Insomnia

If we are unable to get a good night’s sleep, it can cause obvious effects very quickly, such as tiredness, irritability and poor concentration and performance. Symptoms include delays in falling asleep, waking during the night, or waking very early in the morning, in severe case, sleeplessness over several nights.

 

 

Causes:

yin-yang2Insomnia often only last a few days or weeks. Long-term insomnia can go on indefinitely unless the cause can be identified and treated. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) describes insomnia as being concerned with or caused by at least one of the following:

1)      Qi Stagnation

Stress and depression cause Qi stagnation in the liver system. Long term liver Qi stagnation can turn to fire. The fire rises to disturb the heart and spirit and the person cannot relax and sleep.

2)      Improper Diet

A diet of junk food will affect the stomach and digestive system. If you have a problem in your digestive system, you cannot sleep peacefully.

3)      Deficiency of Kidney Yin

A weak body constitution or long term chronic illness results in a deficiency of kidney Yin. The water of the kidney cannot rise up to nourish the heart fire. The heart fire increases to disturb the spirit and affect sleep.

4)      Deficiency of Blood

Over thinking or over work impairs the heart and spleen system, which can cause a blood deficiency. The blood cannot nourish the brain and heart. Women sometimes experience this condition after labour and elderly people can be prone to it.

 

 

Treatment:

ginkgoPeople here usually take sleeping pills when they suffer from insomnia. Sleeping pills are a temporary solution only and can be habit forming. Acupuncture is often used in treatment of insomnia. It can regulate the meridian or channels of the body to re-open the stagnation of Qi, common points are Nei Guang, Shen men, Bai Hui etc. There is also a wide range of Chinese herbal remedies to treat insomnia depending on the causes. The main herbal products are: AN SHEN JIAN NAO YE, ZAO womanmeditatingREN AN SHEN YE, SUAN ZAO REN TANG WAN, JIA WEI XIAO YAO WAN, etc. A combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs can work even better.