Acupuncture Treatment for Insomnia
Insomnia refers to abnormal sleep patterns. Mild cases involve difficulty falling asleep, light sleep, or waking up unable to fall back asleep; severe cases may result in complete insomnia throughout the night. Common accompanying symptoms include headache, dizziness, and forgetfulness.
Pattern Differentiation Treatment:
Main Points: Sishencong, Shenmen, Sanyinjiao
1. Deficiency of Heart and Spleen
【Diagnostic Criteria】Difficulty falling asleep, easy to wake during sleep, frequent dreams; palpitations, forgetfulness, dizziness, fatigue, abdominal distension, loose stools, pale complexion; thin white coating on the tongue, pale tongue body, fine weak pulse.
【Prescription】Xinshu, Pishu, Zusanli
2. Yin Deficiency with Fire Excess
【Diagnostic Criteria】Restlessness and insomnia, or falling asleep briefly then waking immediately; dizziness, tinnitus, lower back and knee soreness, nocturnal emission, forgetfulness, hot palms and soles, dry mouth and throat; red tongue body, fine rapid pulse.
【Prescription】Taixi, Daling, Shenshu, Xinshu
3. Liver Qi Stagnation Transforming into Fire
【Diagnostic Criteria】Irritability, difficulty sleeping; dizziness, headache, chest and flank distension, bitter taste in mouth, red eyes; red tongue body, yellow coating, stringy rapid pulse.
【Prescription】Ganshu, Daling, Xingjian
4. Stomach and Intestine Disharmony
【Diagnostic Criteria】Unstable sleep; fullness in the chest and diaphragm, distension in the epigastrium, belching of sour food, acid regurgitation; thick greasy coating, slippery pulse.
【Prescription】Zhongwan, Zusanli, Neiguan
5. Deficiency of Heart and Gallbladder Qi
【Diagnostic Criteria】Insomnia with frequent dreams, easily startled awake, timidity, palpitations; prone to fright, irritability, shortness of breath, fatigue; pale tongue body, stringy fine pulse.
【Prescription】Xinshu, Danshu, Yanglingquan, Qiu Xu
Other Therapies:
1. Auricular Acupressure: Cortex Subcortical, Sympathetic, Heart, Liver, Spleen, Endocrine, Shenmen.
2. Skin Needling: Lightly tap along the head and the Governor Vessel and Bladder Meridian on the back, until skin turns red. Perform once daily or every other day, 10 sessions constitute one course.