Feel Amazing Chatswood has focused on All About Sleep this month, so we are finishing this series of blog posts with the natural treatments available to help improve your sleep.
We’ve mentioned that lifestyle and behavioural changes are the first line of treatment recommended for improving sleep, as well as the importance of good sleep hygiene, which are habits and environmental factors that you can change to increase your chance of getting a good night’s sleep.
Today’s blog post provides general information on four of our key holistic Feel Amazing services. Whatever your situation, it’s important to remember that it’s best to see a qualified health professional, to make sure they understand your health history, as well as recommending you individualised treatments.
How can natural treatments help with sleep?
As a client of Feel Amazing Chatswood, you are in the perfect position to access support from a team of experienced healthcare professionals who can help address some of the concerns you may have in relation to sleep.
When people are unable to fall asleep, stay asleep or wake up too early, this is known as insomnia. There are several options for treating this debilitating experience.
In addition to providing information in blog posts like these, we can work with you to improve your body’s functioning and create a more balanced approach to rest and recovery.
Treatment is also available for health conditions that may be interrupting your sleep. These might include perimenopause, chronic pain, fibromyalgia and arthritis. Pregnancy can also impact sleep.
Service types available at Feel Amazing and a description of how they can help with sleep
Massage and sleep
Massage is an amazing way to help with sleep. We have many clients who report feeling more relaxed after a massage and having a good night’s sleep afterwards.
If you experience insomnia, studies show that massage can be helpful, especially in people who are postmenopausal. With improved sleep comes self-reported better life satisfaction.
Other studies have shown that massage can help with restless leg syndrome, which can significantly impact sleep. A combination of taking natural supplements (such as magnesium) with having regular massage can also help alleviate muscle spasms and cramping.
Adding regular massage into your self-care routine can help to alleviate muscle aches, encourage relaxation and ensures you are keeping up with your dedicated self-care away from normal routines. Which can contribute to improved sleep patterns.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and sleep
The ancient practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) includes Acupuncture, which is known for its ability to balance the body’s natural rhythms to enable flow of energy through the body. This helps the functioning of the body’s organs and can restore natural sleep cycles.
Most of our Feel Amazing acupuncture clients walk out of Sumin’s treatment room looking and feeling relaxed, revitalised and there is a sense of being centred or grounded.
In TCM, insomnia may arise due to imbalance in your body’s qi, blood, yin and yang. As a result, your mind (Shen) is unable to settle into your body at night time. It is essential to identify the causes of symptoms; either excess or deficiency and tailor the treatment based on the signs and symptoms you present with. Treatment can include acupuncture and/or combination of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, as well as dietary and lifestyle modifications.
Some of the common causes of insomnia from a TCM perspective include:
Liver qi stagnation due to stress and emotional disturbances – this can be presented as light and/or broken sleep, dream disrupted sleep accompanied with signs and symptoms like irritability, headache, neck and shoulder tightness. Acupuncture treatment helps to move the stagnant qi to resolve such symptoms, which will also help to enhance the quality of sleep caused by it. To assist in this process, regular exercise and light meditation with deep breathing exercise on a regular basis is also recommended.
Qi and blood deficiency – this can be present as difficulty falling asleep accompanied with signs and symptoms like palpitations, fatigue and dizziness. Regular acupuncture treatments will help with tonifying the deficient qi and blood to resolve the symptoms. Having snacks and food with blood nourishing nutrients like red dates, red meat, eggs, beetroot, black beans and almonds may help with this type of insomnia.
Phlegm and heat – this can present as restless or dream disturbed sleep with signs and symptoms like anxiety, agitation, thirst, constipation, headaches, or bitter taste in mouth. In this case avoiding hot and spicy food, reducing caffeine and alcohol can be beneficial. As can having cooling natural foods and snacks like cucumber and watermelon. Drinking more fluids with a cooling nature like green or mint tea may also help as well.
Naturopathy and sleep
As a Naturopath, it’s essential to take a whole-body approach when exploring the root causes of sleep issues. Sleep doesn’t exist in isolation—underlying factors like poor digestion, chronic stress, inflammation, and nutrient deficiencies can all interfere with your ability to get deep, restful sleep.
Some commonly used herbs and supplements to support better sleep include passionflower, zizyphus, valerian root, lemon balm, and magnesium. These natural remedies may help calm the nervous system and promote more restorative sleep. Magnesium, in particular, is one of the most frequently recommended supports for sleep. It works to relax muscles, ease physical tension, and support nervous system function—especially in forms such as magnesium glycinate or citrate.
At its core, Naturopathy is about treating the whole person—not just the symptoms. Sleep can be influenced by a range of factors, from gut health and stress levels to blood sugar imbalances, which is why a personalised approach is key. While the journey to better sleep isn’t always an overnight fix, the goal is sustainable, long-term change that helps you wake feeling genuinely rested and refreshed.
If you’re lying awake at night, struggling to switch off, or constantly waking unrefreshed, a naturopathic approach might offer the natural support you’ve been searching for.
Our Feel Amazing Naturopath, Anthony, is available for online consultations. You can email him directly at anthony@feelamazing.group to book a session. He can guide you through natural supplements, dietary changes, and holistic strategies to help manage insomnia or any underlying health concerns that might be disrupting your sleep.
Chiropractic and sleep
Chiropractic care can potentially improve sleep by addressing various musculoskeletal issues that cause pain, tension and reduced functioning within the body, all of which can disrupt sleep.
Adjustments can reduce muscle spasms, improve breathing, improve nerve function, joint movement, promote better blood flow, decrease inflammation, and accelerate healing in the affected tissues.
It has been reported that adjusting the spine helps stimulate certain hormones, such as melatonin, which is responsible for inducing sleep.
Recommendations and strategies to optimise sleeping positions and routines can also be provided during your consultation.
This holistic treatment approach is the perfect way to support muscle recovery, reduce stress, and to restore a more balanced functioning nervous system.
Summary on All About Sleep
We have covered a lot of information on sleep in this blog post series (click to read part 1) and (click to read part 2).
While there’s still more that could be said, what we hope you can take away from these posts is that sleep is an important part of looking after our physical and mental health. This includes prioritising a sleep routine, being mindful of the activities that can impact our natural sleep wake cycle and addressing underlying causes of imbalances.
If there’s anything we can do to help you on your path to improved sleep and wellbeing, then please let us know.
We look forward to seeing you in the clinic again soon.
References – some of the sites visited during creation of All About Sleep series
Healthdirect.gov.au – Australian government website
Google consulted for popular late night google searches
PubMed – study summaries
Sciencedirect.com – articles
Sleepfoundation.org
Betterup.com
Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Sleep Science
Antamassage.org
Sleep.com