According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are many reasons for insomnia, including mental exhaustion, internal injury to the heart and spleen, imbalance of yin and yang, imbalance of heart and kidney, excessive yang and deficiency of yin, deficiency of heart qi, and disharmony in the stomach. The occurrence of insomnia is often related to deficiency of the heart, spleen, liver, and kidney, as well as deficiency of yin and blood, resulting in an excess of yang and deficiency of yin. The clinical treatment should focus on tonifying deficiency and eliminating excess, regulating the balance of yin and yang, supplementing deficiencies, nourishing qi and blood, and nourishing the liver and kidney; and eliminating excess, promoting digestion and harmonizing the stomach.
TCM treatment of insomnia generally starts from four aspects:
Harmonizing the balance of qi and blood, yin and yang
TCM classifies insomnia into excess syndrome and deficiency syndrome. Excess syndrome is characterized by liver depression transforming into fire, and is treated with Long Dan Xie Gan Tang with modifications; phlegm-heat disturbance is treated with Wen Dan Tang with modifications. Deficiency syndrome, such as yin deficiency and excessive fire, is treated with Huang Lian E Jiao Tang combined with Zhu Sha An Shen Wan with modifications; deficiency of both the heart and spleen is treated with Gui Pi Tang; deficiency of heart and gallbladder qi is treated with An Shen Ding Zhi Wan; heart-kidney disconnection and deficiency of yang disturbing the upper body are treated with Jiao Tai Wan. For stubborn insomnia, blood stasis theory is followed, and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang is used to resolve blood stasis.
Nourishing blood, nourishing yin, calming the mind, and tranquilizing
TCM emphasizes the use of appropriate sedatives and tranquilizers based on the differentiation and treatment of the syndrome. Commonly used methods include nourishing blood and calming the mind, clearing the heart and calming the mind, nourishing yin and calming the mind, strengthening qi and calming the mind, calming the liver and calming the mind, and calming the mind and stabilizing the will. Commonly used Chinese herbs include mother of pearl, lily bulb, sour jujube seed, corydalis yanhusuo, and calcined dragon bone. Commonly used patent medicines include An Shen Ding Zhi Wan, Ci Wu Jia Pian, Shen Song Yang Xin Jiao Nang, Zhu Sha An Shen Wan, and Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan.
Psychological treatment to relax emotions
Psychological treatment methods should also be used in clinical practice to eliminate patients' worries and tension and maintain mental relaxation. Psychological treatment is particularly effective for insomnia caused by emotional suppression or anxiety.
Acupuncture therapy to calm the mind and tranquilize
Acupuncture points commonly used in TCM treatment of insomnia include Nei Guan, Shen Men, Si Shen Cong, San Yin Jiao, An Mian, Zu San Li, and Hou Xi. Si Shen Cong is used to calm the mind and tranquilize. If the root cause of insomnia is in the heart, the original point of the Heart Meridian, Shen Men, is used to calm and tranquilize the mind. San Yin Jiao strengthens the spleen and nourishes qi, soothes the liver and nourishes yin, and promotes the smooth flow of qi, thus calming the heart and eliminating insomnia. For deficiency of heart and spleen, the Heart Shu and Spleen Shu points are used. For heart and kidney disconnection, the Heart Shu, Kidney Shu, and Tai Xi points are used. For disharmony between the spleen and stomach, the Zu San Li point is used. For phlegm-heat disturbance, the Nei Guan and Feng Long points are used. Ear acupuncture, plum blossom needle, moxibustion, and massage can also be used.
