Insomnia

Many Americans suffer from insomnia, which gives rise to lower energy in the morning and affecting their quality of life. Studies have shown that different people need different amount of sleep ranging from 14 hrs a night to 5 hours a night. The best way to know how much sleep you need to listen to your body and not to push it beyond its comfort level. Few natural treatments for mild insomnia are: eat bananas, dates, figs, milk, nut butter, tuna, turkey, and yogurt. These foods are high in tryptophan which promotes sleep. If your insomnia is due to stress, try Kava Kava which develops a better sleep pattern. For better sleep avoid bacon, cheese, chocolate, ham, sugar, potatoes, tomatoes which contain tyramine which stimulates the brain.

Chinese Medicine, Chinese herbs and Acupuncture are effective in treating insomnia. According to Chinese Medicine, Insomnia can have different etiologies therefore different treatments. Few examples are:

1- Insomnia due to liver qi stagnation = stress induced insomnia
2- Insomnia due to heart heat
3- Insomnia due to liver blood deficiency
4- Insomnia due to kidney yin deficiency giving rise to yang rising= insomnia associated with menopausal women
5- Insomnia due to shen disturbance = insomnia associated with psychological problems.

In Chinese medicine, there are many herbal formulas and Acupuncture protocols which can resolve insomnia and induce better quality sleep. So next time, you have a problem sleeping, consider using Acupuncture and Chinese herbs to aid with your insomnia.