Nowadays, more and more people can not sleep well. It is because there are plenty stress from many places such as stress at work, family pressures, or a traumatic event. It may last for days or weeks, and some people last for month or longer. Those people who do not get enough sleep would cause daytime sleepiness and a lack of energy. They might also feel anxious, depressed, or irritable.
In TCM theory, insomnia is related to heart, spleen, kidneys, and liver.
Kidney Energy (qi) Deficiency
The kidneys, like all the body's organs, store energy. When the kidney's ability to store energy is compromised, sleep disorders can result. According to TCM, kidney energy deficiency can prevent the kidney from holding the energy inside. When this happens, the energy ascends and disturbs the heart (spirit). This, in turn, keeps the person awake.
Senility or Blood Qi Deficiency of the Heart
Palpitation and insomnia are the result of exhaustion of liver and kidney essence. If vital essence is prevented from replenishing the heart, the breakdown of the normal physiological coordination between the heart and the kidneys will occur. These conditions may also result in excess heart fire or blood qi deficiency in the heart and gallbladder. Anyone of these scenarios can manifest as fear and timidity on the part of the patient.
Injury Due to Emotional Excesses
Some violent emotions impair liver qi, which stagnates, transforms into fire, invades heart Yin and causes mental derangement and insomnia.
Improper Diet
Excess consumption of greasy or sweet foods can result in the retention of fluids and phlegm in the stomach and spleen, causing stomach and spleen qi malfunctioning and, eventually, insomnia.
Acupuncture remedy can relax patients and calm down their stress-nerves that would really help them to fight insomnia. During giving acupuncture time, patients usually fall asleep because of relaxing.
Herbal remedy can help patients balance their body conditions. After balancing, patients’ body can easy reduce their stress and fall asleep easily.
Acupuncture and Herbal therapies should be combined together and most my patients will feel much better after couple days’ treatment. That is why I always tell my patients acupuncture and TCM are really good ways treating insomnia.
