Irregular sleep is persistent, and although we are more conscious of foods to avoid because they may keep us awake, we are less aware of foods to add that may assist calm us and help us transition more easily to sleep. In this blog I’m going to share with you:
- Signs and Symptoms of Insomnia and the root cause.
- The types of patterns of insomnia treated in Chinese medicine.
- Common Chinese herbal formulas used in practice for several patterns associated with Insomnia.
- A simple veggie recipe for you to make at home to help with the sleep cycle.
- My herbal formula recommdation you can get started with right away on your own.
What’s the root cause of Insomnia?
Insomnia is not being able to fall asleep, remaining awake, or having unrestful sleep. The cause varies from emotional, physiological, to the use of specific medications, let me elaborate on each of these causes. Feelings of nervousness, anxiety, depression or fear often play a significant role. Excessive pensiveness or mental and physical overwork may damage the Heart and Spleen, which leads to Qi and Blood Deficiency and lack of nourishment for the mind causing insomnia. The Chinese Kidney Yin Deficiency may not control the fire in the Heart, leading to disharmony between the Heart and Kidneys. This disharmony causes malnourishment of the mind and insomnia. Another presentation could be excessive emotional stress. It can also be contributed to excessive emotional stress that causes Liver Qi Stagnation, which in time, changes into heat and agitates the mind, leading to insomnia. Overeating or improper diet can cause stagnation of food, dampness, or phlegm in the stomach, which agitates and destabilize the mind also leading to insomnia. Lastly, Yin Deficiency can cause the rising of empty heat, which also agitates the mind.
What is Insomnia in Chinese Medicine?
There are four patterns in Chinese medicine that point to insomnia. Heart and spleen deficiency, empty heat disharmony of the stomach, and blazing Liver Fire.
Heart and Spleen Deficiency
Signs and symptoms of Heart and Spleen Deficiency are palpitation, insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, dizziness, and poor memory. Pale and yellow complexion, poor appetite, fatigue, abdominal distention, and loose stools. Shortness of breath, easily bruised, irregular menstruation with profuse but pale blood, or scanty menstruation which may turn into amenorrhea. In this case, we want to tonify the heart and the spleen, strengthen the Qi, generate blood, and calm the mind. We can achieve this with esoteric acupuncture, balance method acupuncture, and auricular therapy. I would also include herbal formulas and introduce a 30-day nutritional reset program to enhance Acupuncture treatments and herbal formulas prescribed.
Herbal formulas that are often prescribed for this pattern are Gui Pi Tang to restore the spleen and Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan to tonify the heart. For Spleen and Stomach deficiency manifesting as poor appetite and loose stools add Yi Yi ren15g, Qian Shi 12g, and Sha ren 6g to Gui Pi Tang to strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea.
For shortness of breath add Fu Xiao Mai 30g to Gui Pi tang to bind the perspiration.
For palpitations and dull chest pain add Dan Shen 10g, Chi Shao 10g, and Yi Mu Cao 15g in order to invigorate the blood and stop pain to Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan.
Empty Heat
Empty heat presents as high fever, irritability and insomnia, dry mouth, and tongue. The tongue will present with red with a dry thin, possibly black coating. The pulse is Fine and Rapid. What do we do? Nourish the Yin, drain fire and calm the mind. Herbal formulas that support this pattern in between treatments is Huang Lian E Jiao Tang. When mouth ulcers present add Lian Xi Xian6g, Dan Zhu Ye 10g, Deng Xin Cao 6g.
Disharmony of the Stomach
This pattern presents as Insomnia with irritability, abdominal distention and fullness, abdominal pain that is aggravated by touch and after eating and anorexia proceeded by sour and rotten regurgitation, rotten smeling diarrhea or constipation. The tongue is think, hellow sticky coating the pulse is slippery or slippery and wiry. The treatment protocol should be to resolve the retention of food, stimulate the decending of Stomach Qi, calm the mind and tonify the Spleen.
Herbal formula suggestion here would be Bao He Wan formula that preserve the harmony. I would also suggest a food therapy program that is inclusive of organic fruit and vegetable and a gut and liver cleanse to help the body absorb herbal formula and respond to Acupuncture more effeciently.
Blazing Liver Fire
Sings and Symptoms are irritability, irascibility, insomnia or dream-disturbed sleep, hematemesis, epistaxis, acid regurgitation, dark urine and constipation. Severe spitting headache with dizziness, tinnitus or hearing loss in severe cases, red face and ears, and dry mouth and throat. Tongue is red on the sides with a thin yellow coating. Pulse is wiry and rapid in Chinese medicine.
Herbal formula wise it’s common to be perscribed Long Dan Xie Gan Tang which drains the liver and Dan Gui Lu Hui Wan. Some practitioners might recommend Dan Zhi Xiao Yao San which is usually used for insomnia due to Liver fire caused by long standing Liver Qi stagnation due to the deficiency of Liver blood. It’s normally prepared as a pill. These days you can get them in powder form and drink with hot water.
How long are herbs taken?
The duration of time herbs are taken depend on the treatment protocol, associated patterns, food therapy recommendations and the sevearity of the case.
What formulas are commonly used in practice that promote better sleep?
Grilled Veggie and Lentil Salad
This simple grilled veggie and lentil salad are not only excellent for sleep but also a wonderful example of Chinese medicine inspired by the Middle Burner Diet by DAO Labs, since the components are gently cooked, which aids digestion and warms your “middle burner.” The Chinese medicine-inspired “middle burner” diet is based on the idea of keeping your stomach at 100 degrees Fahrenheit so that the more food you can eat that is around 100 degrees makes it easier for the body to digest and absorb its nutrients, the spleen and stomach expend less Qi energy for digestion, and the net gain of the food’s nutrients to you is significant.
Frisee is a chicory family member with a delightfully unique texture and a pleasantly bitter edge. It may reduce the harshness of the frisee by gently grilling it. Free may be tough to obtain in markets, which is a shame since it is one of my favorite greens; the texture and bitterness are excellent, and grilling adds a lovely smokiness to it.
The maitake or hen of the wood mushroom is another component that may be difficult to get but is well worth the effort. The texture and taste of these mushrooms are incredible, particularly if you’re a meat-eater wanting to branch out. I cook them like a steak since the surface is exceptionally comparable, mainly if you can locate some bigger foraged ones at a farmers market (I’ve seen these as large as a small bush, but the farm-grown ones at the market should be the size of a baseball with a more mild taste).
A Look at These Ingredients Through the Lens of Chinese Medicine
Bitter-flavored foods, such as frisee and asparagus, offer to descend and centering qualities that assist to “removing heat” from an Eastern viewpoint. Free includes calcium and magnesium, which may help relax your mind and stimulate the production of serotonin.
The amino acid tryptophan is used by the body to create serotonin and melatonin, two hormones that aid in the transition to sleep. Pumpkin seeds have a high tryptophan content and zinc, which helps the brain convert tryptophan to serotonin.
Finally, mushrooms may improve blood oxygenation, strengthen your immune system, and reduce inflammation, all of which can lead to sleep deprivation.
Low glycemic meals digested slowly by our bodies and assist in keeping us fuller for longer tend to be healthier overall; frisee and lentils are sound low “GI” foods.
Grilled Frisee Salad with Maitake, Asparagus, and Lentils Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1-3 bunches Frisee depending on size
- 1-2 Maitake mushrooms depending on size
- 1 Cup cooked Lentils, more or less to your taste
- ½ – 1 bunch asparagus or to taste
- A handful of Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup Sherry Vinegar
- ¼ cup Virgin Olive Oil
- 1-2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
INSTRUCTIONS
-Before we can grill our vegetables, we have to cook our lentils: Give them a quick rinse and remove unwanted pieces. Bring about 3 cups of vegetable stock or water to a boil for every 1 cup of lentils and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, depending on your taste preference and the type of lentil used. Drain and set aside.
-Keeping the stem attached, cut the frisee in half (top to bottom) and place it directly on a medium-high grill until it slightly begins to wilt and char on the edges; turn over and do the same on the other side. Remove from the grill, cut off the stem, cut into smaller pieces, and set aside.
-A similar technique is used with the maitake mushroom, as you want to cut them in half, top to bottom, rub with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and grill on both sides until it has excellent grill marks and is just cooked through. Roll the asparagus in a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill lightly, careful not to overcook.
-Make a simple vinaigrette by whisking the dijon, sherry vinegar, and olive oil together.
-Toast the pumpkin seeds lightly to your taste.
-Pull the maitake apart into smaller pieces and cut the asparagus into smaller pieces as well. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, including the vinaigrette, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
-This salad is screaming out for some high-quality creamy blue cheese (smoked blue cheese if you can find it), which contains calcium which is a natural relaxant that has a calming effect on the body’s nervous system, which would be very beneficial as well, so if you happen to have some around or perhaps another cheese that you like, feel free to add some.
-Keep in mind that recipes are just guidelines. You’re always free to add or remove ingredients as you like to suit your taste.
-I love grilling all types of food, and I hope this inspires you to begin grilling more than just the usual suspects and I hope you also notice a better night’s sleep.
“Try These Foods That Help You Sleep Through The Night!“
Mental Tranquility is for the stressed sleeper whose mind won’t turn off in the middle of the night, leaving them stressed, restless and anxious throughout the night and fatigued the next day. Inspired by the classic Chinese herbal bled Return to Spleen (Gui Pi Tang), this natural, non-habit forming formula is designed to quiet the mind and deliver peaceful, uninterrupted rest like you’ve never experienced.
Mental Tranquility is great for:
- A racing mind that won’t turn off throughout the night
- Reducing nighttime anxiousness and stress
- Helping one stay asleep, not just fall asleep
- Increasing mental clarity and focus the next day
- Establishing a quality sleep pattern
REFERENCE
A GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD TO HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER
About The Doc
With a commitment to helping others actualize their greatest potential and well-being, Dr. East has been a licensed acupuncturist since 1999 and professor of Chinese Medicine at the Pacific College of Health Sciences since 2004. Specializing in MIE: Motivation, Inspiration, and Encouragement, Dr. East helps practitioners of alternative medicine align with their three P’s: Purpose, Passion, and Prosperity. In 2019 she published the book More Than a Treatment, which held the Amazon bestseller’s list in Practice Management for several weeks. She currently resides in Del Mar, CA with her husband and two kids and continues to help patients, students, other practitioners, and the general public with her lectures, workshops, books, events, coaching programs, and wellness-related products.
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