Insomnia refers to the inability to fall asleep or maintain sleep, leading to insufficient sleep. It is also known as sleep onset and sleep maintenance disorder and is a common condition caused by various reasons resulting in difficulty falling asleep, short sleep duration or frequency, early awakening, and poor sleep quality.
Insomnia often brings great suffering and psychological burden to patients and can also cause damage to other aspects of the body due to the misuse of sleeping pills. However, there are many methods available to relieve and treat insomnia.
Self-massage is a method for treating insomnia and is hoped to be helpful for insomnia patients.
First, sit down, relax your whole body, and concentrate.
1. Make a fist with both hands and slowly press and massage along the sides of the spine from top to bottom using the knuckles of the thumbs.
2. Use the middle three fingers of the right hand to rub the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the left foot; then switch to the sole of the right foot.
Second, lie down in bed, close your eyes naturally.
1. Use the inner edge of the index finger of both hands to push from the inside to the outside of the eyebrows.
2. Gently rub the temples with the tips of the middle fingers of both hands.
3. Use the palm roots to push and massage the temples from front to back on both sides.
4. Gently tap the fontanelle on the top of the head with the base of the palm.
5. Rub the Fengchi acupoint with the tips of both thumbs.
6. Stack both hands on the abdomen, and then gently massage the Zhongwan acupoint with the palm heel.
7. Move both hands to the lower abdomen, and then gently massage the Dantian acupoint with the palm heel.
Now you have learned the self-massage methods for treating insomnia. They are simple and easy to do, and if done consistently, they will surely achieve significant results.
Other common treatments in daily life
Foot bath therapy
Soaking your feet in hot water can improve sleep, but to achieve better therapeutic effects, it is necessary to add traditional Chinese medicine for treating insomnia. Because soaking feet in hot water can promote blood circulation, and the heat in the water can help the components of the medicinal herbs penetrate into the capillaries of the feet, which can have a good therapeutic effect. It is recommended to use a wooden foot bath basin when using Chinese medicine foot baths to keep the medicinal properties from deteriorating. During foot baths, it is advised not to do other work and it is best to massage the feet. After foot baths, avoid using cold water to wash feet. If the smell of the Chinese medicine is too strong, use hot water to wash feet. The best time for foot baths is half an hour before going to bed.
Diet therapy
In terms of diet, it is recommended to consume foods rich in serotonin. Serotonin not only controls our sleep, but also controls our emotions and appetite. Therefore, we often find that people with poor sleep tend to have tendencies towards depression or irritability. This is because serotonin acts like a traffic cop, controlling these unruly emotions. Foods rich in serotonin include bananas, banana peel extract, dark chocolate, whole wheat bread, and fish.
