Insomnia can affect one person differently than another. As a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, I quite enjoy treating sleep problems, because I too suffer with them. Insomnia can not only affect your sleep pattern, but it can have a negative impact on your everyday life.
Insomnia, in Eastern Medicine can come in many different forms. Do you experience any of the following:
Can fall asleep easily, but wakes constantly throughout the night.
Can take a long time to fall asleep, but when you do, you are able to stay asleep.
May wake up so early that you cannot fall back asleep.
Also, another downfall to insomnia is the dreaming. Boy oh boy do those dreams, night terrors and sleep walking get the best of you at times!
Last but not least - All of the above.
Then to top it all off, do you think these people have energy to get up in the morning and carry out the rest of their day? Of course not, but they do it anyway! Running on little to zero sleep can cause some serious health concerns. As we already know in Chinese medicine, everything is interconnected and when something falls out of balance, it can cause disharmony in other aspects of the body. From your physical health to your emotional well-being, sleep deprivation can affect your work ethic, relationships, mood, and mental clarity. At the end of the day (well even before the day begins), you may be feeling completely drained on all levels and almost dread the thought of trying to go back to sleep, because you already know what lies ahead (yes pun intended folks).
Well, bless acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine! My best suggested advice to you is to try and avoid eating late into the evening, any time past 7pm, try and have a regular diet where you eat at times that are consistent and not irregular, and be mindful of over exertion, whether that be mental or physical. Of course let’s not forget about acupuncture treatments – they may be your new best friend!