Do you suffer from insomnia when the seasons change? This "fragrance thing" will help you sleep until dawn
Recently, friends have come to me one after another and asked me: What should I do if I have insomnia during the change of seasons?
The so-called seasonal insomnia is generally like this: I am very sleepy, but as soon as I lie in bed, I start thinking about it, and I can’t fall asleep. Even if I barely fall asleep, I have a lot of dreams. Feeling groggy when you wake up in the morning...
When encountering this situation, I don’t recommend that you just take various dietary remedies. Because from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, there are many causes of insomnia. Blindly choosing one without distinguishing the situation will easily harm the body.
So today, I want to share with you a sleep-aid method that can be used by almost everyone regardless of physical constitution - scenting medicine.
"Smelling the fragrance
is actually a whole-body sleep-aid spa"
The so-called fragrant medicines are spices and medicines. General term. Compared with dietary therapy, this method of smelling aromatic medicine to aid sleep is more targeted and safer.
Because no matter what food or medicine is used to aid sleep, it requires a process of digestion and absorption after entering the body, and some of the nutrients in the medicinal materials may be lost.
Moreover, people are also worried that sleep-inducing foods or drugs will have side effects and harm the body.
Smelling fragrance is different. It can penetrate the effective volatile oils in the fragrance into the body through breathing and skin. It is equivalent to a sleep-aid spa for the whole body, which can directly regulate our sleep center. .
Breathing: Breathe medicinal gas through the nose to regulate the body. This is the "nasal sniffing method" commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Because after the medicinal gas is inhaled through the nose, it can be quickly absorbed by the nasal mucosa, enter the body, travel through the twelve meridians, and regulate the qi and blood throughout the body.
Skin: Fragrant plants, their effects basically come from their own volatile oils.
Volatile oil can produce a "transdermal effect", which means that the aroma can penetrate the active ingredients of plants into the skin, and the skin is the second largest respiratory system of the human body, and we will feel like we are in a In a soothing environment~
And because the smell of fragrance is relatively less irritating to the body, basically, except for pregnant mothers, friends with respiratory diseases or skin allergies, it can be used for a long time and is very safe.
"About the choice of fragrance
I have three principles"
Having said this, some friends may ask: Then What perfume should I choose to smell? I will have three principles:
The effect of fragrant medicine should be mainly "soothing"
"Soothing" is a commonly used method in traditional Chinese medicine to regulate insomnia. It can soothe yang. gas.
The aroma of many soothing herbs, such as agarwood, goes downwards. This "sink" can pull our active yang energy downwards, so when we smell agarwood, we will feel impetuous. Emotions can be stabilized.
The main reason for insomnia during the change of seasons is that Yang Qi is too active.
Because from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, sleep is "when yang enters yin, you sleep", which means that at night, the yang and yin in our bodies must merge with each other before we can fall asleep. But when the seasons change, the active yang energy often disrupts the fusion, so everyone is prone to insomnia.
People with insomnia are more recommended to smell "natural fragrance"
I suggest that you smell the aroma of perfume directly, such as sachets and incense sticks.
They are made directly from natural fragrances without going through an in-depth extraction process, which is more suitable for many friends who are sensitive to smells.
Because the aroma it emits is closer to the smell of the plant itself, neither strong nor light, not too irritating, it can slowly soothe your mood quietly.
As for processed and concentrated essential oils, it actually only extracts the essence of a certain part of the plant. It cannot completely retain the original flavor of the plant, so it will smell slightly different from the smell of the plant itself. Generally Need to be diluted before use.
I recommend using essential oils for massage. Because their aroma and volatile oil are richer and more penetrating, they directly act on the skin and have better effects on corresponding acupuncture points and diseases.
When the seasons change from winter to spring, you should choose "smell without fire"
Among the various fancy ways of smelling fragrance, when the seasons change from winter to spring, I most recommend that you choose sachets .
Because spring is a good time for liver qi to slowly wake up and begin to become luxuriant, it will drive the qi and blood in the human body to start flowing out. Some friends with sensitive constitutions or weak bodies will suffer from internal qi and blood. It goes by too fast and feels "dry".
At this time, it is not recommended to smell burning incense. Like me, I have a lot of anger. I have bought a lot of scented candles recently. When I smelled it, I obviously found that the area around my nose was a little dry. After replacing it with a homemade sachet, I felt much better.
I would recommend you to use fire-based aromatherapy in humid and cold weather. It also has a certain dehumidifying effect.
"Let's make a soothing paper sachet together"
Based on the above three principles, I have paired a paper sachet to help you sleep. The sachet is named "Sweet Dream" because its aroma has a hint of sweetness.
This small paper sachet is also called bunxiang. It originally came from the pleasure of the nobles of Japan during the Heian period. It was a sachet that was sent along with the letter.
In this way, the person receiving it will also feel happy. If you go to Kyoto now, you can still see paper sachets like this for sale in some old stores~
In addition to placing them next to your pillow, you can also put them next to your pillow when you take a nap in the studio during the day. On the table, in this way, you can smell the aroma during nap, and your sleep will become very sweet.
In the sachet, the medicinal herbs I use mainly include cypress seeds, nocturnal vine, polygala root, calamus, lavender, and albizia julibrissin. They all have a soothing effect.
Cypress seed, Nocturnal vine, Polygala and Acorus are all the roots and seeds of plants.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the nature and flavor of plant fragrances are related to their parts. The further down, the thicker and more profound the smell will be, the more melodious the aroma will be, and the slower it will spread. It is also longer lasting and suitable for use as a sleep aid.
Bai Ziren: It has the effect of nourishing the heart. "Medicine and Medicine" says that its "fragrance penetrates the heart" and can soothe impetuous emotions.
Nocturnal Vine: It is the stem of Polygonum multiflorum. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that it "can cure sleepless nights". It is very suitable for people who think too much at night and can't fall asleep no matter what. Polygala: "Famous Doctors" says that it "calms the heart" and has a very good effect on calming the heart. Acorus calamus: The Qing Dynasty medical book "Chongqingtang Essays" believes that it "soothes the heart, smoothes the mind, makes the mood happy, and benefits the mind", and has a strong regulating effect on the heart.
In addition, I also paired it with flowers such as albizia and lavender. The fragrance of the flowers will be lighter, mainly going upwards, and it has the effect of sorting out liver qi.
As auxiliary medicinal materials, their main function is to help break the stasis of liver qi that has been depressed for a winter, so that it can be expressed smoothly in early spring.
Albizia Julibrissin: "Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine" records that it "can harmonize the mind", and "Chinese Herbal Medicine" says that it "relieves depression and calms the mind", and can regulate both mental uneasiness and liver-qi stagnation at once.
Lavender: The ancients also called it Lingling grass, and it has always been a commonly used herb to aid sleep.