Insomnia, How does TCM see and treat it?
Insomnia appears to be a fast-spreading problem in these modern days, which not only affects people's living quality, but also impairs their working efficacy, and may even cause disability. There are many reasons leading to this sleep disorder, and among them Oriental Medicine sees the major causes to be an imbalance of Yin and Yang, and a disturbed spirit.
How does the imbalance of Yin and Yang affect sleep?
The balance of Yin and Yang is displayed in the change of day and night. In the daytime, the sun rises and so, Yang energy is predominant in nature, as well as in the human body. When the sun sets, the night is full of Yin energy. As the early morning Yang energy rises, the Yang energy inside the body gets warm and ready for daily activities. In the evening, the Yang energy decreases while the Yin energy increases, and so the body starts to signal its tiredness, and prepares to restore its energy through sleep. This is how the human body stays in balance of Yin and Yang following the law of nature. However, when the body doesn’t flow with the transitions of nature, it is understandable that Insomnia would appear as a manifested disharmony of Yin and Yang.
What is the spirit, and how may it affect sleep? Basically, the human spirit in Oriental Medicine is termed “Shen.” “Shen” is the vital life force responsible for decision making, the degree of will power to follow through with decisions, and all other activities of the mind. The stronger a person’s “Shen,” the better their ability is to make and follow through with decisions.
In Oriental Medicine, the human spirit is dominated by the heart and stored in the blood. Malnourishment of heart blood, or excessive pathological factors such as “Phlegm Heat in the heart (meridian)” lead to various diseases that may manifest as restlessness, anxiety, or depression, which all then may lead to Insomnia.
What creates an imbalance of Yin and Yang, and poor spirit? Generally, if the human spirit is disturbed, then the Yin and Yang energies are out of balance, and vice versa.
There are multiple causes for a disturbed spirit, and Yin and Yang imbalance: First of all, overthinking and overeating deplete the body’s vital energy, Qi and blood. This depletion leaves no energy to nourish the human spirit that is stored in the heart blood. Secondly, emotional changes and the stresses of anger, anxiety, worries, depression, and grief impede the flow of the body’s Qi (energy) throughout the meridians, which then cause blood stagnation, and subsequently a malnourished heart, and disturbed spirit.
Thirdly, poor nutritional intake also plays a major role in the state of the human spirit. The heart blood (Yin Energy) is nourished by food, and if that food is poor quality, then the blood is poor quality, which then fails to support the spirit. Fourth, an irregular lifestyle causes an imbalance of Yin and Yang. Qi (Yang Energy) is regulated by rhythm, and if our lifestyle rhythms are hectic, then our Qi also becomes hectic. Lastly, constitutional deficiency attributed to aging, chronic illness, and a long-term emotional state can result in the imbalance of Yin and Yang, and poor spirit.
Although pharmacological treatment is effective for insomnia, there may be significant, harmful side effects upon the ingestion of foreign chemicals. A number of clinical studies have shown the stimulation of particular acupoints to induce a wide range of natural neuroendocrine factors (norepinephrine, melatonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and B-endorphin), which are all responsible for a healthy sleep. The stimulation of acupoints through Acupuncture has great benefit to improve the quality and regularity of sleep, without the risk of side effects caused by pharmacological drugs.
