Loss of sleep is one of the most debilitating conditions we suffer from. Studies show that insufficient sleep results in food cravings and poor eating habits, mood disturbance including anxiety and depression, memory impairment, decreased immunity, and other long-term impacts. Luckily, Chinese herbal medicine can provide relief from insomnia without side effects commonly experienced with pharmaceutical sleep aids. Furthermore, Chinese herbal treatment of sleep conditions often helps to resolve other related conditions such as feelings of stress and overwhelm, poor digestion, temperature imbalance, and other symptoms.
As a Chinese medicine practitioner, I have the tools to create customized herbal formulas for insomnia based on your physiology and symptoms. There are several imbalances that can result in insomnia:
- Heat conditions, which often come along with symptoms such as anxiety, anger, substantial stress, hot flashes, and/or a racing heart
- Digestive conditions, such as slow digestion, poor digestion, gas, and bloating
- Deficient conditions, which often come along with symptoms such as poor memory, poor focus, pale and dry skin and nails, dizziness, and some types of headaches
- Excess conditions, which often correlate with symptoms such as quickness to anger, throbbing headaches, and a sensation of heat in the head and chest
Chinese herbal formulas are tailored for each of these conditions and can be blended to address multiple symptoms. For example, my patient Joanne is in her 70s and suffers from anxiety, worry, indigestion, and chronic constipation. With Chinese herbal formulas that addresses both heat and digestive conditions, she was able to stop taking her antidepressant and melatonin in the evening and sleep comfortably through the night.
If you’re tired of being tired and would like support for your insomnia, call me for a consultation. We can determine whether herbal medicine, acupuncture, or both, would be the right fit to help you sleep through the night and improve your long-term health.
