5 Ways to improve your sleep and fertility while trying to conceive (ttc)
Are busy thoughts, anxiety and restlessness keeping you up at night? You know that needing a good night’s sleep is important for health and wellbeing, especially when trying to conceive. But that’s not so easy when your mind is racing, full of to-do’s and what-if’s at 3 in the morning. Maybe there doesn’t seem to be any reason at all, yet the 7-8 hours of sleep needed a night are eluding you.
Lack of sleep can be so debilitating, and a catch 22 situation. A good night’s sleep is needed to build your body’s resources for pregnancy. Yet day after day of not getting a good night sleep leads to feeling exhausted, stressed and anxious, along with all the other symptoms of lack of sleep:
- Lack of mental clarity
- Poor concentration and fogginess
- Becoming less resilient to life’s stressors
- Less tolerant, more grumpy and irritable
Life becomes so much less enjoyable!
The reason why women experience insomnia during fertility issues varies according to underlying causes. According to Chinese Medicine, one of the more common causes is a lack of blood or yin energy in the body. There are many reasons of course, however these are common in women.
Let me briefly explain the significance of Blood and Yin.
Blood
In Chinese Medicine, good quality blood that is infused with qi is an important factor in our ability to conceive. Blood is the source of the proper functioning of our body. We need well nourished, rich blood for pregnancy. It is good quality blood that gives us a good night sleep, balanced emotions and a healthy menstrual cycle.
There are so many symptoms women experience if they do not have good quality blood – PMS, insomnia, exhaustion, anxiety are just a few that can be attributed to the lack of quality blood.
We can tell if our blood is well nourished by examining our menstrual cycle. It is our monthly report card that can tell us a great deal about our reproductive health. You can learn about this in depth, in our Get your Body Baby Ready – Intensive Masterclass.
Yin
Yin of the body often declines the older we get. However, we can also use up yin energy rapidly depending on our lifestyle. This especially applies to professional women working long hours at a computer in an air-conditioned office.
Yin is the substance of the body – the blood, tissue and muscle. It is the cooling, moistening aspects of our body. If there is not enough yin, our body becomes dry and heat is created. As this heat is from a lack of yin substance, we need to nourish as well as cool.
How to build blood and yin in the body to improve sleep and fertility
If the blood and yin of the body are depleted, it takes time to rebuild. Some of the things you can do include:
1. Lifestyle Changes
Our lifestyle can be a challenge. In modern society, we as women often wear many hats – the work hat, the household hat, the ‘when are you going to have children?-hat’, to name a few. Sitting in front of screens deplete our yin, as do being in air conditioning or artificial heating. Often we need to examine our lifestyle to see if it is conducive to allowing rest and replenishment. We may need to slow down and be reflective on what our lifestyle is doing to our health and make the necessary changes.
2. Diet
We can build up blood and yin of our body through diet. Animal products are the quickest way to build blood. However there are also lots of vegetarian foods that will build blood and yin, such as barley, sweet potato, mung beans, beetroot and avocado, to name a few. Although plant based foods take a lot longer to replenish depleted yin and blood.
3. Herbal tonics
Tonics slowly build up the body’s blood and yin. They work when taken consistently over time. Chinese medicine is a longevity medicine aimed at keeping the body nourished and well balanced. It has many tonics to replenish and restore the yin of our body.
4. Start with creating a good sleep routine.
Turn off screens a few hours before bed. Light affects your body’s biological clock, known as the circadian rhythm. Exposing yourself to blue light from the screens of computers, TV’s, phones and tablets at night can affect how well you sleep. And try to be in bed before 10 pm. In Chinese Medicine it is said that “one hour’s sleep before midnight is worth two after midnight.”
5. Yin style exercise
There are different styles of exercise in Eastern traditions. Exercise such as tai chi, qi gong and yoga build the energy of the body. Yoga, such as restorative, yin yoga or nidra yoga are styles that are nurturing and nourishing. The same is true for many breathing practices such as Daoist breathing and pranayama.
Kickstart your fertility in 7 Days
So if those precious 7-8 hours a night keep eluding you and you’re struggling to conceive, try making some changes that will not only improve your fertility, but also benefit your whole wellbeing.
If you’re interested to learn more about powerful, practical ways to improve your fertility, naturally, check out our 7 day course, ‘Kickstart your Fertility in 7 Days’.
This course is an essential foundation to creating a healthy, balanced body and mind for fertility, and beyond.
You’ll learn a powerful 5 minute daily routine, that’s simple and easy, so that anyone can do it. Follow it step-by-step, over 7 days, to naturally restore your balance and rejuvenate your fertility.
