By: Lynn Morales, ND
Liver 1 AM – 3 AM
How many of you wake up in the middle of the night? Come on, be honest. You think it’s because you need to use the restroom and once you are awake, your body does tell you that the restroom is in order. Notice the time you are waking at night and if it falls between 1 AM and 3 AM your liver is letting you know that it is not balanced.
Not convinced? How about these traits? Do you hold tension in your stomach or have gurgles? Experience nose bleeds? Do you have throbbing headaches or dizziness? Do you crave alcohol or fried foods? Do you experience anger? Do you over work? These are just a few signs of a liver crying for attention.
Recall we have been talking about the body’s meridian system from a Chinese Medicine perspective. For the last 12 months, we have covered a different organ and this month we end the body clock with its final stop, the liver. In case you missed it, you can read it from the beginning in my prior article titled, “Is Your Hose Kinked?” Be sure to review the archives for the last couple of months to read the articles that support the rest of the body clock. We have covered the lungs, the large intestines, the stomach, the spleen/pancreas, the heart, the small intestines, the bladder, the kidneys, the pericardium, triple heater, and the gall bladder. If you missed any of these, please click on the link above to start the series and to view a list of all subsequent articles.*
Each organ/gland has its very own unique set of tasks that it performs daily at a very specific time of day similar to your daily tasks or “in-box” at work. And, just like your life, your organs have to deal with an occasional “emergency” in their day. When your body has a stressor it can impact any number of ways and in the instance of the liver you may you find you are unable to sleep.
The liver holds the final position, number twelve, in the body clock. The clock starts each day at 3 AM with the lungs, and passes the baton every two hours to a different organ throughout the 24 hour clock. This month our focus will be on the liver which begins its daily routine at 1 AM and continues until 3 AM.
The liver has a number of functions including:
• Managing blood volume and menstruation
• Determines tone of muscles
• Produces healthy nails
• Regulates eye health and vision
• Synthesizes life and coordinates the body’s work for each day
Often the following symptoms may accompany a liver that is not balanced:
• Depression or moodiness
• Spots in visual field
• Uterine fibroids, abdominal masses or lumps
• Red eyes or face
• Irritable bowel; flatulence
• Bitter taste
• Fever
• Spasms of neck and shoulders
There are a number of ways to address an imbalance in the liver such as exercises like Qi Gong, Yoga, or Tai Chi.
The liver ends our body clock journey. If you wake up multiple times a night and not just during liver time, suspect adrenal stress in which case you could benefit greatly from my prior video release called the Tahiti Vacation Relaxation Technique.
Another way to address energy imbalances is through BodyTalk, a modality I work within my practice. BodyTalk work can be handled in person or long distance. Schedule a session today.
*Previous “The Clock Continues” posts:
The Clock Continues: Pericardium 7 PM – 9 PM
The Clock Continues: Kidney Time 5 PM – 7 PM
The Clock Continues: Bladder Time 3 PM – 5 PM
The Clock Continues: Small Intestine Time 1 PM – 3 PM
The Clock Continues: Heart Time 11 AM – 1 PM
The Clock Continues: Spleen/Pancreas Time: 9 AM – 11 AM
The Clock Continues: Stomach Time: 7 AM – 9 AM
The Clock Continues: Large Intestine Time 5 AM – 7 AM
Is Your Hose Kinked? Introduction to series: Lung Time 3AM to 5AM