Insomnia is not necessarily caused by worries, it may be caused by spleen and stomach disorders!

In traditional Chinese medicine, insomnia has many causes, such as old age, physical weakness, exposure to external pathogens, unhygienic diet, lack of restraint, and irritability and depression, all of which may lead to insomnia. So what is the relationship between spleen and stomach disorders and insomnia?

1. If the spleen and stomach are out of balance, the mind cannot be calm.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "Shen" dominates the human body's mental activities. The "Shen" here can be understood as human spirit and activities. "When the mind is calm, one can sleep." Sleep is closely related to the strength of mental activity. The "Shen" relies on the spleen and stomach for nourishment. Therefore, when the spleen and stomach function normally and the nutritional source is guaranteed, the "Shen" can be nourished smoothly and sleep will be naturally peaceful. If the "spirit" cannot be calm, the spleen and stomach will be out of balance, and insufficient nutritional supply may lead to recurring insomnia.

2. Injury to the "spirit" aggravates spleen and stomach disorders

Long-term poor sleep will cause great harm to the "spirit". "Damage to the spirit" can easily lead to imbalance of yin and yang, damage to qi and blood, and affect the internal organs of the whole body. The spleen and stomach, as the source of nutrition, are the organs most easily injured. Therefore, people with insomnia often experience symptoms caused by spleen and stomach disorders such as poor appetite, reduced food intake, nausea and vomiting, and abdominal bloating.

Bad habits such as overeating, staying up late, lack of exercise, and high stress will cause water metabolism disorders in the body and form internal dampness. Internal dampness invades the spleen and stomach, which will further affect the quality of sleep. Even if you finally fall asleep, it will be difficult to wake up the next day. Just like “not being able to fall asleep”, “not being able to get up” is also a manifestation of sleep disorder.

To sum up, the relationship between sleep and the spleen and stomach can be summarized as follows: the spleen and stomach affect the biochemistry of qi and blood, resulting in insufficient nutrition supply, affecting sleep; and sleep affects the function of the spleen and stomach, making people tired and weak, further leading to a decline in sleep quality. If this continues for a long time, people will easily become sub-healthy people with problems such as qi deficiency, phlegm and dampness.

3. How to avoid spleen and stomach disorders?

If you want to harmonize your spleen and stomach, maintaining strong positive energy is the key. Positive energy is the body's ability to resist disease. There is a saying in Traditional Chinese Medicine that goes “When positive energy is within, negative energy cannot enter.” This is exactly what is going on. Excessive fatigue is the culprit that consumes vital energy and causes spleen and stomach disorders.

The "overwork" mentioned here does not simply refer to physical fatigue (excessive work), but also includes dietary fatigue (eating too much), mental fatigue (lack of sleep), mental fatigue (excessive stress), etc. For example, some people like to work overtime at night or read at a desk. This will slow down the functioning of the spleen and stomach, disrupt the digestive function, and cause people to lose appetite or have difficulty digesting food. In addition, excessive mental or physical exertion may aggravate the degree of spleen and stomach disorders, especially for people with weak spleen and stomach.

4. To regulate the spleen and stomach, comprehensive consideration is necessary

The official medical book of the Song Dynasty, "Taiping Huimin Hejijufang", recommended "Shenling Baizhu San" as a good prescription for comprehensively regulating the spleen and stomach. At the same time, it is combined with the modern gastrointestinal regulating factor "disaccharides", combining functional conditioning with intestinal flora conditioning, which complements each other.

Of course, if there is no good daily lifestyle as a foundation, no matter how much "Shenling Baizhu San" you take, it will be difficult to save the damage to the spleen and stomach function caused by abnormal eating habits, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and bad mood. To protect your spleen and stomach and yourself, please consciously practice the four reasonable "tips": eat more vegetables and less meat until you are 70% full; take a 20-minute lunch break and go to bed before 11pm; walk 10,000 steps a day; and think positively. In addition, tonic products such as Cordyceps sinensis also have a very great effect on regulating insomnia!