Insomnia – Don’t sleep on your sleep disorder

Insomnia – Don’t sleep on your sleep disorder WE COMBINE THE WISDOM OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE, MODERN TECHNOLOGY, AND PATIENT-CENTERED CARE FOR YOU TO THRIVE IN TODAY’S FAST-PACED WORLD. Share Insomnia is a real and rising problem plaguing populations all over the world. A sleep survey done in 2016 revealed that the average Singaporean sleeps just slightly over 7 hours a day, and compared to other countries surveyed, Singaporeans sleep at a later hour at around 11.45pm. Globally, about 6 in 10 adults have sleep-related issues, with about 26% facing insomnia. Amongst these people, 60% face disrupted sleep due to worrying, primarily overwork, financial or economic issues. Moreover, the percentage of time in the deep sleep stage decreases with age due to various factors like stress, pain, illness and medical problems. [1] If this sounds like you, read on! Singaporeans are one of the most sleep-deprived people in the world!! Source: statista.com / Science Advances What exactly is insomnia and why should we treat it? So what exactly is insomnia? Insomnia is the complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep that interferes with normal daytime functioning. Some people may think that insomnia is mere difficulty falling asleep, but so long as you are feeling too tired the next day for your daily activities, you should consider other forms of insomnia you may have – waking up in the middle of the night with problems falling back to sleep or waking up too early in the morning. [2] Such poor quality sleep often leaves people feeling unrefreshed, lethargic, or groggy when they wake up in the morning. Many people have disregarded their sleep quality or the lack of sufficient hours, failing to realize the health implications that come with sleep deficiency. The short term effects of insomnia include poor concentration, stiff neck, changes in appetite, mood swings, headaches etc. Poor sleep quality over a prolonged period will lead to lower immune system and poor mental health function, and this combination may have dire consequences on our health potentially leading to cancers, diabetes, hypertension and hormonal imbalances. [3] Short term insomnia, when neglected, can easily become chronic insomnia, which is characterized by more than a month of inadequate sleep. Once chronic insomnia develops, it will be more difficult to manage and restored back to normal. How can we help deal with Insomnia here at Oriental Remedies Group? Earlier on, we have shared lifestyle habits to avoid – 3 Mistakes You Are Committing That Prevent You From Having A Good Night’s Sleep to help you achieve better sleep. One of the natural remedies includes our concoction of Qi Stagnation Calming Tea to help alleviate sleep disorders such as Insomnia. Here, we will be sharing how Insomnia can be treated using a conventional TCM approach, as well as with our Technology-Enhanced Therapies uniquely found here at Oriental Remedies. The approach that TCM uses to treat insomnia is through regular acupuncture and herbal medication. Herbal Medication & Dietary Changes Liver, heart, spleen and kidney are the key organs that we need to regulate. Symptoms like dizziness, migraines, fatigue, and forgetfulness are all symptoms associated with liver yin deficiency, liver and heart fire, spleen and kidney deficiency. Other than identifying and treating the root cause of insomnia, the use of herbs like 黄芩Scutellaria baicalensis、茯神Poria cocos、肉桂Chinese cinnamon etc in the prescribed herbal medications can also treat some symptoms associated with insomnia like migraines, bad breath, poor digestion and obesity. Acupuncture By stimulating acupoints like 太溪、三阴交 etc. that can boost the liver and kidney energy, regular sessions of acupuncture can help in restoring and re-balancing the yin and yang energies essential for boosting the quality of sleep. Due to the wide spectrum of symptoms and conditions that can be caused by insomnia, it is always more beneficial to combine both acupuncture and herbal medicine in the treatment of insomnia. Besides traditional TCM treatments, Oriental Remedies Group also offers Technology-Enhanced Therapies to enhance overall health in patients. Electro-Lymphatic Therapy(ELT) Electro-Lymphatic Drainage Therapy (ELT) is a gentle and non-invasive therapy that helps to stimulate proper flow and drainage of the lymphatic system, simulating the effects of a lymphatic drainage massage or tuina without the pain and pressure. According to research, the loss of sleep, even for a few short hours during the night, can prompt one’s immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs. Thus, in people with chronic insomnia, there exists tissue-damaging inflammation in the organs that in the long run, may lead to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. With good lymphatic drainage, immune cells can be brought within the lymph fluids to clear damaged cells like inflammatory mediators. By combining TCM treatments with such Technology-Enhanced Therapies, we aim to achieve overall well-being and help achieve better quality sleep. Your healing is the most important! In Oriental Remedies Group, we have more than 10 certified bilingual TCM Physicians. Each of them has been trained in both Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and China for a minimum of 5-8 years, in both Biomedical Science and TCM before being certified to practice in Singapore. Specifically, we have Physician Ng Mei Yun who specializes in treating insomnia and diabetes, to name a few. Insomnia is so common that many around us often overlook this issue. Action has to be taken fast to correct this disorder through lifestyle changes and early treatments. When the problem becomes chronic, your body is unable to easily get back to its proper sleep cycle and will need stronger actions to be taken to address your sleep disorder. Treatment progress may become longer and more complicated. If you suffer from Insomnia or knows of anyone who do, take action now to get it resolved! Do not sleep on it! Please contact us at +65 8087 0486 for a personalized consultation. This article is written by Senior Physician Ng Mei Yun, with contributions from Senior Therapist Hannie Hong. Disclaimer: The information on this page is for information and educational purposes only. Such medical information may relate to disease, injury, drugs and other treatments, medical devices and/or health products. Medical information does not amount to advice,

3 Steps to Good Quality Sleep

3 Steps to Good Quality Sleep WE COMBINE THE WISDOM OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE, MODERN TECHNOLOGY, AND PATIENT-CENTERED CARE FOR YOU TO THRIVE IN TODAY’S FAST-PACED WORLD. Share Originally posted on Mednefits.com written by Physician Leong Weizhen 1) Recognising what poor quality sleep is Most people see poor sleep and think “Oh, I have good quality sleep. I fall asleep so fast. I don’t need to read this” and flip the page. But do you know what really defines poor sleep? If you experience lethargy, brain fog and food comas in the day, or have vivid dreams and wake up to urinate often at night, you very likely have poor sleep. Although these traits seem normal because you have had them for so long, all of them are red flags for insufficient sleep in quality and/or quantity. According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School [1], insufficient sleep in the short term can affect emotions, learning and increase the likelihood of severe accidents and injuries. Extended periods of poor and insufficient sleep can result in a plethora of health issues including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and shortened lifespans. 2) Leveraging TCM to identify the accurate root cause of poor quality sleep Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) aids sleep quality in many ways but it is important to first understand the right root cause. For example, some patients may be having poor appetite or excessive food intake which results in dreams and worries in the night. This is likely due to spleen deficiency causing sleep disturbance. Depression and anxiety also prevent one from having good quality sleep, and that could be due to Qi and blood stagnation. Working adults typically struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep or achieve deep rested sleep, driven by stress and an overactive mind. In this case, it is likely liver fire disrupting the mind. Hence, TCM physicians need to know more about patients through a detailed consultation – not just about sleeping patterns but also daily living habits. There are usually other symptoms which will point out the relevant imbalances that need to be corrected and harmonised. 3) Effective TCM solutions for great sleep and energy TCM solutions for resolving poor sleep issues are highly customised depending on the root cause identified through our diagnosis. In our herb prescriptions, we aim to balance patient’s specific body constitution and blend herbs such as FuShen 茯神, SuanZaoRen 酸枣仁, ZhenZhuMu 珍珠母 and GuiYuan 桂圆 which are specific to improve sleep quality. Acupuncture is also an effective treatment option to help improve sleep quality. According to Pacific College of Oriental Medicine [2], by targeting and rectifying the imbalance of Qi and Yin Yang in the body, acupuncture helps the body and mind regain balance and harmony. The stimulated flow and unblocking of stagnated Qi in the meridians and the body helps improve your mind and body, helping you to rest better and thus get better sleep There are typical acupoints used to improve sleep quality such as YinTang印堂, ShenMen神门, NeiGuan内关, SanYinJiao三阴交. You can try massaging these points daily, 5 mins each point, for home therapy as well. Our clinic also utilizes state-of-the-art FDA-registered medical device to improve lymphatic drainage via Electro-Lymphatic Therapy. By reducing water retention, pain and clearing lymph congestion, many patients report feeling relaxed and experience better sleep. How would you be able to tell when your sleep has improved? Good rest happens when you have a peaceful sleep, fall asleep within 20 minutes of getting in bed, stay asleep most of the time you spend in bed as well as waking up feeling refreshed and energized throughout the day. Better rest results in stronger immunity, higher productivity, more energy as well as no food comas! If you have been looking to improve your sleep quality and have tried caffeine reduction and sleeping aids with minimal results, do not despair. Make an appointment with our Singaporean bi-lingual TCM Physicians trained in China today to improve your quality of sleep and life today! Make an appointment with us at +65 8087 0486 or go to our contact page to make an appointment. Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information and educational purposes only. Such medical information may relate to disease, injury, drugs and other treatments, medical devices and/or health products. Medical information does not amount to advice, and if advice is needed an appropriate professional help should be sought. The disclaimer asserts that no warranties or representations are given in respect of the medical information, and that the website operator should not be held liable if a user suffers any injury or loss after relying upon the medical information. References: 1. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences 2. https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2014/10/03/acupuncture-insomnia-and-sleep-disorders RELATED TOPICS