Sleep Disorders

 Many of us have suffered sleep issues temperately or chronically. I personally go through cycles sometimes. So I totally understand how it feels when we just cannot sleep although our body feels exhausted, or we constantly wake up through the night and feel restless in the morning. I had never taken pills for insomnia, but rather I found some of the lifestyle changes with the combination of acupuncture and herbal treatments being very helpful.
 
If you suffer any of the sleep disorders or insomnia including having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, snoring, or Jet lag, I highly recommend you to rule possible causes with your primary care physician, and also see an acupuncturist, a naturopathic doctor or a homeopathic practitioners near you. Some of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnosis I will mention later, will require you to see an acupuncturist. Before that, I will not suggest you to try out the dietary suggestions listed under the specific TCM conditions. Although it seems like we may share similar symptoms, each of us could have very different underlying causes. Acupuncturists and herbalists treat each of us as a unique individual. Therefore, the treatments will be designed specifically for you. There are reasons behind why we suggest such personalized treatment and diet for you. So it is important to find out your body type and underlying causes from your acupuncturists or herbalists. 
 
I will start with some general suggestions which could help almost everyone who wants to have a better sleep. Depending on the severity of your condition, you may need additional help. I personally found these very helpful and kept me getting a good night sleep without taking supplements.
Things to do before or getting ready for your bed time:

• Have the electronic essential oil diffuser with a timer by your night stand and spread the following essential oil when you are getting ready to sleep:
  • Lavender essential oil or - Should not be used by people who have/had breast or ovarian cancer 
  • Rose essential oil or
  • Sandlewood essential oil
  • Good sleep blend essential oil: lavender, sandlewood, chamomile and others. 
  • you could also ask your acupuncturists to show you some of the acupressure points where you can apply lavender essential oil on before you go to sleep 
• Put the sleep music in delta wave on when you are going to sleep
• Take a hot bath with Epsom Salt for 15 – 20 minutes before the bed time to relax muscle and detoxification

 
Food or drinks to be avoided:

• Caffeine – the effects of caffeine can last up to twenty hours. I personally cannot have coffee after lunch. Otherwise, I will have to count sheep through the whole night. You will need to experience to find out how each of these affects your sleep patterns. I remember back in the college days, I used to drink cocoa when I need to stay up all night instead of coffee. Coffee induces urination and make me going to the bathroom frequently. Also I tended to have acid reflects after coffee. However it doesn't prevent me from having coffee because I love the smell of it. So I still have it once a while, but have to be before the noon. 
  • Coffee, black tea and green tea, cocoa, chocolate, some soft drinks or even some of the over-the-counter pharmaceuticals may also contain caffeine.
  • Alcohol, hot sauces, spicy foods, fried foods, fatty foods, rich foods, salty foods, sweet foods and sugar

 
Therapeutic foods:

• Teas that calm the mind/spirit, make you feel relaxed:
  • chamomile tea
  • Lavender or rose tea or their combination - Should not be used by people who have/had breast or ovarian cancer 
  • Passion flower tea
  • Valerian root tea
  • Lemon balm tea - should NOT be taken by people who have glaucoma because it may raise pressure in the eyes.
  • Lemon balm + Chamomile tea – helps to calm down the nerve, and your mind. Lemon balm is also anti-viral.
  • Pueraria tea  - calm shen, relax muscle. It is also very good for hung over after the consumption of alcohol or even help to help out of alcohol addiction 
  • You could also ask your herbalist to prescribe you TCM herbal teas since there are many herbal teas can be very helpful
• Foods high in tryptophan (enhances melatonin) : nuts, eggs, meat, fish, dairy
• If supplementing tryptophan
  • try to take its cofactors (Vitamins B3, B6, and C)
  • whole wheat toast
  • bananas, pineapples
  • walnuts
• increase foods high in Vitamin C,B-complex (don't take at night)
• Fresh juices:
  • Lettuce, celery
  • Carrot, spinach
  • Carrots and celery

 
Specific Dietary change based on your TCM diagnosis:

• insomnia due to blood deficiency (anemia): 
  • Liver blood deficiency: you may have tendency to wake up during 1 to 3 am and hard to fall back to sleep
  • heart blood def or spleen deficiency –  you may find it hard to fall asleep and have a busy mind.
  • Chicken, duck, goji berries, beets, carrots, food in red color in general are good in regenerating blood
  • daily tea: goji berries (15 pieces), dates (3), Rose buds (6). 
  • Boil 10 oz duck meat, 4 oz pork, ½ ox fresh ginger. Eat and drink at noon. Please do not have ginger after 6pm if you have trouble with sleeping.
  • avoid having peanuts, cashews, and pistachios.
• insomnia due to the poor communication of Heart and Kidneys:  
  • You may experience having a lot of worries, being very alert, and feel hard to fall asleep
  • Oysters,
  • Celery
  • Black sesame seeds, walnuts 
• Insomnia due to Liver yang rising / hypertension:
  • You may find it hard to fall asleep, irritable, may get angry easily, may feel burning, dry, and fatigue eyes
  • Drink Celery juice or decoct fresh celery 15 minutes
  • Fresh walnuts, black sesame seeds
  • Burdock root tea – releases LR heat, helps the circulation of lymphatic system 
  • Pueraria tea – calm shen, relax muscle. It is also very good for hung over after the consumption of alcohol or even help to help out of alcohol addiction 
  • Boil wheat kernels 3 oz, 15 dried dates, 1 oz. honey together and drink
  • Boil 4 oz. celery and drink before bedtime
• Insomnia due to yin deficiency
  • You may feel thirsty, dry eyes, night sweat, or hot flash. You will experience hard to fall asleep and wake up easily but fall back to sleep easily as well
  • You could adopt the dietary suggestion for the Blood deficiency. In addition, you should get long term of acupuncture and herbal treatments from your acupuncturists/herbalists. 

Any of the above mentioned TCM conditions could lead to one or another. So you may have overlap of their symptoms. 
 
Supplements:

• tryptophan – try to take with cofactors (Vitamins B3, B6, and C)
• Melatonin – a natural hormone which regulates the human biological clock. There may be some side effects including drowsiness, sleepwalking, and disorientation. Some individuals should not use melatonin such as pregnant women. It is the best to consult with your primary care physician.
• Valerian root – smells really bad. It is a strong seducer and muscle relaxer which helps you falling asleep easier, increasing deep sleep and dreaming. You could take 300 – 400 mg of a concentrated valerian root 30 minutes before your bedtime. For a small group of people, Valerian root may cause the totally opposite effect. It can keep you up all night. I don't really recommend this one. But I'd like to put it out for your reference. It is best to consult with your primary care and a naturopathic doctor. You could also combine it with Lemon Balm.
  • Cautions:
    • Valerian should not be taken with alcohol.
    • Lemon Balm should NOT be taken by people who have glaucoma because it may raise pressure in the eyes.

 
Some Doctors of naturopathic medicine sometimes may suggest you to eat a high-carbohydrate food before your bedtime, such as a slice of bread or some crackers. Eating carbohydrates could significantly increase serotonin levels in the body which could reduce anxiety and promote sleep.

However, I don't recommend. According to TCM, carbohydrate increases phlegm and weight gain in a long run. After you eat, your blood rushes into the digestive system to assist with the digestion, it could cause restless sleep which means you may experience frequent waking up during the night.
 
Suggested Lifestyle changes

• Insomnia could be triggered by psychological stress. Through counselling or other techniques may help with the sleep.
• Regular routine of sleeping and eating schedule
• Quit smoking - produces mucus and phlegm which can clot our lymphatic system and cause swelling and other complications. 
• Bed should be used for sleeping, not for readings, watching tv, or eating. Try to relate your bed with sleep only. 
• Regular exercise
• Meditation, breathing concentration

 
Psycho-spiritual approaches: 
Insomnia correlates to:

• Inability to forget the day, which may be due to guilt
• Fear of death since sleep can be equated to death
• Depression
• Fear. Not trusting the process of life.
• Afraid of night, of passivity.
• Lack native trust and the capacity of self surrender

 
TCM psychophysiology:

• Liver – is the home of the ethereal soul; It relates to
  • Decisiveness, control and the principle of emergency.
  • Stores and cleanses/detoxifies the blood
  • Maintains smooth flow of the energy and blood
  • Opens into the eyes
  • Expresses itself in the nervous system
  • Reflects emotional harmony and movement
• Heart – houses the spirit and reveals itself through the brightness in the eyes.
  • Governs fire and heat
  • Rules the blood and its vessels and directs the circulation
  • Opens into the tongue and controls the speech
  • Relates to the integration of the organs and the personality
• Spleen – governs the digestion and manifests the strength of muscles
  • Transforms food into nutrients and mixes into the blood
  • Relates to the ability to assimilate, stabilize, and feel centered and balanced

 
Therapeutic affirmation:

• I lovingly release the day and slip into a peaceful sleep, knowing tomorrow will take care of itself.

 
Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I able to let go
• Am I having sufficient regard for the night-side of my soul
• How dependent am I on power, control, intellect, and observation
• How afraid am I of death? What terms have I come to with this
• How developed are my facilities for self-surrender

 
Process paradigm:

• What is the symptom preventing me from doing
• What is the symptom making me do