Did you know that there is more than one type of insomnia?
In TCM theory, the most common type of insomnia today is due to liver qi stagnation (肝郁气滞), which is mostly caused by mental stress. Learn more about insomnia from a TCM perspective and some tips you can use to manage sleeplessness.
How does liver qi stagnation affect sleep?
Symptoms of liver qi stagnation’s insomnia include disrupted sleep, tendency to wake up in the middle of the night especially between 1-3am, having trouble falling asleep, having many dreams in the night. Those with liver qi stagnation may also experience other symptoms such as feeling stressed or down and/or easily irritable or frustrated, prone to headache (particularly at the top of the head), abdomen bloating, chest tightness, likes to sigh (叹气) frequently.
In TCM, Liver is the organ that is in charge of managing our emotions, which is an important part of our mental health. Thus, having a smooth flow of liver qi is necessary as it helps to regulate not just our mood, emotion and sleep but also various systems in our daily life eg digestion and metabolism. Liver Qi stagnation often results due to stress, unstable emotion/bad mood, anxiety and overthinking.
This stagnation impedes the flow of Qi and Blood in the body. Overtime, stagnated/congested Qi heats up and causes fire in the body (being heaty). This innate heat can interrupt our Shen（神）or what could be referred to as state of mind, which makes the mind too active for prolonged sleep.
For this type insomnia, it is essential to identify the emotional and lifestyle factors that have been contributing to stress, and either to make changes or learn to manage them better. PULSE also has a psychology service that can help with this.
How can TCM help in managing stress and insomnia?
Acupuncture is an effective treatment to help with managing stress and insomnia.
Acupuncture on selected acupoints (百会、印堂、太冲、合谷) can help with calming the mind and body, reduce tension and stress and also regulate the flow of qi and blood in the body.
Learn more through the link below how TCM treatments and psychotherapy can help with insomnia.
Acupressure Points for Insomnia & Sleep
As a milder D-I-Y alternative to acupuncture, you can also try acupressure. Continously massage the following acupoints that are known to help promote relaxation and sleep.
For further help with Insomnia, do learn more about our integrated programme, where we offer TCM therapies to relieve insomnia, the option to add on a therapy service by a psychologist.
