In traditional Chinese medicine, putting out “fires” in the body is one way to ease into a good night’s sleep.

I recently came across a medical case involving a man seeking treatment for persistent headaches. He and his wife lived apart—his wife, a busy individual, spent her days at the research institute and her nights writing papers. Struggling to unwind due to her busy schedule and viewing sleep as a waste of time, whenever she visited, she occupied her nights with household chores such as washing dishes, doing laundry, and vacuuming—inadvertently disrupting her husband’s sleep. Consequently, on those occasions he sought medical attention, experiencing not just headaches but also a heart condition.