TCM REMEDIES FOR INSOMNIA TREATMENT

Insomnia, also known as trouble sleeping, is a sleep disorder in which people are unable to fall asleep or to stay asleep as long as desired.

People with insomnia often have difficulty falling asleep, including difficulty finding out a comfortable sleeping direction, wake up during the night with difficulty returning to sleep or suffer from excessive nighttime urination.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), sleep is the part of the natural rhythm of Yin and Yang in the body. Yin is the dominant force during sleep, so insomnia is a result of Yin deficiency. It can be traced to the following five syndromes.

Liver Qi stagnation leading to heat

Causes: Qi stagnation will lead to poor blood circulation to the heart, affecting sleep patterns. Heat or “fire” accumulates in the liver, causing symptoms affecting the upper body.

Symptoms: Those patients may experience headaches, high blood pressure, ringing in the ears, red tongue that drive them to have difficulty falling asleep or lots of dreams during sleep.

Remedy: Drink tea of peppermint leaves and chrysanthemum flower to promote the flow of Qi in the liver.

Phlegm heat

Causes: Over-indulgence in food and irregular eating habits can cause poor digestion. Besides, a diet high in sugar and fats leads to the accumulation of dampness in the body resulting in Qi stagnation. Untreated dampness gradually changes into phlegm causing internal heat to pile up.

Symptoms: Those patients may be experience indigestion, stomach fullness, dizziness, heavily-headed sensation, chest discomfort. They become irritable and suffer from insomnia.

Remedy: Use a prescription including herbs such as tangerine peel, poria and pinellia tuber.

Heart and spleen deficiency

Causes: Heat accumulating in the body will affect the spleen functions. When the spleen fails to absorb sufficient nutrients to nourish the heart “shen”, the mental health is also affected.

Symptoms: Those patients may find it hard to sleep or even they do, they are easily roused. They experience symptoms like forgetfulness, palpitation, abdominal distension and loose stool.

Remedy: Make pork rib soup with Chinese yam, poria and dried longans.

Heart and kidney disharmony

Causes: Kidney Yin deficiency due to age or end-stage illnesses, the kidney fails to regulate Yang in the heart. This results in the disruption of the normal rhythm between Yin and Yang.

Symptoms: Palpitation, tinnitus, night sweat, back and knee pain, fertility

Remedy: Make tea of dendrobium that has been double-boiled for three hours. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon before serving.

Heart and gallbladder Qi deficiency

Causes: Liver “fire” and phlegm lead to this.

Symptoms: Heart palpitation, shortness of breath, insomnia, easy perspiration

Remedy: Cook porridge of one Chinese date, 3g astragalus, 3g codonopsis root and 8g poria.

Here is a tip for a sleep-promoting tea.

Ingredients: 15g poria, 10g dried lily bulbs, 10g lotus seeds, 6g spine date seeds, 6g dried longans, 3 red dates, 3 dried chrysanthemum flowers, 1 dried French rose, 1 tsp brown sugar or as desired and 1 tsp dried lavender.

Method: Add all ingredients except chrysanthemum flowers, French flower and lavender into 300ml of water. Lower the fire and simmer for 20 minutes. Add all three types of flowers and let the tea steep before serving.