Sleep Problems in the Summer: What TCM Recommends

You know those nights: exhausted to the bone, but as soon as you lie down, sleep is out of the question. Your thoughts race, the heat is stifling, and you toss and turn until another hour has passed. In the morning, you get up as if you hadn't slept at all.

The old masters knew this phenomenon well. „When the spirit finds no home,“ they said, „it wanders through the night.“ In TCM, this has a name — Shen—Restlessness. And once you understand what's behind it, it's not nearly as mysterious as it seems at three in the morning.

It's not the heat that's keeping you awake. It's a ghost that's not allowed to rest in peace.

Not the HEAT keeps you awake. Rather, a SPIRIT, which is not allowed to land.

🌙 The Shen — your spirit, your consciousness

In Western medicine, sleep is a neurological process. Brain waves slow down, and the body regenerates.

In TCM, sleep is something different. Sleep is the moment when the Shen returns home.

„Shen“ is difficult to translate. The closest equivalents are: your spirit, your consciousness, your inner light. That which shines from your eyes when you are truly present. Presence. Clarity. That which makes you "you.".

And the Shen dwells in the heart.

He's active during the day. He sees through your eyes, thinks your thoughts, and feels your feelings. He's out there in the world, with you in everything you do.

At night, he is meant to rest. He withdraws. He sinks into his heart’s blood like a bird returning to its nest in the evening.

When the Shen is calm: deep sleep, peaceful dreams, and you wake up feeling refreshed.

When the Shen is restless: trouble falling asleep, racing thoughts, exhausting dreams—you wake up feeling as if you hadn't slept at all.

Summer is the time when Shen is most likely to become unbalanced.

🔥 What Happens to Your Sleep in the Summer

Summer belongs to the Fire element. Yang is at its peak. Everything wants to move outward, to expand, to radiate.

But that's exactly what becomes a problem at night.

The heat rises. Always.

That is its nature—in space, in the body, everywhere. Warm air rises. Heat in the body rises to the head.

And when the heat rises, it takes the Shen with it.

He cannot sink down. He cannot return to his heart. He remains up there—in his head, in his thoughts, agitated, restless, trapped.

The ancient texts teach: „When heat reaches the heart, the shen becomes restless.“

The nights are short.

In June, the sun doesn't set until around 9:30 p.m. It's light again at 5:00 a.m. Your body gets only a few hours of darkness—and darkness is the signal for melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Less darkness = less melatonin = the body doesn't know it's nighttime.

Heart Yin is depleted.

The Shen needs a home—a place where it can settle. This home is the heart-yin, the heart-blood—the substance, the depth, and the moisture of the heart.

In the summer, you lose substance through sweating. Every drop of sweat costs heart-qi. The nest becomes full of holes. And a bird cannot rest if its nest lacks substance.

Yang refuses to sink.

The evenings are long and inviting. Meeting up with friends, sitting outside, enjoying life. The Yang wants to go out—and you follow it, late into the night.

But the Shen needs time to settle down. It can't just come home at the push of a button. If you're still active at 11 p.m., you can't fall into a deep sleep by 11:15 p.m.

All of this sounds like old imagery. But modern science describes exactly the same processes—just in different words.

🔬 The West Bridge

What TCM has been doing for thousands of years „Shen—Restlessness Due to Heat“ In other words, modern medicine describes it as follows:

Thermoregulation. The body needs to lower its core temperature by 1–2 degrees to fall asleep. If the bedroom is too warm, it struggles all night long.

Melatonin. The sleep hormone is released in the dark. Long, bright summer evenings delay its production—the body thinks it's still daytime.

Sympathetic nervous system. Heat, late-night activity, and screen light keep the „fight-or-flight“ system active. The body is in alert mode—sleep is impossible.

Electrolytes. When you sweat, you lose minerals—magnesium, potassium, and sodium. A magnesium deficiency alone can cause sleep problems.

The solution for both worlds is the same: cooling. Substance. Rhythm.

🌿 The 3 Pillars of Summer Sleep

No sleep problem lasts forever.
You have a Shen who can't land.

And in order for him to land, he needs three things:

1. Cooling — so that the Shen can descend

As long as there is heat in your heart, your spirit will stay up. It can't sink because the heat keeps it aloft—like a hot-air balloon that can't land.

The old masters knew: „Cool the heart, and the mind will be at peace.“

Cooling from the inside:

Chrysanthemum tea — THE classic drink for summer nights. It cools the heart, clears the mind, and brings down the heat. Enjoy a cup after dinner. (See below for the recipe)
Peppermint — has a cooling effect due to its thermal properties, not because of its temperature. Can be enjoyed as tea or by adding fresh leaves to water.
watermelon — It cools and moisturizes. But don't use it right before bed — otherwise you'll have to go to the bathroom at night.
Cucumber — A glass of water with cucumber slices in the evening. Mild, cooling, refreshing.

Avoid after 6 p.m.:

Alcohol — Feels cooling, but warms the blood. Sleep becomes shallow and restless.
Spicy food — directs heat upward, exactly where the Shen shouldn't be.
Coffee — keeps the Shen awake, even if you don't realize it. The half-life is longer than you think.

Cooling from the outside:

Preparing the Bedroom — Keep the windows and curtains closed during the day to keep the heat out. Open the windows in the evening when it gets cooler.
Taking a lukewarm shower — Not ice-cold! That closes the pores too quickly, and the heat stays inside the body. Lukewarm water opens them, and the body cools down naturally.
Cooling Your Feet — Just before going to sleep, soak your feet in cool water. Or place a damp cloth on your forehead and wrists. This directs the heat downward—away from the head, away from the Shen.

But cooling alone isn't enough. The Shen also needs a place to stay.

2. Substance — so that the Shen can settle

Shen needs a home—a place where he can rest at night.

Imagine this: The Shen is like a bird. The heart-blood is its nest. If the nest is stable and soft, the bird can sit peacefully. If the nest is full of holes and flimsy, the bird flutters restlessly about—it cannot find a foothold.

In the summer, you lose substance through sweating. Heart-Yin diminishes. The nest becomes full of holes.

That is why so many people have trouble sleeping in the summer—not just because of the heat, but because the Shen lacks the substance in which it can settle.

What rebuilds the nest:

Red dates (jujube) — THE classic TCM remedy for the heart and blood. Sweet, nourishing, soothing. 3–5 pieces a day, as a snack or in tea.
Goji berries — Nourish the blood and yin. In muesli, in tea, or as a snack.
Dark Leaf Green — Spinach, Swiss chard. Rich in iron and chlorophyll, they help build blood.
Eggs — High-quality, nourishing, and build substance.
Black sesame seeds — Nourishes blood and yin, especially in cases of dryness.
Bone broth — Deeply nourishing, builds up substance without heating.

Heart-Yin Tea for the Evening:

Hawthorn — Calms the heart, strengthens, and regulates.
Rosebuds — Gentle, nourishing, opens the heart emotionally.
Lavender — Lowers Shen, prepares the body for sleep.
Passionflower — When thoughts keep going round and round in your head and just won't stop.
A cup at 8 p.m., sipped in peace—that's medicine in itself.

If the nest is stable, the spirit will settle in on its own.

That leaves one question: How is your body supposed to know that it's nighttime?

3. Rhythm — so your body knows: It's nighttime now

Yang doesn't sink on its own. You have to help it.

In the summer, it stays light until 9:30 p.m. The evenings are long. Life is calling. The yang wants to go out into the world—and you follow it.

But the Shen needs time to settle. It needs cues. It needs a transition from day to night.

Anyone who’s still sitting in front of a screen at 11 p.m.—whether they’re partying with friends or working through their to-do lists—won’t be able to fall into a deep sleep by 11:15 p.m. Shen is still out. He didn’t have time to come home.

An evening ritual that really works:

8:00 p.m. — Last meal. Light, warm, not too late. Heavy food ties up energy in digestion—energy that the Shen needs to settle.
9:00 p.m. — Dim your screens or put them away. Blue light signals to the brain that it's daytime. Even if you're tired, your body doesn't believe it.
9:30 p.m. — Slow down. Stop what you're doing. No important conversations, no messages, no excitement.
10:00 p.m. — Herbal tea. Soft lighting. Calm music or silence. The body gets the signal: The day is coming to an end.
10:30 p.m. — Bed. Even if it's still dusk outside. Even if others are still awake.

That might feel a little early. But between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., your gallbladder and liver regenerate—and that only happens when you're asleep.

When the body knows it's nighttime, the mind follows on its own.

And there's a way to help Shen even more directly—with your own hands.

📍 From the acupressure treasure chest

Three things that will help your Shen find its way home.

1. He 07 (Shénmén) — „Gate of the Spirit“

Inside of the wrist, in the crease, below the little finger
Gently massage in a circular motion for 60 seconds, on both sides
THE Point for the Shen — calms, grounds, and helps you fall asleep
Perfect for the evening before bedtime

2. HK 06 (Nèiguān) — „Inner Gate“

Inside of the forearm, about three fingers' width above the wrist crease
60 sec. gently circling, both sides
Calms the heart, relieves anxiety, helps with restlessness

3. Ni 01 (Yǒng Quán) — „Gushing Spring“

The sole of the foot, in the front third, in the depression
60 seconds of gentle circular motion or tapping, on both sides
Directs heat downward, grounds the mind, draws the Shen downward
Especially good for a hot head

Evening ritual: First He 07 (calms), then Ni 01 (grounds).
It takes 4 minutes in total—and works right away.

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But you've long had the most powerful tool within you.

🧘 The Inner Smile — for the Shen

Sometimes the heat isn't the problem. It's a mind that won't stop thinking.

There's a simple exercise for moments like these:

Sit up straight, close your eyes
Take a few slow breaths
Imagine a gentle smile—not on your face, but in your heart
As if your heart itself were smiling
Let that smile grow warm and spread
Feel your chest relax
Hold for 2-3 minutes

What happens: The Shen immediately calms down. Attention shifts away from the head and toward the heart. The mind finds a place to settle.

You can do it right in bed. It doesn't cost anything. It only takes a few minutes. And it works.

And there's a classic that does just that in a single cup—it cools the heart and calms the shen.

🍵 Recipe: Chrysanthemum Tea for Summer Nights

A classic TCM formula for cooling the heart and calming the shen.

Ingredients:

5–8 dried chrysanthemum flowers (Ju Hua)
250–300 ml hot water (about 80–90°C, not boiling)
Optional: 3–5 goji berries, 1 tsp honey

Preparation:

Place the flowers in a cup or teapot
Pour hot water over it
Let it steep for 5–10 minutes
The longer it lasts, the more intense and cooling it is

When to drink:

Ideal: After dinner, around 8:00 p.m.
Not right before bedtime (otherwise you'll have to go to the bathroom)
Drink it lukewarm or at room temperature

Variants:

Mwith goji berries — cools AND nourishes the Yin. Perfect for exhaustion accompanied by restlessness.
With honey — milder, more nourishing. Good for beginners.
Heart Tea — plus hawthorn and rosebuds. Soothes the heart in several ways.

Where to buy:

Asian supermarket (inexpensive, often good quality)
TCM Pharmacy (highest quality)
Online (look for organic products)

Note:

Chrysanthemum has a cooling effect. For those with a strong "cold" constitution (always feeling cold, pale tongue, loose stools), use it sparingly or combine it with warming ingredients.

Behind all the teas, rituals, and traditions lies, in the end, a simple truth.