Is a good night’s sleep the key to health and healing, even in the face of chronic illness? A growing body of research suggests that the answer is yes.

But more is not necessarily better. The real secret has to do with the quality of your sleep

So what can you do to ensure that this nightly restorative process works the way it should, renewing energy, clarity, and overall wellness?

A combination of approaches can support quality sleep — the kind that leaves you feeling refreshed and revitalized. These supportive measures are drawn from diverse modalities including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), functional nutrition, and leading-edge research. They all seek to help balance sleep cycles, and enhance the body’s natural repair processes for optimal health.

Neuroscientists continue to uncover the cascade of metabolic events that occur during sleep. We’re also learning more about how disrupted sleep can impair memory, judgment, and overall mental health, as well as damaging metabolism, undercutting immunity, and increasing the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other potentially fatal conditions.

This could collectively be our biggest public health crisis.

Statistics show we’re a sleep-deprived society, averaging just six hours a night, instead of the recommended eight or nine.

And these reduced hours are often “disturbed” sleep, which brings us back to the question: How do we optimize our sleep patterns for better quality rest?

By now most people have heard of melatonin: The master sleep hormone that’s produced in the pineal gland. Melatonin modulates sleep quality and plays numerous roles in regulating hormones, immunity, and repair processes.

Production of melatonin is closely linked to our circadian rhythm, aka the “biological clock” that governs a vast network of biochemical cycles. The pineal gland secretes sleep-inducing melatonin in response to darkness, and switches off in response to light. Sleeping with lights on — or with any light exposure —interferes greatly with melatonin production, and thus quality of sleep.

When we interrupt melatonin production with artificial light in the evening, our sleep processes are disrupted and our circadian rhythm becomes altered. This increases the risks of life-threatening illnesses, particularly hormone-related cancers like breast and prostate cancer.

Ensuring adequate melatonin levels is a big part of the equation for improved sleep quality.

So then you just need to take melatonin supplements, right? It’s not that simple.

Taking too much melatonin can impair the body’s natural production of it, and may cause you to become dependent on the artificial form. Also, many people report feeling extra groggy after taking significant doses of melatonin.

This is where specific herbs and botanicals can help. When choosing supplements for quality, restorative sleep, you can to look to ingredients that help ease tension, support deep sleep, and — importantly — promote physical regeneration during sleep.

One unique formula that achieves these regenerative goals includes a combination of relaxing, non-habit-forming extracts from lemon balm, passion flower, and honokiol from magnolia bark. But what makes the formula stand out is the blend of TCM botanicals that support the body’s natural repair processes.

For example, He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) is included to support the liver, kidneys, digestion and heart; Dan Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae) reduces inflammation and promotes circulation and relaxation; and Shi Chang Pu (Rhizoma Acori Gramenei) enhances mental clarity and relaxation, while supporting better oxygenation during sleep.

The formula also contains a very small dose of melatonin: 0.5 mg per serving. This low dose is important: It is included to support the body’s natural production of melatonin, without causing dependency or drowsiness.

Many patients report that this formula supports a gentle state of relaxation, and helps them sleep better with more energy upon waking, rather than grogginess.

One of TCM’s goals is to promote harmony between our biological cycles and the rhythms of the natural world. In terms of rest and sleep, humans and non-nocturnal animals naturally attune their sleep/wake cycles to coincide with night and day.

So when we defy these natural rhythms, we’re interfering with more than just a good night’s sleep — we’re disrupting our circadian rhythms with grave consequences on the cellular level.

Harmonizing your sleep cycles with the rhythms of night and day may take some time, but you’ll certainly notice a difference in your health and energy.

With specific botanical and nutraceutical ingredients like those discussed above, you can further support this process and enhance other areas of health.