Lifestyle Repair for Chronic Insomnia
1. Evening Wind-Down Ritual (Start by 8:30–9:00 PM)
Why: Your system is in a high-cortisol, sympathetic overdrive state. You need to cue safety and slowness.
How:
Dim the lights in your house by 9 PM. Avoid overhead LEDs — use amber or red bulbs if possible.
No screens after 9 PM. Blue light crushes melatonin. If you must, use red-tinted night mode apps or blue-blocker glasses.
If you're on your phone in bed, your nervous system thinks it's daytime. You won't sleep. Period.
2. Warm, Cooked, and Grounded Meals
Why: Puffy tongue, cracks, and slippery pulse = Spleen Qi not transforming. Cold/raw foods worsen the leak.
How:
Eat warm meals — stews, soups, roasted roots.
Avoid smoothies, salads, cold drinks, and raw fruit after noon.
Ginger tea is better than green juice right now.
3. 4-7-8 Breath Pattern (Vagus Nerve Reset)
Why: You’re locked in high alert. This brings the brake pedal online (parasympathetic).
How:
4 count inhale (through nose)
7 count hold
8 count exhale (slow, through mouth or nose)
Do 4–6 rounds right before bed. This directly signals “safety” to the brainstem.
4. Salted Warm Water Before Bed
Why: Your system is Yin-deficient and peeing at night. You’re not holding onto hydration.
How:
½ tsp Celtic sea salt + squeeze of lemon in warm water
Small sips between 8:30–9:30 PM
Avoid guzzling. This is not to hydrate — it’s to help your kidneys hold.
5. Gentle Yin Movement (6:00–8:00 PM Window)
Why: You have tight surface pulses, liver congestion, and stress signals in the hara. Movement unblocks the circuit.
How:
Yin yoga poses: seated forward fold, reclined twist, supported butterfly
Hold each for 2–5 minutes
Focus on exhaling and sinking. You are not "working out" — you are unwinding tension.
Optional Add-Ons:
Warm castor oil compress over belly (Ren4–Ren6) before bed
Stop caffeine by 11 AM
Avoid alcohol until sleep cycle is repaired
Get 10 minutes of natural light in your eyes before 9 AM daily — this sets your brain’s internal clock
