Insomnia is down to lack of/broken qi?

[Rara]

I wonder how close I am here, and if anyone has any further knowledge.

 

Having had a year of mixed, extreme emotions - some difficult family issues at the centre of it, I was finding my meditation hard to bear. I stopped for about five months and insomnia (a recurring issue) has returned.

 

The other night, I was struggling to sleep and decided to begin mindful breathing. 20 minutes or so in, I began to notice that I had no power in my abdomen. I seemed unable to breathe deeply, it was like my stomach was a loose drum skin with the durability of some kind of gelatinous, flat mushroom.

 

Then it dawned on me that, although this is an obvious sign of anxiety, being away from breathing practices may well be having an affect on my physical state BEFORE my mental state. The order of things seems very important to me right now...I can't explain why.

 

No wonder I feel restless at night...with thoughts running all over the place. How can I possibly not get caught up in thoughts when I have no grasp of my own body and how it feels?

 

Not being able to feel my abdomen internally makes me feel frail and disconnected with my body. I couldn't focus at all on the abdomen, it was numb inside...and quite scary.

 

I am not trained in qigong or tai chi...I have just picked up what I have from meditation classes, video tutorials, this forum and internal aspects of external martial arts (forms) But I do feel that insomnia is actually a very serious issue, more than just not being able to sleep for a while until it passes (my previous way of shaking it off)

 

Any input is highly appreciated. I feel I'm on to something here and am on my way to extinguishing the root cause.

 

PS I stopped meditating because in a sad and angry time back in May, I felt so many overwhelming negative emotions that it put me in to shock. I think I'm still recovering. This is why I've been away from the forum for a while and occasionally eratic

[Gerard]

From my textbook of Chinese Medicine (and my own experience as a sufferer of spleen qi deficiency):

 

"The heart houses the mind and controls the emotions, while the spleen  houses thought and controls the circulation of blood. Prolonged brooding exhausts the heart and the spleen. That in turn leads to exhaustion of the spirit, anorexia and insomnia.

The spleen and the stomach are the fountainhead of Qi and blood. Spleen deficiency leads to deficiency of blood, so that the heart loses its source of nourishment and becomes even more insufficient; this results in severe palpitations, melancholy and tiredness, as well as forgetfulness and night sweat. Gui Pi Tang re-invigorates the heart and the spleen. As Qi becomes full again, blood can be readily generated and the symptoms of palpitations, melancholy, tiredness, insomnia and others, can all be relieved."

 

Formula 1: Gui Pi Tang (if there is internal dampness)

 

Actions: augments Qi, tonifies blood, strengthens the spleen and nourishes the heart.

 

Indications and Main Symptoms: (1) Deficiency of both Qi and blood in the spleen and the heart. Main symptoms: palpitation and fearfulness; forgetfulness and insomnia; night sweats of deficiency-Heat; fatigue with reduced appetite; pallid  and  wan  complexion,  a  pale  tongue  with  a  thin  and  white  coating,  and  a threadlike and feeble pulse.

 

Formula 2: Sea of Qi (no sign of internal dampness)

 

Restores vital energy and a feeling of calm strength. Rather than stimulating and exhausting the adrenal glands (Kidney element) with caffeine or other stimulants, this herbal formula rebuilds and strengthens the body's true energy reserves.

 

 

Overthinking, excessive mental activity, worrying, brooding, improper diet, excessive consumption of alcohol, too much exposure to a damp environment or damp weather, or a genetic pre-disposition (i.e. people born in Earth years) to Spleen imbalances all cause spleen qi deficiency.

 

 

My recommendation would be seeing a TCM practitioner for an exact assessment and herbal formula to be taken as internal organs work together and usually a deficiency in one organ affects the rest. In our case, lung, kidneys, possibly liver (if there is stagnation).

 

Good luck!

 

Note: Both formulas are tonics and as such should be taken for an extended amount of time to be effective especially if you have a chronic condition (imbalanced emotion happened for a long time). Yout doctor will asses this anyway. Make sure you practice specific Qigong exercises to target the spleen, heart and lung. Also take the formula when the spleen is active (9-11am) to increase its efficacy.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Gerard

[Rara]

Interesting Gerard! I'm not entirely sure what internal dampness is but I can admit two things:

 

1) I live in a damp environment. We have had to our landlord to get more ventilation and I have to sleep with a dehumidifyer in my room too (which fills up every night without fail!)

 

2) I am looking for a herbal answer as I have been using cigarettes, alcohol and weed to settle the nerves which yes, I should know better but I've just been so weak I've relapsed and become quite self-destructive

 

What exactly clases as a TCM practitioner and where would I go about finding one? I have had so much trouble finding authenticity before and this is a part of my worry!

[Rara]

Actually reading it back, I get the night sweats, palpitations, fearfulness...forgetfulness (this is a new one too which is concerning!)

 

Um, all of the above lol

[Gerard]

Try this link. You should be able to find a TCM herbalist somewhere in your vicinity. Expect a 2-3 month treatment taking herbs twice a day. Buy the real herbs and boil them...pills are a lot more convenient but the efficacy is 50%, therefore it will take you a lot longer to recover, 8-10 months??

 

Lifestyle changes should be also introduced otherwise it's a catch-22 situation: you heal yourself, go back to the old habit and sick again (new herbal treatment). This is costly...good business for the doctor that is treating you though but not for you.

 

Last word of advice: Please, don't medicate yourself because you may have something else that needs to be dealt with, so the doctor will have to modify the generic formula (i.e. gui pi tang) in order to accommodate for any other imbalances in your 5 Element system (liver stagnation, kidney yin, depleted jing, etc.).

 

Energy imbalances are ultimately caused by emotions and the mind, the root of all disease.

 

Best!

Edited October 28, 2015 by Gerard

[Andrei]

Rara you suffer from chronic stress, you have accumulated too much cortisol in your abdominal area. Cortisol is a hormone produced by adrenal glands which is produced every time the flight or fight response is activated which is basically all your family problems, fights and anger. So the only thing that restores the adrenal glands is sleep but if you accumulated too much cortisol it is impossible to sleep because the sleep is controled by the waxing and waning of cortisol. The release of cortisol has a circadian rythm at 6 am is maximum when you wake up and at 6 pm also is maximum and is minimum at 10 pm when you should go to bed and at 10 am in the morning. People usually drink coffee in the morning to spike up the cortisol and feel awake but people with stress shouldn't do that. So you should avoid any stimulant like coffee, black tea or smoking cigarettes because they interfere with the natural cycle. Instead use adaptogens like Reishi tea, Siberian Ginseng and/or Ashwagandha these are the best adaptogens that regulates cortisol. You should look up on Google for herbs or practices that regulates the cortisol but basically these are : walking, taichi, yoga, meditation. It's a vicious cycle because you can't do these practices because of the anxiety but the herbs will help a lot. But you have to solve your prpblems that produce you the stress or you should avoid them completeley. Good luck.

[Andrei]

http://draxe.com/7-adaptogen-herbs-to-lower-cortisol/

 

http://teeccino.com/building_optimal_health/148/Six-Tips-To-Reduce-The-Stress-Hormone,-Cortisol.html

 

http://www.anabolicmen.com/adaptogen-herbs-for-balancing-high-cortisol-naturally/

Edited October 28, 2015 by Andrei

[RigdzinTrinley]

I'm more on the Tibetan side of things so I won't post anymore medical advise, only that much: there are some good pills within the tibetan traditional medicin as well - like Vimala, it helps alot with sleep disorder(that is a disorder of wind or prana, they way that is explained is basically the same like in chinese medicin - just different words) and also makes dreams more vivid to do dream-yoga (also it takes some time to really work) and I don't know if there are any good tibetan doctors in europe. So basically stick with the chinese system or what andrei mentioned: Ashwangandha is a great herb!

 

anyway I can tell you some other tricks to have better sleep: Before going to bed for at least 1/2hour no sreens(computer,smart phone, TV etc.), no light (to read etc.), just be in the dark in silence and maybe do some mantra or breathing exercises - I like to do 20min - 30 min of lying on my back and just being there - letting it be as it is. or other times I just sit on my bed and recite some mantras and do visualization ina relaxed way (also in the dark of course!) till I get tired and then I go to sleep

 

then I usually sleep very well - sometimes I wake up in the night but usually I sleep like a stone, waking up feeling very relaxed (takes some time to move my body) and well rested

 

but thats a habit you have to form also, it will take time till your mental chatter can subside when its time to sleep - and being in the dark helps your brain to understand its time to go to sleep

 

also important is rythm - so wake up no matter what at the same time and go to bed no matter what at the same time every day - 7 days a week (sounds strange but it really helped me to overcome my light sleep, I never had serious insomnia, I would maybe sometimes not sleep for 2-3 nights but never longer times then that)

 

lets say you wake up at 6am - then do this every day, also if you couldn't sleep just take a nap later (20 min is great nap time)

 

so my little advice:

routine and darkness for 1/2h before sleeping

 

I hope it helps you as well as it helped me

Edited October 28, 2015 by RigdzinTrinley

[CodyWizard]

How much exercise do you get each day?

[soaring crane]

Among all the really good stuff in this thread, stop the alcohol. It causes liver fire at night and that makes you restless, and causes a lot of the other symptoms, too.

[taoguy]

Also... avoid blue light 2 hours before sleep. LED screens give off blue light - so your laptop, phones, etc should be kept away, or at least, placed with a blue-light filter. (They have apps! Like this for android or iphone or windows)

 

I like doing the martial arts exercise where you place your palms on your ears, then drum the back of your head (celestial drums), as well as massaging the occipital condyles in a rotational manner (the two bumps at the back of your head). I don't know if it helps you, but it gives me a more restful sleep...

 

Then as I practice maintaining lucidity in sleep, I also tended to notice that we have to look at the 'mental screen' so that the dream images surface. Or perhaps you can pay attention to the 'inner sound' that is this very high pitched ring. Then you might see some kind of kaleidoscopic, dream-like, spectral images... or nonsensical/illogical scenes that flash by...

 

Usually at this moment, I find that if you wobble the attention, such that it is unable to focus on anything, you fall unconscious and fall asleep in the hypnagogic phase. I used this trick to go into torpor since I was a child... It's kind of like when you are so bored, and you have nothing to do and then you have no brightness in the mind and just ... poof, you're unconscious.

 

But if you focus your attention, then you might stay lucid. However the problem is that we tend to tense our muscles too much and not ride along with the process, so we keep intervening with it and then we never fall asleep. I don't really know much other than my own personal experience, so ... yup.

Edited October 28, 2015 by taoguy

[Rara]

Thank you everybody for your kind responses. I see a pattern with the advice given.

 

@Gerard I remembered after I posted my last reply that someone I used to train Kung Fu with is now a practitioner, qualified and accredited. I have been in touch and I've decided to go and see him once I return home (I'm currently on "holiday" in Thailand and don't get back for another week - perfect time for my anxiety to erupt. It certainly is doing nothing for my relationship with my fiancee)

 

Thanks for the pointer on the real herb route. I'll speak to him about that also...and I definitely won't self medicate. I told him about the formulas you mentioned and he said that perhaps it would work but he needs to check me first. All it takes is one wrong combination and I could make things worse.

 

@Andrei Your knowledge is appreciated. I will stay away from caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol - all drugs for that matter! So far, in the last 24 hours I've had one cola, but the cigarettes remain on my table untouched and I've had no alcohol today. I feel physically unable to take such things anyway, I think I've hit the point where I really don't want them and want to make a change.

 

You're totally right about the impossibility of meditation. This is exactly why I quit a few months ago...I lost faith. I erupted and got angry during a session and gave up - now I know that it was probably the combination of toxins and diet along with the stress that went into overdrive. Meditation isn't a magic cure for everything, I must remember this.

 

As I am at least a week away from obtaining any herbs, and that I'm in a foreign country where I struggle to understand much of the language, I will work on staying sober and eating enough vegetables/non processed foods as well as breathing. This will hopefully help me stay sane at the very least.

 

@RT Yes, the screen watching is a terrible habit. We live on smartphones and screens are everywhere. My fiancee and I are bad for watching TV before bed but I've told her that I need to make changes. I think a lot will ride on us both working together to change bad habits.

 

I like the idea of a system that will get me up in at the same time, and to go to bed at the same time every day. The trouble is, I am fearful that if I don't get to sleep, that when I awake I won't function well. I used to have a 9-5 job and sometimes, I wouldn't get to sleep until 5am after going to bed at 10pm. I think I still suffer from this previous trauma. These days I'm freelance in entertainment which does nothing for my sleep patterns. I am looking into getting other work that will allow me to have a routine.

 

@CodyWizard Good question. I used to practice Kung Fu daily but my club fell apart. Turns out my instructor had issues of his own.... not great for students trying to find a decent path only to be let down by their guide.

 

I therefore stopped and went back to weight training along with stretching routines and occasional cardio. I think that this could be contributing to the stress as I'm making a point of getting a workout in, even if I have a particularly busy day. I just feel the need to distract myself and to get physical to take me away from the emotinal rollercoaster that has been my family life for a while.

 

One thing I did do before I went away was see my GP and he has booked me back in for counselling that starts on 9 November. I know this will help me vent to an impartial source but still, I need to practice daily in something as he won't always be by my side.

 

So perhaps I ought to turn to tai chi or yoga instead of the more aggressive exercise in weight lifting.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Rara

[Rara]

Among all the really good stuff in this thread, stop the alcohol. It causes liver fire at night and that makes you restless, and causes a lot of the other symptoms, too.

Loud and clear my friend

[Rara]

Also... avoid blue light 2 hours before sleep. LED screens give off blue light - so your laptop, phones, etc should be kept away, or at least, placed with a blue-light filter. (They have apps! Like this for android or iphone or windows)

 

I like doing the martial arts exercise where you place your palms on your ears, then drum the back of your head (celestial drums), as well as massaging the occipital condyles in a rotational manner (the two bumps at the back of your head). I don't know if it helps you, but it gives me a more restful sleep...

 

Then as I practice maintaining lucidity in sleep, I also tended to notice that we have to look at the 'mental screen' so that the dream images surface. Or perhaps you can pay attention to the 'inner sound' that is this very high pitched ring. Then you might see some kind of kaleidoscopic, dream-like, spectral images... or nonsensical/illogical scenes that flash by...

 

Usually at this moment, I find that if you wobble the attention, such that it is unable to focus on anything, you fall unconscious and fall asleep in the hypnagogic phase. I used this trick to go into torpor since I was a child... It's kind of like when you are so bored, and you have nothing to do and then you have no brightness in the mind and just ... poof, you're unconscious.

 

But if you focus your attention, then you might stay lucid. However the problem is that we tend to tense our muscles too much and not ride along with the process, so we keep intervening with it and then we never fall asleep. I don't really know much other than my own personal experience, so ... yup.

To the blue screen advice, yep! Otherwise trying visualisations and breathing with the hands placed on the stomach helped me drop off last night. It took a few hours, but it's a start I guess. Edited October 28, 2015 by Rara

[kudos100]

All the Qigong and TCM in the world isn't going to help you if you are drinking, consuming caffeine, smoking weed and watching tv/computer late at night, on top of being stressed and emotionally unbalanced. It's a bit chicken and egg, but you have to get these things sorted before looking into any qi stuff.

 

Start with the basics of sleep hygiene https://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene

 

If you are struggling with practice I suggest some guided body meditations like the body scan from mindfulness. Something to occupy the mind while you are lying down. Sometimes it is just not realistic to be sitting up in bed and practising zazen or some kind of formal practice. A meditation tape that focuses on the the body can really help.

 

Once you have your sleep hygiene down and have found some sort of practice that relaxes you while you try and drift ofF, if you are still having problems then look at working with Qi gong/Tai chi/TCM etc.

 

It can be hard to stop all of the things that distract you from your problems (self medicating, watching tv/internet) so maybe start with a couple and see how you go.

 

Starting slowly with something like no caffeine after lunch, no more than one beer and no tv/internet after 12 will give you a better chance of succeeding that trying to give up everything at once.

 

I don't know a huge much about Daoism and the internal arts, but I know insomnia inside out having suffered with it for 7 years constantly.

 

Send me a PM if you want any more info. I'm pretty sure your sleep can be sorted with a few new habits

Edited October 28, 2015 by kudos100

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

Your stomach feels empty because you have lost some of your development during a long period of non practice.

My suggestion is that you find time to meditate and exercise that are not around bed time.

The reason for this is because meditation, although it can make you feel sleepy and help you sleep, should be about developing a strong system and building yang energy.

Chen Yingning suggested that it is a good idea to meditate every day when you get up in bed for at least two hours and then once at night for two hours.

Obviously, most of our schedules don't allow that, but you could consider doing a morning meditation practice when you sit up in bed.  This will help get your nervous system ready for the day and help maintain energy levels throughout the day, while also helping you set your sleep patterns more clearly (having a daily transitional period going from getting up to movement in a gradual way).

Consider focusing on the middle palace for a few weeks (the middle palace is the place behind the solar plexus between the chest and adbomen).  Just place your mind there and observe your breath, with the out breath being a bit longer than the in breath.

The middle palace is much easier to practice well than the lower dantian, since it is much faster to enter a restful state using this concept.  The biggest key is to not force the breath, because this area of the body needs to be treated very softly and lightly.

Once you can get to a deep place using the middle palace, you can start considering practicing the dantian again (or just keep going with the middle palace).   Keep in mind to focus on subtracting and relaxing the mind.   Minimize and take away things instead of adding things when you practice.   Become more calm, more empty, and move toward the genuine yin energy state.  This is the real key to building yang energy in the body (yang is the natural biproduct of pure yin).

You should also consider finding a teacher if you can, since self practice has many unclear places which can be hard to navigate without guidance.

Also, if you feel so inclined, you can have a look at my book (in the link in my signature), it is very much geared toward helping people use meditation techniques to achieve a sense of restfulness and happy calm.

When you lie in bed at night, you can also consider focusing the attention on the lower abdomen and just feeling the breath as you consciously send messages to yourself to relax.  This can have a great benefit on your ability to relax fully before sleep.

Remember that your thoughts keep you awake, so you need to find a way to minimize and cope with thoughts around bed time.  

Cut out the booze, cut down the caffeine and sugars, and eat as many vegetables, fruits, and beans as you can.

Good luck!!!!!

[Gerard]

@Gerard I remembered after I posted my last reply that someone I used to train Kung Fu with is now a practitioner, qualified and accredited. I have been in touch and I've decided to go and see him once I return home (I'm currently on "holiday" in Thailand and don't get back for another week - perfect time for my anxiety to erupt. It certainly is doing nothing for my relationship with my fiancee)

 

Thanks for the pointer on the real herb route. I'll speak to him about that also...and I definitely won't self medicate. I told him about the formulas you mentioned and he said that perhaps it would work but he needs to check me first. All it takes is one wrong combination and I could make things worse.

 

Glad I have been somewhat helpful...you know the online thing is not like in real life but you can get pretty much a good idea of how things work and what is involved.

 

Healing is like peeling an onion, a layer at a time as we are dealing with such a complex organism (microcosm-macrocosm), mind and emotions. Supplement herbs with Qigong/martial training + meditation and lifestyle changes.

 

Healing all the organs and allowing for a free flow of Qi/mind everywhere without blockages of any kind is a lifetime work (and beyond, unfortunately :(, God I wish things were easier for everyone, but they are not).

 

All the best again and happy stay in Thailand.

[Rara]

All the Qigong and TCM in the world isn't going to help you if you are drinking, consuming caffeine, smoking weed and watching tv/computer late at night, on top of being stressed and emotionally unbalanced. It's a bit chicken and egg, but you have to get these things sorted before looking into any qi stuff.

 

Start with the basics of sleep hygiene https://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/sleep-hygiene

 

If you are struggling with practice I suggest some guided body meditations like the body scan from mindfulness. Something to occupy the mind while you are lying down. Sometimes it is just not realistic to be sitting up in bed and practising zazen or some kind of formal practice. A meditation tape that focuses on the the body can really help.

 

Once you have your sleep hygiene down and have found some sort of practice that relaxes you while you try and drift ofF, if you are still having problems then look at working with Qi gong/Tai chi/TCM etc.

 

It can be hard to stop all of the things that distract you from your problems (self medicating, watching tv/internet) so maybe start with a couple and see how you go.

 

Starting slowly with something like no caffeine after lunch, no more than one beer and no tv/internet after 12 will give you a better chance of succeeding that trying to give up everything at once.

 

I don't know a huge much about Daoism and the internal arts, but I know insomnia inside out having suffered with it for 7 years constantly.

 

Send me a PM if you want any more info. I'm pretty sure your sleep can be sorted with a few new habits

Thank you...cold turkey yesterday on holiday...

 

I went to bed at 9pm and fell asleep at 3:30ish am! Maybe I should be more gentle with myself. I will most probably drop you a message once I've found what I am really struggling with

[Rara]

Your stomach feels empty because you have lost some of your development during a long period of non practice.

My suggestion is that you find time to meditate and exercise that are not around bed time.

The reason for this is because meditation, although it can make you feel sleepy and help you sleep, should be about developing a strong system and building yang energy.

Chen Yingning suggested that it is a good idea to meditate every day when you get up in bed for at least two hours and then once at night for two hours.

Obviously, most of our schedules don't allow that, but you could consider doing a morning meditation practice when you sit up in bed. This will help get your nervous system ready for the day and help maintain energy levels throughout the day, while also helping you set your sleep patterns more clearly (having a daily transitional period going from getting up to movement in a gradual way).

Consider focusing on the middle palace for a few weeks (the middle palace is the place behind the solar plexus between the chest and adbomen). Just place your mind there and observe your breath, with the out breath being a bit longer than the in breath.

The middle palace is much easier to practice well than the lower dantian, since it is much faster to enter a restful state using this concept. The biggest key is to not force the breath, because this area of the body needs to be treated very softly and lightly.

Once you can get to a deep place using the middle palace, you can start considering practicing the dantian again (or just keep going with the middle palace). Keep in mind to focus on subtracting and relaxing the mind. Minimize and take away things instead of adding things when you practice. Become more calm, more empty, and move toward the genuine yin energy state. This is the real key to building yang energy in the body (yang is the natural biproduct of pure yin).

You should also consider finding a teacher if you can, since self practice has many unclear places which can be hard to navigate without guidance.

Also, if you feel so inclined, you can have a look at my book (in the link in my signature), it is very much geared toward helping people use meditation techniques to achieve a sense of restfulness and happy calm.

When you lie in bed at night, you can also consider focusing the attention on the lower abdomen and just feeling the breath as you consciously send messages to yourself to relax. This can have a great benefit on your ability to relax fully before sleep.

Remember that your thoughts keep you awake, so you need to find a way to minimize and cope with thoughts around bed time.

Cut out the booze, cut down the caffeine and sugars, and eat as many vegetables, fruits, and beans as you can.

Good luck!!!!!

Thanks for the morning tip...I agree a lot has been undone. I was quite advanced a year or so ago and I've almost forgotten how I got there now.

 

Although yes, without a teacher led me to confusion due to paradoxes in different things I watched/read. So perhaps a local tai chi classs can help?

[Andrei]

Rara, relocation to another city or another country is the most stress someone can have, it takes 2 years to settle and adapt to the new environment, so take it easy.

 

So you are in Thailand, if I were you I would seek for a Muay Thai gym and hit the bags for 1 hour per day, that helps better in dealing with stress than Taichi, but this is only my opinion. You need to get really tired to sleep well and I am not sure Taichi is the best for this purpose.

[Rara]

Rara, relocation to another city or another country is the most stress someone can have, it takes 2 years to settle and adapt to the new environment, so take it easy.

 

So you are in Thailand, if I were you I would seek for a Muay Thai gym and hit the bags for 1 hour per day, that helps better in dealing with stress than Taichi, but this is only my opinion. You need to get really tired to sleep well and I am not sure Taichi is the best for this purpose.

Oh no, it's only a holiday, I'm home on Thursday.

 

That said, as an ex-kung fu guy, I must admit that hitting things in a controlled environment serves its purpose...better than the walls at home!

 

My mind just always comes back and makes me feel guilty saying "you shouldn't be voilent" But I do believe I am naturally "barbaric". Conflicted is the term I'll use. On a good day, I want to be the calm meditator...on a bad day, I wanna smash things :/

[Rara]

Oh PS, last night I slept from around midnight until 11am, so it's not all bad. Consistent 7-8 hours would be nice but hey, that's a goal and I know it won't happen overnight. I'm just delighted that I actually fell asleep in less than an hour...when sober. It's been a long time!

[Perceiver]

You mention yourself that you suffer from anxiety. Anxiety is always a cause of insomnia. I should know, because I suffered from that shit for 10 years and had horrible sleep problems. Got cured some years ago and on the very same night I slept like a baby.

 

My advice would be to get some help for the anxiety from a psychologist. They can work wonders, sometimes. Meditation can help you too in putting you to sleep faster, and staying asleep.

[Rara]

You mention yourself that you suffer from anxiety. Anxiety is always a cause of insomnia. I should know, because I suffered from that shit for 10 years and had horrible sleep problems. Got cured some years ago and on the very same night I slept like a baby.

 

My advice would be to get some help for the anxiety from a psychologist. They can work wonders, sometimes. Meditation can help you too in putting you to sleep faster, and staying asleep.

I have booked CBT counselling for Monday as well, I've had to do this a few times in life. Someone neutral to talk to about family issues, so I can also see what comes of that. Depending on how bad he thinks I've got will determine if I get referred elsewhere I guess.

[Gerard]

My advice would be to get some help for the anxiety from a psychologist. They can work wonders, sometimes. Meditation can help you too in putting you to sleep faster, and staying asleep.

 

Sorry but this is a Taoist forum and as such we refer to either Classical or Traditional Chinese Medicine, hence diagnosis and treatment will be provided by a qualified practitioner from either field.

 

So grab the phone book/Internet search and see if you can locate one in your area. Herbal treatment (Chinese herbs are incredible powerful and effective but there are also varying qualities in the herbs purchased, try to purchase from a reputable herbologist or company that sells quality herbs, I am lucky to have a Beijing Tong Ren Tang not far from where I live, who stock top herbs) coupled with internal work (IMA, meditation, and serious work with trees, the older the better) plus the necessary lifestyle changes work wonders.

 

Generally speaking the underlying condition is emotional (as usual) and related to heart (a restless shen causes insomnia automatically, this is textbook TCM) and/or lung imbalances which will affect the spleen, stomach, middle jiao, liver and draining energy from the kidney.

 

Therefore your doctor will prescribe you an ever evolving formula according to changes in your energetic system, like peeling an onion, layer after layer tackling each with an specific formula.

 

Best of luck!

Edited November 5, 2015 by Gerard