Do you always wake up at the same time at night? This may be due to the so-called “Chinese organ clock”. Read here what your body is trying to tell you.
If you wake up at a certain time every night, regardless of your bedtime, you should take a closer look. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the body could use this to send important signals.
The so-called Chinese organ clock assigns a specific organ to each time of day and is one of the most important diagnostic instruments in TCM.
“Theoretically, there is something to the organ clock,” explains sleep doctor Dr. med. Michael Feld. “Just not quite as strict as stated in TCM teachings.”
The organ clock was developed over thousands of years by closely observing and documenting health problems within human cycles.
The focus of TCM is primarily on the symptoms that a patient shows and on the direct treatment of these. “This is where the fine feeling of acupuncture points comes from, as well as other TCM approaches – including the organ clock,” says the expert.
9-11 p.m.: This is the time of the triple heater, which is not an organ but, according to TCM, describes the interaction of the energy cycles that come to rest in the evening.
Blood pressure and pulse drop and the digestive organs enter the recovery phase. This is a good time to read or meditate.
If you go to bed early and keep waking up, you could be under pressure and should do something to combat stress and relax. Late meals can also disrupt sleep and should be avoided.
11 p.m. – 1 a.m.: Now the hour of the gallbladder has struck and it’s time to go to bed. Pulse, blood pressure and cortisol levels decrease and the skin regenerates.
What has a particularly negative effect is alcohol and heavy meals.
1-3 a.m.: During these hours, the liver detoxifies the body – if you drank too much in the evening, you’ll probably be tossing and turning in bed during this time.
Alcohol-free evenings and liver-supporting foods like green tea before bed work wonders.
3-5 a.m.: The lungs cleanse themselves – sleeping with the window open can support this process.
Anyone who often wakes up from their own cough during this time should consider how their lungs are doing: Are cigarettes or allergies possibly a problem? The body also alerts you to insufficient fluid intake by coughing.
5-7 a.m.: According to the Chinese organ clock, the body is already thinking about waking up and prepares the organism for this with increased cortisol release. This also stimulates the intestines, which drives many people to the toilet.
If you drink a glass of lukewarm water first thing in the morning, you can support your digestion and start the day with ease.
7-9 a.m.: Now the body is prepared to absorb food. TCM recommends a light, warm morning meal, for example porridge with cinnamon and fruit.
The focus should be on breakfast rather than negative news or preparing for the job. Then the day starts relaxed and full of energy.
“If you look at the organ clock, it is actually the case that there are certain associations with organ physiology at night,” explains Dr. Field. “For example, the liver has an increased metabolism at night – i.e. it works harder than during the day.”
According to the doctor, the organ clock has the right approach, but the times are assigned very strictly. “It’s not that precisely laid down in reality.”
The organ clock can actually provide clues to a health problem. However, there are other reasons why you always wake up at a certain time – Dr. Feld cites stress as the main reason.
“The body can also remember that it always wakes up at four o’clock, for example,” the expert explains. “Without any reason.”
However, organic reasons should not be ruled out. According to the doctor, these could be the following:
As long as you fall asleep again and there are no illnesses or severe daytime sleepiness, waking up regularly is, according to Dr. Incidentally, the field is only half as bad.
“However, if complications arise, you should get checked out by a sleep doctor,” he points out.
To get the most out of your night’s sleep, these simple rules will help, says Dr. Field.
The original for this post “You always wake up at the same time at night? That’s why” comes from FitForFun.
