Through their work, both practitioners emphasize that sleep management differs from clinical treatment. Rather than focusing on diagnosis and medication, it centers on screening, education, and lifestyle adjustment.
"Insomnia shouldn't be seen simply as a disease, but as a sign of imbalance,"Aluna said. "It's important to identify what in a person's habits or lifestyle is causing the problem."
"For example, if insomnia is related to overeating, we focus on adjusting the diet rather than directly targeting the nervous system," she added. "It's about addressing the root cause, not just the symptom."
To support this approach, Shang's team developed a sleep assessment system integrating clinical evaluation, traditional Chinese medicine, yogic energy assessment, and dream analysis. Using statistical models and machine learning, the system provides a more comprehensive understanding of sleep health and suggests personalized solutions, such as herbal teas or sleep incense.
At the same time, the field continues to evolve. Because sleep management draws from multiple disciplines — including medicine, psychology, yoga, and traditional Chinese medicine — developing standardized training remains a challenge.
"Clinical doctors, yoga instructors, and TCM practitioners all approach sleep differently," Shang said. "Each group requires tailored training, which makes building a unified system complex but necessary."
This is why the two established the Waka Ecology Sleep Lab in Hainan, named after the Sanskrit word for "expert physician". Their goal is to bring systematic and professional sleep health knowledge to the public while bridging the gap between these diverse fields.
"We're encouraged to see these boundaries gradually dissolving," Aluna said. "More professionals — from psychologists to neurologists — are beginning to work together."
Yet for many, the journey toward better sleep still begins with a simple image: a drop of water falling softly, its ripples spreading through the body, quietly guiding the mind toward rest.
