Optimize Your Health & Wellness With The Chinese Body Clock (Part 3)

The Chinese body clock is built on the concept of qi (energy or vital force).

During 24 hours qi is thought to move in two-hour intervals throughout the body.
Every two hours represent an organ.

Continuing from our last post – let’s see where you can make some changes to optimize your health and wellness today!

7pm-9pm Pericardium:
The pericardium supports the heart function.
This is a good time for self-care and spending quality time with loved ones.
Take a shower or bath after a long day, relax, wind down for sleep, meditate, read or do some gentle stretching.
This is the best time to conceive.

9pm-11pm San Jiao Time:
The ideal time to go to sleep (in an ideal world).
This is the time for endocrine and metabolic regulation, so we can conserve energy for the next day.
Turn off electronics and sleep with your phone on do-not-disturb or airplane mode.
Allow your body to relax, rest and unwind.

11pm-1am Gallbladder Time:
Sleeping during this time is very important.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the gallbladder is related to decision making. If you are having difficulty making decisions in any area of your life, you may also be struggling to sleep during this time.

1am-3am Liver Time:
Deep sleep is crucial at this time.
The liver plays a vital role in detoxifying the body, cleansing the blood and processing emotions. If you find yourself waking up at this time, your liver needs balancing.
Things that could contribute to liver imbalance are high levels of stress, an unhealthy diet consisting of a lot of junk food or over consumption of alcohol.
The liver in traditional Chinese medicine helps us plan and get things done.
Emotions that may affect the liver are things like anger, suppressed anger, irritability, long standing resentment and frustration.
Make time for yourself, reduce stress in your life, meditate, go for a massage or acupuncture, exercise, do what makes you happy and reduce your cortisol levels. Focus on a healthy diet and reduce alcohol intake.

3am-5am Lung Time:
It is still ideal for you to be sleeping during this time.
During sleep we process our day and enrich our bodies with oxygen through gentle breathing.
The lungs in traditional Chinese medicine are responsible for respiration, to move energy through the body and to keep the immune system strong.
If you find yourself frequently waking at this time, you may have an imbalance in your lung energy. There might be long standing grief and sadness that needs to be resolved.
It is the ideal time to meditate and practice deep breathing.

I am very aware that we are living in a modern and busy time, with family commitments, deadlines, and unforeseen circumstances. Using the Chinese body clock offers you the opportunity to learn how to make small changes or adjustments to your daily schedule, to support any imbalances that you can identify for yourself. You might want to schedule an appointment with a doctor of oriental medicine if you find yourself being too overwhelmed.