Boy, how important sleep is, and we know how rubbish most of us feel if we are deprived of it, or if it is interrupted. Quick recap on some of the things that are happening when we are asleep:

Sooze list 1

• Repairing of our immune system
• Slowing down of some major systems
• Circadian Rhythms regulated
• Homeostasis encouraged
• Waste clearance performed
• REM occurs controlled by the brain stem and did you know our CNS paralyzes our muscles so that we don’t physically act out our dreams? Although I would contest this, as my husband has been known to kick me during the night … well he tells me he is asleep!
• Melatonin is released as it responds to darkness and it is the hypothalamus and the pineal gland involved here
• Our Amygdala starts sussing out all the emotions and working out what has happened to us in our waking hours

As Duopody© Reflexors we need to find out and understand why our clients are struggling with sleep, and here is another list (I do like bullet points) of some potential reasons:

Sooze list 2

• Hormones or as one A&P teacher called them our ‘moaning whores’! During all life stages our hormones change, but tend to be particularly challenging during puberty, pregnancy and peri-menopause/andropause
• Age – It is well documented that teenagers require lots of sleep, and oldies apparently need less, although another contesting of this fact by me, because as I approach 70, I need more not less sleep than I did in my 20’s through to my 50’s! So I guess, this is a reminder that although I am making my beloved lists, it is always important to remember that we treat and work with individuals as individuals and we are definitely not all the same.
• Working shifts – what are they? There are many shift patterns and each will take its toll on circadian rhythms.
• Light – how much is there and is it natural or not
• Darkness – I taught a reflexology class for a College, and the room had no natural light. When I came out of that room it was onto a corridor with floor to ceiling windows and I physically felt my brain having a huge wobble as it calibrated that it was not night time, it was day light time. It was a very weird feeling and very real.

Clinical Application for Duopodists

So when we know what is happening physiologically during sleep we can use list 1 and pay focussed attention to each of the systems or particular body parts from this list. Be vigilant and record diligently any visual or tactile observations … maybe there is a pattern to be discovered.

I am sure that the majority if not all of you, will be asking your clients about their sleep patterns and using the Organ Clock that details the Chinese Meridians to assess which 2 hour ‘organ’ is affecting their sleep. Currently I have a stinker of a cold and a cough and I am waking each night at about 4 am. A no brainer that it is my lungs causing the disturbed sleep, but it is not always that straightforward and as a practitioner you need to investigate all the body bits linked by a particular meridian. Always ask questions ~ not because you are nosy, but because you are a Health Detective and it is so beneficial if root causes to health patterns can be discovered!

Investigating the Patterns

So Sooze list 1 is simple to follow, but Sooze list 2 not so straightforward to unravel and being a Health Detective comes back into play. I had lots of clients who worked shifts and they were all fascinating because of this. The changes to systems was incredible and you just have to ask questions, delve deep into their lifestyle and life patterns, ask some more questions.

For example, a nurse who worked a shift pattern of 4 days 2 pm to 10 pm, 4 days off, then 10 pm to 6 am, 4 days off and then 6 am to 2 pm, 4 days off. Her menstrual cycle was ‘all over the place’ and she and her partner were desperate to achieve a 1st pregnancy, but 2 years later … still trying. We talked in depth about her periods and she agreed to keep a diary of dates, start of bleed, light/heavy, end etc., and it included the dates of the ovulation dull ache she was always aware of a couple of weeks before her period began. It took probably about 6 months, but then a pattern appeared and it was linked to which shift she was working when she experienced ovulation pain! What happened I hear you ask! We scheduled her appointments around this shift/ovulating time and every day, she ‘rubbed’ her ovary reflected areas on her hands doing clockwise circles, to reflect the energising effect of using CALM technique … and within 8 weeks she was experiencing a period every 28 days, and yes, happy days because they had their much wished for pregnancy another few months further along.

Another client was much, much simpler to find the root cause of poor sleep. He didn’t like to close his curtains, and there was a very bright street lamp right outside his bedroom window. It hadn’t occurred to him that his body was not producing enough melatonin to promote sleep patterns because it responds to darkness, and that his body was unable to repair and regulate as it should, but after understanding these basics and a quick visit to a shop to buy blackout blinds, he was snoring like the proverbial!

We are used to thinking outside the box aren’t we? As always, amass all the facts, put on your deerstalker and pick up your pipe, the must haves for health detecting! Then relish exploring what may be happening that is resulting in poor sleep habits. Then enjoy the happy client who is again able to replenish and rejuvenate from having decent sleep.

Next subject we explore is dementia and Alzheimers disease in particular. And for now … I’m off for some zzzzz’s … see you next month ~ Sooze (or should that be snooze for this month?!)