The 20-Minute Traditional Chinese Medicine Ritual That Helps You Sleep Better
It's clear that this ancient practice taps into some solid scientific principles.
Written by: Serafina Kenny
Written on: July 1, 2026
Getting a good night's sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your wellbeing, but it can be hard to drift off when life is packed with stressors, screens, and little-to-no time spent adhering to your body's natural rhythms. If calming supplements and counting sheep isn’t working, a different, ancient remedy could help: a foot bath.
The act of soaking the feet in warm water with herbs has been part of Traditional Chinese Medicine practices for centuries, and modern sleep research also supports the mechanisms behind its sleep-boosting effects. Dr. Tianjun Wang, the principal of the London Academy of Chinese Acupuncture who has been practising TCM for over 30 years, says that foot baths are a very common practice for general health benefits and sleeping problems.”
What is a foot bath?
Foot baths have been a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries, helping balance the forces of yin and yang in the body. In TCM, your 'yin' is associated with coldness, while 'yang' is associated with heat, and if the two are not in balance, it can lead to illnesses and health problems. “In Chinese medicine, we look at the whole body’s balance,” Dr. Wang says. “The body can be thrown out of balance for many reasons, because of cold weather, stress, or internal reasons.”
Soaking the feet in warm water can re-balance things in your body, he says, because it improves circulation. “Because you are putting both feet in the bath, both sides of your body generate that blood circulation, balancing the cold and heat in the body,” he says.
And a foot bath is thought to work better than a full-body bath because it draws the blood and the Qi, or energy, down to the lower body, away from the brain.
“If your whole body, including your arms, neck, and heart, are getting very hot, you will not be very relaxed,” Dr. Wang says. “And if the brain has too much yang and gets too hot, it will become overactive,” which is seen as unhelpful for sleep in TCM.
What's really happening in your body?
From a TCM perspective, foot baths work because “the warm water encourages the blood vessels to enlarge, blood circulation from the head to the lower limbs, and the muscles and nerves to relax,” Dr. Wang says.
The science essentially backs this up. Studies show that a warm foot bath of around 40ºC can dilate the blood vessels, which ironically leads to heat being lost from the body more quickly because the blood vessels now have a larger surface area. This means your core body temperature drops, which is a key signal to your brain that it is time to rest.
Your body temperature naturally decreases by about two or three degrees during the night and needs to stay that way for you to reach deep sleep. But being too cold can also lead to worse quality sleep, so keeping the feet warm can be very helpful.
What sleep science says about warming your feet before bed
Research has repeatedly shown that warm feet are linked to better sleep, whether that’s longer time spent asleep over the night, fewer awakenings, or better sleep quality.
A 1999 study published in the journal Nature found that warmer feet were more likely to get people to sleep quicker than turning out the lights or eating carbohydrate-heavy meals before bed. And another more recent study, published in the Journal of Clinical Practice and Research in 2025, found that warm foot baths are an effective intervention for enhancing sleep quality in older people because they are simple, cost-effective, and non-invasive.
You don’t have to do a foot bath to get these benefits – studies have found similar results with wearing socks to bed or placing a hot water bottle safely next to the feet.
What to add to your foot bath: herbs and essential oils
If you're interested in testing this TCM practice out, Dr. Wang suggests soaking your feet in a foot bath about 30 minutes before bed, and keeping them submerged for 10 to 20 minutes. Aim for water temperatures between 37°C and 40°C – Dr. Wang warns not to go hotter or it might scald you.
Herbs are a big part of TCM, and a few are particularly helpful for blood circulation and improving balance in the body. Dr. Wang suggests adding the following to your foot bath:
- Hong Hua or Safflower – this is thought to improve blood circulation and reduce pain
- Dong quai or Chinese Angelica (also known as female ginseng) – commonly used in TCM to get the blood moving and to treat menstrual pains and disorders
- Chuan Xiong – thought to help with reversing ‘blood stasis’ (or poor blood circulation)
Adding essential oils can also aid relaxation. Dr. Wang says, such as lavender, which a 2025 overview of research linked to improvements in sleep disorders.
This article is for informational purposes only, even if and regardless of whether it features the advice of physicians and medical practitioners. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. The views expressed in this article are the views of the expert and do not necessarily represent the views of Healf
Serafina is a freelance journalist covering health, sex and relationships, history, arts, and culture.
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