Insomnia And Chinese Medicine by Toni Narins

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia per year. Insomnia tends to increase with age, affecting about 40% of all women and 30% of men.(1) Insomnia is characterized by the inability to fall asleep, or the inability to stay asleep for a reasonable period of time. Many people who suffer from insomnia report that they don't go to bed until they're really tired, which can be in the early hours of the morning. Others say that they can fall asleep fairly well, but that they wake up a couple of hours later and cannot get back to sleep.

The causes of insomnia can be numerous, including stress, medications, jet lag, caffeine, depression, eating too late in the evening, sugar consumption, dehydration, nightime polyuria, etc. Physical pain can also cause insomnia. Insomnia can be transient - lasting from one night to a couple of weeks. This is often the case with jet lag. Insomnia can be acute, which means it's experienced frequently for several weeks to several months. This is often the case in stressful situations - a huge project with a deadline at work, or post-operative pain. Or it can be chronic, which means it's experienced almost every night for at least a month. This is often the case in depression, hormonal imbalances or serious pain. Often women who are going through perimenopause or menopause have insomnia as one of the symptoms.

Western medicine treats insomnia with a variety of drugs. Sedatives or hypnotics such as benzodiazapines - aka diazapam, lorazepam or midazolam, can relieve the symptoms of insomnia, but these medications can be addictive. Non benzodiazapines such as Ambien or Lunesta are currently popular, and clain to have less side effects. However, these drugs can become physically or psychologically addictive, and there are reports of memory or cognitive dysfunction.

Over the counter herbs such as Valerian, Hops, Passionflower or Chamomile all have been shown to help with insomnia. Grandma used to encourage us to drink warm milk before bed, and science has shown that she was actually on to something. The tryptophan in milk can help create drowsiness. Tryptophan works more quickly in the presence of sugar, so adding a bit of honey to the milk will speed up the process. Melatonin is a popular sleep aid, and works best when the cause of insomnia is a lack of melatonin.

In Chinese medicine we characterize insomnia in terms of deficiency or excess. Examples of excess would include eating too late in the evening, consuming too much sugar or alchohol, acute pain, or lack of exercise. All of these cause the qi, or energy, to stagnate and build up. It's as if there were too many rocks piled up in a stream, creating a puddle on the upstream side and a trickle on the downstream side. The treatment for this type of insomnia often includes diet and lifestyle changes, as well as acupuncture. Sometimes herbal formulas will be used as well.

Inability to fall asleep or inability to stay asleep can be caused by deficiency as well. Inability to fall asleep is a possible sign of what we term Heart Blood deficiency. Heart Blood deficiency can have several causes. Poor digestion can lead to poor production of blood. Since the body uses the nutrients from food to create all the cells and tissues, hormones and enzymes that it needs, if a person has poor digestion, the body's ability to create new cells or repair existing ones is compromised. Long term stress can lead to Heart Blood deficiency. Stress is defined by the inability of the organism to adapt to change. So when long standing states of emotional turmoil or physical pain or disease are present (both are stressors), the organism can suffer in it's ability to change or adapt. Creation of new cells is just one way the body changes on an ongoing basis. Thus, when a person's life is in a constant state of turmoil, or they are going through a long phase of being hyper-vigilant, feeling stressed out, under attack, etc., or there is a chronic disease state, that person will have a reduced ability to create high quality new cells.

Inability to stay asleep can be a sign of what we term Heart Fire due to Kidney Yin Deficiency. Heart Fire due to deficiency can be characterized by mental restlessness, a sense of heat, possibly in the palms and soles of the feet, irritability, thirst or dry mouth, and forgetfulness, etc. Yin energy is calm, quiet and receptive. Those whose yin is deficient lack the ability to achieve a state of calmness, quietude and receptiveness. People with this condition are often very chatty and fidgety. They don't sit still for long, and they often change the subject in midstream. Yin is also moist, so people whose yin is lacking can experience dry mouth, dry skin, dry hair etc.

When insomnia is caused by deficiency, the primary form of treatment is usually an herbal formula. While excess can often be changed through diet, lifestyle changes and acupuncture, deficiency must utilize a treatment which tonifies, or adds something to the body. Dietary changes can sometimes be sufficient, but often the person needs herbs as well. A well qualified health care professional, one who has studied herbs and is knowledgeable about them and their potential interactions with western medications, can help eliminate insomnia through gentle, natural means.

Copyright Toni Narins, L.Ac. is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in San Diego, CA. She maintains a busy clinical practice in Mission Valley, treating women for menstrual problems, menopausal symptoms and a wide variety of pain. Aside from acupuncture and herbs, she addresses her patient's diet, exercise, and lifestyle.
http://www.missionvalleyacu.com