Many people, including small children, suffer from some sleep dysfunction. Many of us either have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, resulting in fewer than six hours of sleep per night, which is often associated with low-grade chronic inflammation.
This inadequate rest can impair our ability to think, to handle stress, to maintain a healthy immune system, and to moderate our emotions. Poor sleep is also correlated with heart disease, hypertension, weight gain, diabetes, and a wide range of psychiatric disorders including depression and anxiety.
Research shows that poor sleep – less than 6 hours per night – significantly increases the risk of poor health conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and autoimmune disease.
As you may know, there are many nutrients that can boost your immune system. These include vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, echinacea, elderberry, and the list goes on.
But here’s something you may not know. You can take all those nutrients by the fistful, but if your liver is clogged up, you will still suffer from a sluggish immune system!
According to Chinese medicine, each organ has a time of the day/night where it does its thing, and waking between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. is “liver time.” During the night, the liver is busy rebuilding the body and cleansing it of accumulated toxins. The liver is most active between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., often peaking at 3 a.m. When you wake at this time, it often reflects an overload in body’s ability to detoxify from toxins or emotions like anger, frustration, or resentment.
Liver-trigger awakenings are often accompanied by a feeling of grogginess, and many find it easier to fall back asleep.
Here’s the bottom line…
Poor and/or lack of sleep leads to poor liver function which leads to a sluggish immune system. Therefore getting your Zzzs are vital for optimal health.
So, what can you do?
- Sip teas: lavender, chamomile and peppermint (preferably organic)
- Apply essential oils, topically, to liver area: peppermint, German chamomile, lavender and ylang ylang (use organic and/or wild crafted, therapeutic grade essential oils)
Sweet dreams!
Adapted from Vibrant Blue Oils, Dr. Frank Shallenberger