Have Your Best Day Using the TCM Body Clock

Why do I always wake around 3:00 am?  Why is it so difficult to get up in the mornings?  Why is it harder to fall asleep after a large dinner?  While googling these questions yields interesting reasons, such as stress, supernatural powers, or demonic possession, they can also be answered with the traditional Chinese medicine body clock.

The TCM body clock reflects the cyclical ebb and flow of energy in your body over a 24 hour period.  Energy moves in two hour intervals through each organ system.  From 3:00 am until 3:00 pm, the energy is focused in the outward moving organs whose functions reflect movement, digestion, and elimination.  From 3:00pm until 3:00 am, the energy moves inward to support the internal organs associated with rejuvenating and maintaining your body, such as filtering waste and cleansing.
 
                                                       Best time to...                                                                                                            Best time to...
3:00-5:00am  Lung                Sleep deeply                                           3:00-5:00pm  Bladder                   Drink tea and work
5:00-7:00am  L. Intestine    Wake and drink H2O                         5:00-7:00pm  Kidney                    Eat dinner
7:00-9:00am  Stomach         Eat breakfast                                         7:00-9:00pm  Pericardium         Go on a date
9:00-11:00am Spleen              Work and workout                            9:00-11:00pm Triple Warmer    Get ready for bed
11:00-1:00pm  Heart                Eat lunch with friends                     11:00-1:00am   Gallbladder          Be asleep
1:00-3:00pm   S. Intestine    Organize and problem solve        1:00-3:00am    Liver                        Sleep deep and dream



Tips based on the TCM body clock:

The chart shows the optimal time of each organ system.  Also, when one organ system is at its peak energy, the organ system 12 hours away is at its weakest.  The goal is to plan your daily activities to maximize an organ system’s energy while avoiding actions that strain the organ system on the opposite side of the spectrum.  Here are some lifestyle habits to help harmonize your energy:

·         Liver: During the night, the liver stores and detoxes the blood.  Too much alcohol, prescription drugs, or poor diet habits can overwhelm the Liver energy and cause you to wake during these hours.  The weakest organ at this time is the Small Intestine, which is responsible for the assimilation of key nutrients from food and drink.  Eating a heavy meal late at night means that food is not digested well and the Liver is less efficient at filtering the blood.  Therefore, the more time that passes between the last meal of the day and 1:00am, the better the Liver will be at accomplishing its functions.

·         Large Intestine: Make sure to give yourself enough time in the morning to allow for the normal elimination of the large intestine.  Going on a brisk walk and drinking lots of warm water help facilitate the process.

·         Stomach / Small Intestine: Try to eat heavier meals at breakfast and lunch to utilize the expanding and warming energy as it peaks at 12:00pm.  These earlier, larger meals help to deliver nutrients to the Small Intestine when it is strongest, aiding in digestion and absorption.

·         Kidney: The Kidney energy is aligned with the adrenal glands.  The adrenal glands secrete hormones that help us wake with energy in the mornings.  The Kidney energy is weakest from 5:00-7:00am, which can explain why people with depleted Kidney energy have a difficult time waking in the mornings.

Another way to maximize this energy is to incorporate acupuncture and Chinese herbs into your lifestyle.  Acupuncture and herbs can help to balance your energy, creating a smooth transition of energy within your day.