by leojmelsrub
(My dog, Maggie, who easily sleeps at least 12-14 hours per day...)
A good night's sleep is a coveted time of rest and restoration. Often times you don't know how much you missed it until you start to lose it. I'm one of those people who can function on a few hours, but not very well or for very long! Sleep is the essential time where your body repairs itself and prepares you for the next day. It is vital for normal body and brain function, and just can't be replaced by caffeine, no matter how much we try.
Waking easily, not being able to fall asleep, or being a "very light sleeper" can all constitute insomnia, and Traditional Chinese Medicine has so many great remedies for it. There are several acupoints to help sleep quality and also some great herbal formulas.
The two most common formulas we use in the OCOM clinic are An Mian Pian and Suan Zao Ren Wan. While they both help with sleep problems, they are used for different diagnoses, so check in with a practitioner before trying them.
Here are a few other informative sites to check out: *Chinese Medicine News discusses research on the use of elecro-acupuncture and it's effect on insomnia. Don't worry- electroacupuncture on the scalp is actually quite comfortable!
*Eric Grey from Deepest Health has also handed down three simple tips one dealing with insomnia, not to mention a really nice herbal formula.
*Kevin Doherty, LAc, MS, wrote a good article about TCM and insomnia and suggests some great single herbs and naturopathic remedies to try.
*tcmpages.com is a site I recently stumbled across, and they also have a nice TCM breakdown of the different types of insomnia.
Hope this post finds you all sleeping well :)