Sleeping westward in winter is good for nourishing yin

In the course of human life, about 1/3 of the time is spent on the pillow. Sleep and health are "lifelong partners". Throughout history, emperors, dukes and even common people who paid attention to health preservation paid great attention to sleep health preservation, and one very important aspect of this was paying attention to the sleeping direction. When you visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, have you noticed that the emperor and empress's beds are all placed in the east-west direction? Why is this?

From the holistic perspective of "harmony between heaven and man", the sleeping direction also has an impact on people's sleep and health. Sun Simiao, a famous physician in the Tang Dynasty of my country, said in his book Qianjin Yaofang Daolin Yangxing: "When ordinary people lie down, they should face east in spring and summer, and west in autumn and winter." That is to say, in spring and summer, the best sleeping position is with the head facing east and the feet facing west. In autumn and winter, it is better to lie with your head facing west and your feet facing east, rather than with your head facing north. The ancients' claims do have some scientific basis. In terms of seasons, spring and summer are yang, while autumn and winter are yin; in terms of directions, the east is yang, while the west is yin. In spring and summer, Yang energy rises vigorously, while in autumn and winter, Yang energy is restrained and hidden, while Yin energy is strong. Therefore, in spring and summer, you should lie with your head facing east to conform to the Yang energy, and in autumn and winter, you should lie with your head facing west to conform to the Yin energy. This conforms to the TCM health principle of "nourishing Yang in spring and summer, and nourishing Yin in autumn and winter", and is also conducive to healthy sleep.

Of course, due to the influence of home layout, we don’t necessarily have to stick to these theories. Eating more yin-nourishing foods in autumn, such as lily, white fungus, yam, lotus root, etc., can also have the effect of nourishing yin and suppressing yang. In addition, in autumn, especially in late autumn, the temperature is low at night, so you should pay attention to keeping warm when sleeping. Otherwise, if you catch a cold, you will be prone to colds and pharyngitis, and you may also suffer from migraines, facial paralysis, diarrhea, etc. Make sure to have a light dinner, don't drink tea or drink less water before going to bed, and avoid getting up frequently at night.