing deeply.
The TCM Way of Seeing Sleep
Western medicine often explains insomnia as a problem with the nervous system. TCM sees it differently. As Ms. Mai puts it:
“While Western medicine often explains sleep problems as a disturbance of the autonomic nervous system, Traditional Chinese Medicine views them as imbalances in Yin and Yang, Qi, Blood, and Body Fluids, or as disharmonies within the internal organs.”
This perspective doesn’t replace science—it complements it. By looking at the whole person, not just the symptom, TCM offers practical, gentle ways to restore balance and help us sleep through the night.
Takeaway
Whether it’s stress, digestion, aging, or simply waking at the same time every night, TCM reminds us that sleep problems are not random. Each cause has a root—and with small, thoughtful shifts, you can reclaim the rest your body deeply needs.
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