The seasonal recurrence rate of insomnia is higher Reader: I have been suffering from insomnia for many years, and my sleep has improved significantly after treatment, but recently, my sleep is good and bad at night, but I am always sleepy during the day. Yang Wenming, Department of Brain Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Yang Wenming: First of all, I can tell you clearly that the phenomenon you have recently experienced is not “spring sleepiness”. According to Chinese medicine, “spring is the main source of life”, which is the reaction caused by the spring season, many diseases may recur or worsen in this season, and insomnia is no exception. The diet should pay attention to the characteristics of the liver, gallbladder, spleen and stomach in spring, mainly to nourish the liver to improve sleep, the diet can eat more bamboo shoots, honey, cherries, pears, bananas, apples, etc. to promote sleep quality. Readers: I am 21 years old and a female university student, I have been suffering from insomnia for almost a year, sleeping less than 4 hours a night, poor mental health during the day, weakness, memory loss, what should I do? Yang Wenming: Insomnia is a common clinical disease. A large number of studies have shown that more than 60% of the normal population has insomnia, and the rate of insomnia in women is much higher than that in men, especially in middle-aged and elderly women, which may be related to the physiological and psychological quality of women is more fragile. In recent years, insomnia has a tendency to “rejuvenate”, and the number of young people, especially young women with insomnia, is increasing year by year. It is recommended that first of all, we should learn about sleep hygiene, develop good sleep habits, pay attention to smoking, alcohol, tea and spicy stimulating food and other lifestyle that affects the quality of sleep. And under the guidance of a doctor for drug treatment. Reader: I have been suffering from insomnia for more than a month now, and I feel a little anxious, and I am not interested in other things, so I bought some drugs to promote sleep, but the effect is not great. Yang Wenming: Insomnia mainly includes difficulty in falling asleep, frequent waking or dreaming, early waking in the morning, and difficulty in going back to sleep after waking up, which often leads to emotional vulnerability, lack of interest in life, loss of libido, and depression. Your current condition has anxiety and depressive symptoms in addition to insomnia, and you should not use sleep-promoting drugs alone, but should promptly visit a hospital for comprehensive treatment. Chinese medicine has advantages in treating insomnia Reader: What are the advantages of Chinese medicine in treating insomnia? Yang Wenming: Insomnia is called “sleeplessness” in Chinese medicine. For a long time, Chinese medicine has accumulated a lot of rich clinical experience in the treatment of this disease. It has five advantages: First, it has a more comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis of insomnia, and grasps the essence of its pathogenesis as a whole, emphasizing that “the imbalance of yin and yang, and the lack of god is the main factor causing sleep disorder”; second, the treatment means and methods are colorful. Chinese medicine uses a combination of herbs to dredge the liver, regulate qi, benefit qi, nourish blood, relieve depression, and calm the mind to adjust yin and yang, so as to balance yin and yang, thus achieving the purpose of treating sleep disorders. Third, whole body conditioning, insomnia is triggered by many causes, Chinese medicine treats the root cause and improves the patient’s quality of life comprehensively. Fourthly, Chinese medicine is safe and has no obvious side effects. Fifth, Chinese medicine is not resistant to drugs and does not produce dependence. How to treat insomnia in the elderly Reader: My father is 82 years old, with original diabetes and prostate hyperplasia. He has been sleeping poorly for more than a year, sleeping only 3 to 4 hours a night, accompanied by excessive dreaming, which has become apparent in the past month. Yang Wenming: The clinical manifestations of insomnia in the elderly are the same as those in young people, but the causes of insomnia are obviously different. Most insomnia in the elderly is caused by underlying diseases: common causes include neurasthenia, generalized pain, prostate disease, endocrine disease, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, depression, anxiety, and so on. Some of the elderly insomnia is caused by irregular life, alcohol consumption and other reasons. For the treatment of insomnia in the elderly, we should first clarify the cause, control the underlying disease, and regulate daily living on this basis. Avoid napping during the day and take physical exercise appropriately. For the elderly who used to sleep well, but recently due to mental tension and cause daytime excitement, anxiety, drowsiness, poor sleep at night, it is best to avoid drug treatment, can use “relaxation therapy”. Be careful with sleeping pills. Readers: I’m a high school student, but recently I’ve been dizzy and can’t study properly, and my grades are dropping. Yang Wenming: In recent years, there are more and more students with dizziness symptoms. In addition to congenital factors, most of them are related to study habits, such as incorrect posture in reading and writing, too long head-down time and mental tension. Long-term development of the cervical spine deformation, compression of the circulating vertebral artery, affecting the blood supply to the brain can appear dizziness, unstable standing, and even nausea and vomiting symptoms. Therefore, we must develop good sitting and learning habits and pay attention to cervical spine health care.