What are the health hazards of insufficient sleep? Can acupuncture treat insomnia?

Many people in life have symptoms of sleep, which will lead to poor sleep quality. If people stay in this state for a long time, it will do great harm to their health. So what is the harm of lack of sleep? Can acupuncture treat insomnia? Let's learn more about the harm caused by lack of sleep and the methods of acupuncture treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.

1, the harm of insufficient sleep

1. Bad temper

When people concentrate on doing something, if they are interrupted, they will have negative emotions. Israeli researchers have found that lack of sleep can amplify this negative emotion.

depress

Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner, found in his research that one of the two major factors that affect people's mood is sleep. In addition, studies have confirmed that people who sleep well at night are in a positive mood, and vice versa.

headache

Scientists still can't find out the reason behind the headache, but studies have found that 36% ~ 58% people who don't get enough sleep will have headache symptoms when they wake up.

gain weight

People who don't get enough sleep will lose their hormones, increase their appetite, want to eat high-calorie food, and their ability to control impulsive behavior will also decline. These factors may lead to rapid weight gain.

5. blurred vision

The less sleep time, the more likely it is to lead to visual deviation, dark vision, unclear vision and even hallucinations.

6. Slow response

Lack of sleep will also slow down your reaction to external things.

7. unclear language

According to research, if you don't sleep for 36 hours in a row, it's easy to use the same words repeatedly, and the speed is slow and vague, much like the way a drunk person talks.

8. High risk of car accidents

Driving without sleep is as dangerous as drinking and driving.

2. The principle of acupuncture for insomnia.

It has been recorded in ancient times that acupuncture can sleep peacefully. The mechanism and function of acupuncture in treating insomnia lies in coordinating yin and yang, strengthening the body resistance and eliminating evil, and dredging meridians, so as to achieve the purpose of improving sleep.

1. Harmony of Yin and Yang

The chapter "The Root Knot of Soul Pivot" says: "The key to using needles is to know how to adjust Yin and Yang, Yang and Yin, be refined as light, and keep the spirit hidden in it." This paper expounds that acupuncture has the function of coordinating yin and yang in the treatment of diseases. In normal sleep, the human body maintains a relatively balanced state of Yin and Yang. If there are reasons leading to insomnia, such as deficiency of both heart and spleen, yin deficiency and excessive fire, timidity, disharmony between stomach and qi, etc. , will lead to disharmony between Yin and Yang, leading to insomnia. The key of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating insomnia lies in regulating the deficiency and deficiency of Yin and Yang and the decline of Yin and Yang according to the attributes of syndromes, so that the body can return to the secret of Yin and Ping Yang and restore normal physiological functions. If yang is strong and yin is weak, it will lead to insomnia. On the contrary, yin deficiency and Yang Can deficiency can lead to drowsiness. Both of them can be treated by taking the light of yin and the pulse of yin, but insomnia should be supplemented by yin and yang, and sleepiness should be supplemented by yin and yang.

2. Strengthening the body resistance and eliminating evil spirits

Physical fitness is to help fight diseases; Eliminating evil means eliminating evil. The occurrence and development of insomnia is also a process of struggle between healthy qi and evil qi in some cases. Acupuncture can enhance the body's resistance and eliminate evil spirits, so it can improve sleep. For example, insomnia caused by disharmony between stomach and qi, excessive heart fire, phlegm-heat disturbance, liver depression and fire syndrome are all caused by pathogenic factors, which will damage vital qi for a long time and make insomnia more lingering and difficult to heal. At this time, acupuncture is used to strengthen the body and eliminate evil, and acupuncture has the function of strengthening the body; Acupuncture purgation has the effect of eliminating evil spirits, but it must be considered in combination with the particularity of acupoints.

dredging the channel

The meridians of the human body belong to the zang-fu organs and the limbs outside, and the distribution of the twelve meridians and Yang meridians belongs to the six fu-organs. Yin meridian belongs to the five internal organs of limbs, and communicates the exterior and interior through the connection of fifteen collaterals, forming a pathway of blood circulation and maintaining normal physiological functions. There is a close relationship among meridians, qi and blood and viscera. Insomnia can be related to qi-blood disharmony and viscera imbalance. These pathological features can be reflected in the meridians, and the balance of qi and blood in the meridians and viscera can be adjusted by acupuncture, thus improving sleep.

3, acupuncture treatment of insomnia.

Moxibustion

Acupoints: Sanyinjiao, Shenmen, Xinshu, Baihui, Neiguan and Zusanli.

Operation:

(1), ginger-separated moxibustion: 5- 10 strong moxibustion can be used at each point, 1 time every night, and 5 times is 1 course of treatment.

(2) Mild moxibustion: each point can be moxibustion 10- 15 minutes, every night 1 time, and 7 times is 1 course of treatment.

(3) Moxibustion with moxa sticks separated from celery roots: Take fresh celery roots, cut them into 0.2 cm slices and put them on acupoints. Moxibustion with moxa sticks is 3-5 strong, every night 1 time.

(4) Pearl powder moxibustion: Pearl powder, salvia miltiorrhiza powder, sulfur powder and borneol are evenly mixed and filled.

Moxibustion of umbilical fossa, every night 1 time, 7 times for 1 course of treatment.

(5) Cinnabar moxibustion: Take Yongquan point on both feet, grind 3-5g of cinnabar into fine powder, use a clean white cloth, apply a little ointment, evenly stick cinnabar on the surface, then apply it on Yongquan point, fix it with adhesive tape, wash your feet with hot water before use, and apply it before going to bed.

Dermal needle

Acupoint selection: Common acupoints: both sides of cervical vertebra 1 ~ 7 and both sides of thoracic vertebra 5 ~ 12.

Spare points: forehead, head, eyebrow arch, Shenmen, Zusanli and Sanyinjiao.

Operation:

All the above parts are taken. Skin needles are mainly used to pat on both sides of commonly used acupoints with light or moderate manipulation. Tap twice from top to bottom, starting from the cervical vertebra. Then puncture the thoracic vertebra at 5 ~ 12, with three stitches each. Routine tapping on the surface of acupoints within 0.5 ~ 1.5 cm is 20 ~ 50 times. Cross three lines on the forehead and mesh the head. Same technology as before. Local skin flushing or micro-bleeding is appropriate. Every day or every other day 1 time, 12 times is a course of treatment, and the interval of treatment is one week.

Precautions:

(1), this method is used for patients with neurasthenia and insomnia. And the curative effect is good for those with short course of disease, but poor for the elderly with long course of disease.

(2) Skin needling, which should be carried out by professionals.

(3) Acupuncture treatment of insomnia should be combined with self-psychological adjustment, maintain a regular lifestyle, and appropriately reduce work pressure.

Auricular point pill pressing

Acupoint selection: commonly used points: heart, edge and Shenmen.

Spare points: kidney, subcortical, liver, endocrine and spleen.

Operation:

Generally, only common points are selected, and when the effect is not obvious, the standby point 1-2 is selected. The paste material can be Semen Vaccariae, Semen Phaseoli Radiati or Borneolum Syntheticum (pre-made into grains of rice grain size), and is pasted on one side of the hole. Then press each acupoint 1 min to make the auricle hyperemia and fever. Make the patient press the auricular points 3 ~ 5 times a day, 1 time before going to bed, and each point lasts about 1 ~ 2 minutes. Change the patch every other day 1 time, and apply the acupoints alternately on both sides. 10 is a course of treatment with an interval of 4 days.

Precautions:

(1), this method is mostly used for newly acquired or mild insomnia, which has a certain preventive effect.

(2) According to the author's experience, the key is to press for half an hour before going to bed. If you can soak your feet with warm water 10- 15 minutes or massage your feet for 3-5 minutes, the effect will be better.

(3) With this method, the doctor can instruct the family members to press on their own after determining the acupoints.

Ear point embedding needle

Acupoint selection: Common points: heart, kidney, middle margin, Shenmen and subcortical.

Spare acupoints: stomach, liver, pillow and spleen.

Operation:

Take all the common points, and when the effect is not obvious, add spare points as appropriate. After strict disinfection of ear points, nail-shaped intradermal needles are buried and fixed with adhesive tape, so that patients can feel slight pain, swelling and fever by pressing them 3 ~ 4 times a day. One ear at a time, ears alternate. Replace the embedded needle 1 time every 3 ~ 5 days, and twice is 1 course of treatment. The treatment interval is 5 days.

Precautions:

(1), this method is used for patients with severe insomnia.

(2) When applying this method, strict disinfection must be paid attention to, and this method should not be used in summer to prevent infection.

(3) If the second course of treatment is ineffective, other methods should be used.

Pricking blood

Acupoint selection

Commonly used acupoints: Ashi point.

Alternate point: Neizhongkui.

Operation:

First, carefully measure the sensitive points of the ear roots with an ear point detector or a probe, and mark them. After routine disinfection, puncture quickly with disinfection spring needle or triangular needle, and the bleeding is as big as mung bean. Only one side at a time, every day or every other day 1 time, ears alternate. If the curative effect is not obvious, acupuncture can be added to the inner middle point on the other side. 5 ~ 7 times is a course of treatment.

Precautions:

(1), it is better to observe the treatment time in the morning or afternoon, but the effect is poor at night.

(2) The key of this method is to accurately find Ashi point (sensitive point). Generally, puncturing the inner middle point near the midpoint of the lateral phalanx of the finger can squeeze bleeding.

(3) Pay attention to strict disinfection.

Body acupuncture plus application

Acupoint selection: Common acupoints: Baihui and Sishencong.

Spare point: Yongquan.

Operation:

Take all the dots off. Common point acupuncture. First, acupuncture at Baihui point, with a forward cross-needling of 1 inch, and twisting the manipulation rapidly and evenly from left to right for 2 minutes, with an interval of 10 minutes, and then repeating the above method for 3 times, so that the patient can take the needle for 48 hours. After Baihui started to inject needles, they all stabbed forward 1 inch. The needles were transported lightly, quickly and evenly for 2 minutes with an interval of 10 minute, and the previous method was repeated for 3 times, so that the patients could take the needles for 24 hours. After the needle is taken out, it will be the same as before. In this way, 9 days is a course of treatment, and the interval between courses is 3 days.

Alternate points are applied by pasting. Mix pearl powder, cinnabar powder, rhubarb powder and Schisandra powder evenly. Take 3g each time, mix it into paste with fresh bamboo juice, divide it into two parts, and stick it on the medical adhesive tape with the size of 5cm×5cm. Stick it on the left and right Yongquan points every night before going to bed, for 9 consecutive days as a course of treatment, with an interval of 3 days.

Precautions:

(1), this method adopts the method of keeping needles for a long time, and it is necessary to pay attention to the local strict disinfection of acupoints. Disposable sterile filigree needles should be used to prevent the needles from breaking. Don't wash your hair during needle retention.

(2) This method is used for severe insomnia.

4. What are the symptoms of insomnia?

1, difficulty falling asleep;

2, can't sleep, sleep time is reduced;

3, wake up early, can't sleep after waking up;

4. I often wake up from nightmares and feel that I am having nightmares all night;

5, energy did not recover after sleeping;

6, the onset time can be long or short, and it will be good in a few days, and it is difficult for the elderly to recover in a few days;

7, easy to be awakened, some are sensitive to sound, and some are sensitive to lighting;

8. Many people who suffer from insomnia like to entertain foolish ideas;

9. Long-term insomnia can lead to neurasthenia and depression, and the symptoms of neurasthenia patients will aggravate insomnia.