Understanding Insomnia: A Comprehensive Overview
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early and not being able to return to sleep. The condition can result in poor sleep quality, leading to daytime fatigue and difficulty functioning.
Insomnia can be categorized into two types:
- Chronic Insomnia: Symptoms persist for at least three nights per week for a duration of more than a month.
- Acute Insomnia: Short-term sleep disturbances typically caused by stress or other temporary factors.
- While insomnia is often a symptom of a larger underlying health issue (secondary insomnia), it can also occur as a standalone condition (primary insomnia). Addressing insomnia effectively requires understanding both the symptoms and the root causes contributing to the disruption of sleep.
Chinese Medicine Approach to Insomnia
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the treatment of insomnia is tailored to the individual and based on a detailed diagnosis of the underlying imbalances or patterns within the body. Rather than treating the condition as a general problem, TCM focuses on restoring harmony and balance through acupuncture, herbal medicine, and lifestyle adjustments.
The common patterns for insomnia include: heart fire, heart qi deficiency, liver fire, damp & heat in middle Jiao, Spleen qi deficiency.
Commonly used points include HT7 Shenmen, KI1 Yongquan, KI3 Taixi, SP4 Gongsun, SP6 Sanyinjiao, BL15 Xinshu.
Commonly used formula include: Ganmai Dazao Tang, Gui Pi Wan, Xiao Yao Wan, Suanzaoren Wan.
Research
Acupuncture may be superior to medication. Acupuncture for insomnia is potentially mediated by norepinephrine, melatonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and beta-endorphin; weak positive evidence (Zhao 2013 – book chapter)(1)
Acupuncture statistically superior to sham (3 studies) and medication (27 studies); weak positive evidence (Shergis 2016 – SR)(2)
References
1. Zhao K. Acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2013;111:217-34.
2. Shergis JL, Ni X, Jackson ML, Zhang AL, Guo X, Li Y, et al. A systematic review of acupuncture for sleep quality in people with insomnia. Complement Ther Med. 2016 Jun;26:11-20.