In the past, insomnia was called "not sleeping", "not sleeping" or "not having eyes closed". Nowadays, in addition to "not being able to sleep", it also refers to a lack of sleep time or poor quality.
Hong Kong people lead a fast-paced life and have high work pressure, which makes them prone to sleep problems. Many people also want to find something to relax after work due to work pressure, and their sleep time is pushed back and forth. Lack of sleep is a common problem for most urban people. Among all parts of the body, the brain lacks rest the most, which makes people feel tired during the day, lose concentration, and even have drastic mood swings, affecting their daily lives.
Normal sleep is a manifestation of the regular circulation of yin, yang, qi and blood in the body. If this rhythm is unbalanced, it will affect the mind and cause insomnia. During the diagnosis, in addition to considering the symptoms of insomnia, we will also get enough clues from the patient's daily diet, emotions, personality and living habits through the four examinations of observation, auscultation, questioning and palpation before making a diagnosis and making a comprehensive treatment plan according to the syndrome differentiation.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, sleep is related to the coordination of yin and yang. "When yang enters yin, one sleeps; when yang leaves yin, one wakes up." This means that the coordination of yin and yang in the human body changes with the rising and setting of nature, and the rise and fall of yin and yang. If yin and yang are in harmony, sleep can be stable. There are many reasons that affect sleep, including worry and fatigue, timidity, heart-kidney disharmony, and yin deficiency and excessive fire.
In TCM treatment, insomnia is first divided into positive and negative syndromes according to the patient's constitution, symptoms and etiology. Positive syndromes are mostly caused by excessive fire disturbing the heart, due to liver depression turning into fire or phlegm-heat disturbing the body. Negative syndromes are often caused by excessive fire due to deficiency of yin, deficiency of both heart and spleen, or deficiency of qi in the heart and gallbladder. In clinical practice, the direction of treatment is guided by syndrome differentiation.
The following are common symptoms of each syndrome:
Evidence
(1) Liver depression and heat: Common symptoms include irritability, dizziness, red eyes, bitter mouth or thirst, constipation, and yellow urine. Treatment should be to relieve liver heat and relieve purgation, while calming the nerves. Longdan Xiegan Decoction is often used.
(2) Phlegm-heat disturbance: excessive phlegm and chest tightness, often accompanied by gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms such as poor appetite, nausea, belching, and excessive stomach acid. Treatment should be aimed at resolving phlegm and clearing heat, and the commonly used prescription is Wendan Decoction.
Deficiency
(1) Yin deficiency and excessive fire: Before going to bed at night, one often feels restless and has difficulty falling asleep, accompanied by hot palms and dry mouth. Elderly people often experience dizziness, forgetfulness, tinnitus, and sore waist and knees. Treatment should be to nourish Yin and reduce fire, nourish the heart and calm the mind. The commonly used prescription is Coptis chinensis and donkey-hide gelatin soup.
(2) Deficiency of both heart and spleen: frequent dreams and waking easily during sleep, palpitations and forgetfulness, fatigue and weakness, tastelessness of food, and dull complexion. Treatment should be to nourish the heart and spleen to generate qi and blood. Guipi Decoction is often used.
(3) Deficiency of Qi in the heart and gallbladder: The patient is easily awakened by dreams, easily frightened by the slightest thing, and feels short of breath and fatigue. Treatment should be to invigorate Qi, calm the mind, and the commonly used prescription is Anshen Dingzhi Pills.
Acupuncture is also effective in treating insomnia!
In addition to drug treatment, acupuncture is also very effective in treating insomnia. Many patients with long-term insomnia have seen very good results after acupuncture treatment for several times, or with the help of acupuncture, they have gradually stopped taking sedatives and sleeping pills.
We can also massage these calming and soothing acupuncture points at home to improve sleep, such as the Neiguan point, which is located in the center of the two tendons on the back of the forearm, about three finger widths upward from the transverse wrist line. You can press this point and gently rotate the forearm to achieve a massage effect.
There is also the Shenmen acupoint, which is a point on the heart meridian and has the effect of nourishing the heart and calming the mind. It is located on the proximal end of the transverse wrist crease on the dorsum of the forearm, outside the tendon on the little finger side.
If the patient is afraid of needles, we can also choose acupoint massage or ear acupuncture therapy, and ask the patient to gently press the ear beans to stimulate the acupoints, which is also effective!
People who suffer from insomnia can try soaking their feet before going to bed. The water temperature should be about 40~50 degrees, and the water level should be higher than the ankles. Soak your feet for about 15~30 minutes. After soaking, dry your feet with a towel and go to bed immediately.
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