Sleeping with the Seasons: How to Sleep Well in Summer According to Chinese Medicine

As the sun climbs higher and the days stretch longer, many of us find ourselves tossing and turning at night, struggling to fall or stay asleep. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, this is no surprise. Summer is the season of Fire, one of the five elements in TCM, and it governs the Heart, which in turn houses the Shen, our spirit or consciousness.

Understanding how summer affects your body, energy, and mind can help you align your sleep habits with nature's rhythms, leading to deeper rest and greater overall harmony.

The Fire Element and Summer Energy

In TCM, each season corresponds to an element, organ, and emotional state. Summer’s Fire energy is expansive, active, and yang in nature. It's a time of growth, movement, and outward expression. The Heart, which rules over blood circulation and mental clarity, is especially vulnerable in this season.

When Fire becomes excessive, due to overexposure to heat, overstimulation, or emotional stress, it can disturb the Shen, leading to symptoms such as:

• Insomnia or restlessness

• Vivid or disturbing dreams

• Anxiety or irritability

• Night sweats or excessive heat at night

Summer Sleep Tips from Chinese Medicine

1. Sleep Later, Wake Earlier, but Not Too Late

Summer invites a more relaxed schedule. TCM texts suggest going to bed slightly later and waking earlier than in winter. Aim to rest by 11 PM to avoid taxing the Heart and Liver. Early morning walks (especially at dawn) can harmonize your internal clock with nature’s rhythm.

2. Nourish the Heart and Calm the Shen

Calm your spirit with Heart-nourishing foods and herbs:

• Cooling teas: Chrysanthemum, lotus seed, and passionflower

• Heart-tonifying foods: Red dates, goji berries, watermelon, bitter melon

• Avoid excessive stimulants like caffeine and spicy foods, especially at night.

3. Avoid Overexertion and Excess Heat

While summer encourages activity, overdoing it, especially under the sun, can burn out your Qi. Choose gentle evening exercises like tai chi, qi gong, or yin yoga to wind down.

4. Create a Yin-Inspired Sleep Space

Balance the abundant Yang of summer by making your bedroom a Yin sanctuary:

• Use cool, light-colored bedding

• Keep the room dark and well-ventilated

• Try aromatherapy with calming oils like sandalwood or lavender

5. Embrace a Siesta Mindset

TCM encourages a short midday rest during the peak yang hours (11 AM–1 PM). A 20- minute nap can restore Heart energy and reduce nighttime restlessness.

A Final Word: Harmonising with the Seasons

Seasonal living is a cornerstone of Chinese medicine. By adjusting your habits in tune with summer’s Fire element, you can preserve your energy, support your Shen, and enjoy more restorative, peaceful sleep, even on the hottest nights.

Listen to your body. Respect the rhythms of nature. And remember: in TCM, health is not about rigid routines, but graceful adaptation.

Sleeping with the Seasons: How to Sleep Well in Summer According to Chinese Medicine

As the sun climbs higher and the days stretch longer, many of us find ourselves tossing and turning at night, struggling to fall or stay asleep. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, this is no surprise. Summer is the season of Fire, one of the five elements in TCM, and it governs the Heart, which in turn houses the Shen - our spirit or consciousness.

Understanding how summer affects your body, energy, and mind can help you align your sleep habits with nature's rhythms, leading to deeper rest and greater overall harmony.

The Fire Element and Summer Energy

In TCM, each season corresponds to an element, organ, and emotional state. Summer’s Fire energy is expansive, active, and yang in nature. It's a time of growth, movement, and outward expression. The Heart, which rules over blood circulation and mental clarity, is especially vulnerable in this season.

When Fire becomes excessive, due to overexposure to heat, overstimulation, or emotional stress—it can disturb the Shen, leading to symptoms such as:

• Insomnia or restlessness

• Vivid or disturbing dreams

• Anxiety or irritability

• Night sweats or excessive heat at night

Summer Sleep Tips from Chinese Medicine

1. Sleep Later, Wake Earlier, but Not Too Late

Summer invites a more relaxed schedule. TCM texts suggest going to bed slightly later and waking earlier than in winter. Aim to rest by 11 PM to avoid taxing the Heart and Liver. Early morning walks (especially at dawn) can harmonize your internal clock with nature’s rhythm.

2. Nourish the Heart and Calm the Shen

Calm your spirit with Heart-nourishing foods and herbs:

• Cooling teas: Chrysanthemum, lotus seed, and passionflower

• Heart-tonifying foods: Red dates, goji berries, watermelon, bitter melon

• Avoid excessive stimulants like caffeine and spicy foods, especially at night.

3. Avoid Overexertion and Excess Heat

While summer encourages activity, overdoing it, especially under the sun, can burn out your Qi. Choose gentle evening exercises like tai chi, qi gong, or yin yoga to wind down.

4. Create a Yin-Inspired Sleep Space

Balance the abundant Yang of summer by making your bedroom a Yin sanctuary:

• Use cool, light-colored bedding

• Keep the room dark and well-ventilated

• Try aromatherapy with calming oils like sandalwood or lavender

5. Embrace a Siesta Mindset

TCM encourages a short midday rest during the peak yang hours (11 AM–1 PM). A 20-minute nap can restore Heart energy and reduce nighttime restlessness.

A Final Word: Harmonising with the Seasons

Seasonal living is a cornerstone of Chinese medicine. By adjusting your habits in tune with summer’s Fire element, you can preserve your energy, support your Shen, and enjoy more restorative, peaceful sleep, even on the hottest nights.

Listen to your body. Respect the rhythms of nature. And remember: in TCM, health is not about rigid routines, but graceful adaptation.

Cosmetic Acupuncture for Spring (Getting your Skin Summer Ready)

SKIN HEALTH

Our skin has never been under such pressure as it combats the daily stresses of a modern day life, especially at seasonal transitions. When we talk about skin health and ageing naturally, a 360° approach is vital.

Cosmetic Acupuncture or Facial Rejuvenation is an extension of traditional acupuncture. It naturally helps make the skin look younger, smoother, and all-around healthier. And unlike more invasive procedures, facial acupuncture addresses not only signs of aging, but also the skin’s overall health.

In Chinese Medicine we believe that external skin quality is driven by our internal health. That means you can apply the best and most expensive skincare on your face but if you are stressed, not sleeping, eating badly or have a hormonal imbalance - what you apply to your skin will simply not be effective. The focus is to create long-term changes in the health of the skin and body, not short-term quick fixes. By this, we mean better collagen stimulation, a brightened skin tone, reduced jaw tension, and a softer appearance overall on top of health benefits like reduced anxiety and tension.

HOW IT WORKS

Chinese Medicine focuses on the processes of the human body as an energy system, whereby skin health and well being relies on the smooth and dynamic flow of energy or Qi through the body. Once internal causes that affect skin ageing are assessed, a prescription of body acupuncture will complement your holistic cosmetic treatment, allowing you to experience a full flow of energy that will support the facial acupuncture.

Facial cosmetic acupuncture focuses on rejuvenating, re-energising and addressing all signs of skin concerns by stimulating, repairing and renewing skin mechanisms from within the dermis.

The treatment involves superficially inserting tiny and painless needles on the face. As the needles puncture the skin, they create wounds within its threshold, which are called positive microtraumas. This process accelerates a cascade of crucial healing triggers, which facilitates increased micro-circulation and oxygen supply to the skin as well as encouraging the skin’s own repair mode. The rejuvenating treatment promotes detoxification and encourages production of newer and stronger collagen and elastin fibres resulting in improved firmness, elasticity, reduced fine lines, regeneration, healthier complexion and texture.  

But unlike Botox or dermal fillers, facial acupuncture isn’t a quick fix of any kind. The majority of people see improvements after just a few sessions of facial acupuncture, but we recommend 6 to 12 treatments once or twice a week to see optimum and long lasting results. After that, you can go into what we call a “maintenance stage,” where you get the treatment every four to eight weeks. 

RESULTS

Our natural 360° approach to your skin health will deliver lasting anti-ageing results:

✓ Lifting, firming & toning

✓ Fine line & wrinkle smoothing

✓ Revitalising & contouring

✓ Lift scarring

✓ Get that glow back

SPRING REJUVENATION

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is the season of renewal and growth, governed by the Wood element, which is closely linked to the Liver. This is the ideal time to detoxify, refresh, and awaken the skin after the stagnation of winter. Acupuncture during this period helps to stimulate circulation, clear toxins, and bring vibrancy back to the complexion. As we move into summer, the season of the Fire element, associated with the Heart, our focus shifts to hydration, cooling, and protecting the skin from excess heat and inflammation. By harmonising the body’s energy flow in spring, we lay the foundation for a radiant, balanced complexion that thrives through the warmer months, allowing the skin to reflect the vitality and lightness of the season.

THE ESCAPADA SKIN HEALTH PROGRAMME

This advanced signature cosmetic rejuvenation approach is an inspirational treatment that integrates Chinese medical wisdom with western scientific interventions. Our signature programme combines the latest specialised techniques of TCM beauty and western advancements.

Techniques include cosmetic acupuncture, medical micro-needling and facial rejuvenation techniques such as guasha, jade rolling and cupping.
The application of peptide infused masks and skincare botanicals, rich in natural active ingredients, further rebalance and nourish skin health. All of this combined with constitutional acupuncture and lifestyle guidance  for internal health, truly makes this a complete 360° body programme.

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Cosmetic Acupuncture for post Summer skin repair

SKIN HEALTH

Our skin has never been under such pressure as it combats the daily stresses of a modern day life, especially at seasonal transitions. When we talk about skin health and ageing naturally, a 360° approach is vital.

Cosmetic Acupuncture or Facial Rejuvenation is an extension of traditional acupuncture. It naturally helps make the skin look younger, smoother, and all-around healthier. And unlike more invasive procedures, facial acupuncture addresses not only signs of aging, but also the skin’s overall health.

In Chinese Medicine we believe that external skin quality is driven by our internal health. That means you can apply the best and most expensive skincare on your face but if you are stressed, not sleeping, eating badly or have a hormonal imbalance - what you apply to your skin will simply not be effective. The focus is to create long-term changes in the health of the skin and body, not short-term quick fixes. By this, we mean better collagen stimulation, a brightened skin tone, reduced jaw tension, and a softer appearance overall on top of health benefits like reduced anxiety and tension.

HOW IT WORKS

Chinese Medicine focuses on the processes of the human body as an energy system, whereby skin health and well being relies on the smooth and dynamic flow of energy or Qi through the body. Once internal causes that affect skin ageing are assessed, a prescription of body acupuncture will complement your holistic cosmetic treatment, allowing you to experience a full flow of energy that will support the facial acupuncture.

Facial cosmetic acupuncture focuses on rejuvenating, re-energising and addressing all signs of skin concerns by stimulating, repairing and renewing skin mechanisms from within the dermis.

The treatment involves superficially inserting tiny and painless needles on the face. As the needles puncture the skin, they create wounds within its threshold, which are called positive microtraumas. This process accelerates a cascade of crucial healing triggers, which facilitates increased micro-circulation and oxygen supply to the skin as well as encouraging the skin’s own repair mode. The rejuvenating treatment promotes detoxification and encourages production of newer and stronger collagen and elastin fibres resulting in improved firmness, elasticity, reduced fine lines, regeneration, healthier complexion and texture.  

But unlike Botox or dermal fillers, facial acupuncture isn’t a quick fix of any kind. The majority of people see improvements after just a few sessions of facial acupuncture, but we recommend 6 to 12 treatments once or twice a week to see optimum and long lasting results. After that, you can go into what we call a “maintenance stage,” where you get the treatment every four to eight weeks. 

RESULTS

Our natural 360° approach to your skin health will deliver lasting anti-ageing results:

✓ Lifting, firming & toning

✓ Fine line & wrinkle smoothing

✓ Revitalising & contouring

✓ Lift scarring

✓ Get that glow back

THE ESCAPADA SKIN HEALTH PROGRAMME

This advanced signature cosmetic rejuvenation approach is an inspirational treatment that integrates Chinese medical wisdom with western scientific interventions. Our signature programme combines the latest specialised techniques of TCM beauty and western advancements.

Techniques include cosmetic acupuncture, medical micro-needling and facial rejuvenation techniques such as guasha, jade rolling and cupping.
The application of peptide infused masks and skincare botanicals, rich in natural active ingredients, further rebalance and nourish skin health. All of this combined with constitutional acupuncture and lifestyle guidance  for internal health, truly makes this a complete 360° body programme.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE