Sleep Hygiene
There are different facets to sleep hygiene that can improve overall health. One aspect is making the bedroom more conducive to deep and healthy sleep. We can imagine that we will sleep better without having the TV on, not having books in bed with us, and not having the light on. If the parking lot light is coming in through the window, or your bedroom is facing toward a bright traffic pattern, use dark blinds to block that light.
There was a sleep study where the subject’s room was perfectly dark, but then the researchers used a red laser light to disrupt their sleep. The researchers shined it on the subject’s leg and they got a much less comfortable night’s sleep than when they were just in the dark. Even just a little pinhole of light was affecting people’s sleep. Another aspect to deep sleep is to avoid caffeine before bed, after 2:00 p.m. or anytime in the afternoon.
Taoist practices like the six healing sounds release excess energy from the organs and the brain. Taoist yoga can slow down the heart, deepen the breathing, and help the nervous system relax. The microcosmic orbit meditation smooths out the flow of energy through the body and fill the acupuncture meridians with balanced energy.