Have you ever wondered why you always seem to be waking up during the night at particular times?
And it’s not just an odd night here and there. After a while you begin to realise you’re waking up again and again, the nights of sleeping through a distant memory. You start to look at the clock and find it’s always at the same time – 2:55am or between certain hours like 4am to 5am. You’re not drinking coffee late in the afternoon, you’ve cut down on your much loved sugars and you’re fairly active during the day (incidentally if you are drinking coffee all afternoon and you’re dipping into refined sugars, consider stopping and then see how you sleep!). Sure, life’s a bit stressful but how is it that it’s always 2:55am?!
Those who use Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) would tell you “that’s easy – look at the Chinese Medicine ‘Meridian Clock’”. It’s one of my favourite tools to use in Kinesiology. The great thing about the Meridian Clock is you don’t have to be a Kinesiologist or a practitioner of TCM to understand it or gain insight from it. Here’s a basic explanation to get you started.
What’s your time?
Firstly, have a look at the clock above and find the time you’re waking up. Take note of the name that sits directly beneath it. For example, if you’re waking between 1am and 3am then you would look at the information about the Liver meridian. Don’t worry – it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with your liver, it’s just the way they’re named in English.
14 major meridians – our electrical system
There are 14 major meridians or flows of an energy substance (you may have heard of Qi/Ch’i which sustains life) with 12 of them sitting within the 24 hour clock. All are constantly flowing with energy from your environment and penetrating your body through your skin, central nervous system and organs. These portals on the skin are what acupuncture and acupressure use. Each has a two hour period where they are the primary meridian. Each meridian is linked to particular parts of the body, mechanisms of the body, other meridians, thoughts and emotions, colour, sound, seasons and other spiritual aspects. They’re also partnered together as Yin (receiving energy) and Yang (expressing energy) of an element – Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire.
Think of it like electrical circuits – when the energy of a meridian is not flowing well due to a block (like stress), you’ll find that you’ll experience a sign or symptom from the meridian(s) involved. This block will also cause an imbalance in the flows between meridians. So when waking up in the night at the same time, or becoming exhausted with 3:30-itis in the afternoon, you can look at the meridian at work and what may be happening with you. Here’s a list of the basic emotions of each element (the ring below the meridians).
- Earth – Empathy, sympathy, balanced giving and receiving
- Metal – Grief and loss
- Water – Fear and anxiety
- Wood – Anger, frustration and resentment
- Fire – Love, hate and joy
What now?
Self reflection people! It can be quite simple; you just need to stop and listen. Your body is trying to tell you something by waking you up at the same time. Back to our previous example, if your time is the Liver meridian and the Wood element – ask yourself “What am I angry or frustrated at?” Or think of the Liver organ and apply this to your life “What is toxic in my life that I need to get rid of?” Perhaps you have symptoms that your digestive system is not working so well?
I’ll leave you with this as food for thought. Spend some time to reflect on your life and what’s keeping you awake based on the ancient wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I will cover this in more detail in the next post Why You Wake Up At The Same Time Every Night (Part II). If you’re having trouble falling asleep at night, have a read through the Sanctuary of Sleep Series Part One Sleep & Stress: Why You Can’t Fall Asleep
If you’d like to read more about Traditional Chinese Medicine start with ‘The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine’ by Ted Kaptchuk.
This post is the first instalment of a series I’ll be writing on Traditional Chinese Medicine and how you can use it to help you in daily life. Easy!
Why You Wake Up by Kate Pamphilon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
CJ says
Morning. I am also awake at 4 am most days. I see it says grief and loss. I also lost my best friend to cancer and have a lot of family drama. Coupled with work stress. I keep saying I will do yoga. I think it’s a must before bed. To de stress, focus. And maybe even forgive.
It’s hard but when I saw the chart if I am reading it correctly– 4 am is grief.
Do we read it like a clock? 12 onward.
As the numbers repeat itself. Thanks
Kate says
Yes, you’re right CJ – 4am is Lung time. The article helps explain the clock correlations. I think yoga before bed is a beautiful idea. There are specific poses for sleep x kp
Kate says
As your needs are quite complex, it would be very beneficial to work with a practitioner who works with the body and the TCM clock – either kinesiology or acupuncture or a Chinese Medicine Doctor. Have you tried any complementary medicine modalities to work along with your specialist? xkp
adrian vazquez says
hello, i have been waking up at 5 am recently and i’m not sure why. i read that it might be from loss, but i don’t remember anyone close to me or someone i loved that passed away recently. someone who i do have in mind tho, is my sister in law’s dad who recently just passed away from pancreatic cancer, but the thing is, last year for almost 5 months straight i woke up in the early morning, around 5 am everyday also, and i don’t remember anyone who passed away before that time.
Michelle says
For over nine years I wake at the same time of an attack break in,,, 2.50am,,,I was also any years unable to get to sleep,now that time is gone it’s a 1.25am. And I found out I have head blockages so I am treating with o2 pressure therapy and spiritual healing. Dam it’s a constant recovery being who I am today, yesterday. And seek futureto balance me.
Jayleen says
…idk i just cant seem to find peace…i have been dreaming of becoming a famous singer like Ariana or someone else..but whenever i say this in public my mom doesnt want me to become a singer..somehow she doesnt believe in me..ueah yeah ofc i wont become a famous singer i know..but maybe i can try and prove them…i keep thinking about my future i am 14 now and i am so worried that i will never reach my goals..i want to be an actress also but still my parents say that that is stupid to be honest they are right…i am worthless such a human like me cant be someone famous or special…
Truly T says
I keep waking up at 4:30 or 5pm every night and when I wake up I feel really really hot, especially around my chest area. I have recently have had pneumonia and a bit of bronchitis so I am wondering if it’s because of that. The sleep chart at that time says that it is my lung and esophagus, which would sound just about right with my pneumonia. That category is also the emotion of loss or grief. I haven’t had anyone close to be pass away lately but I do have a family member that is an addict in heavy drugs and my family and I are watching him throw his life away. It has been a constant struggle for years now and his health is at risk and it’s sad but no one can help him and he doesn’t want to him himself. I really need to get my sleep back it is effecting my energy level.
Christene says
I wake up every morning at 530 I see it says kidney water what does that mean exactly
Webmaster says
5:30am is Large Intestine Meridian, not Kidney :o) Have a look at the key concepts in both articles for LI and Metal Element x
Shon says
Hi I can’t sleep, really awake at 1am-2am
What sort of blockage could this be ?
I find it hard to get up early in the mornings also.