Aunt Li is a 10-year-old diabetic. For many years, her blood sugar has been well controlled, but recently, Aunt Li's blood sugar has always been high.
It turned out that she often suffered from insomnia during this time, and slept less than 5 hours a night on average. After a period of TCM conditioning in our department, her sleep quality has improved and her blood sugar has stabilized.
Diabetes mellitus and insomnia interact with each other, and even cause and effect each other, forming a vicious circle [1-4]. Today I would like to share 4 effective methods of TCM to deal with diabetes and insomnia:
4 Ways to Treat Diabetic Insomnia in Traditional Chinese Medicine
01
Auriculomassage
By massaging the ears and stimulating the auricular acupoints, the central nervous system can be effectively regulated, so that the excitation and inhibition of the nerves can reach a stable and balanced state, so as to reconcile the viscera, communicate yin and yang, and improve sleep quality.
The auricular massage procedure is divided into the following steps:
(1) Rub the root of the ear: stick the index finger and middle finger on the front and back of the ear root, and rub for a total of 1 minute, taking the heat of the ear root as the degree.
(2) Twisting the ears: Twist the two ear wheels and earlobes with the thumb and index finger at the same time, and twist and knead from the tip of the ear to the earlobe for 1 minute, so that the two ears are hot.
(3) Ear pressing: Aim the palms of both hands with the ear canal, put the four fingers behind the pillow, press slowly, and then slowly let go, repeat three times.
(4) Drum sounding: cover your ears with both hands, that is, press your index finger on your middle finger, and use your index finger to pluck the two occipital bones behind your head to make a sound, a total of 30 times.
(5) Rub the auricular acupoints: take the Shenmen, heart, and subcortical acupoints of both ears (the location of the auricular acupoints is shown in the figure below), press relative to each other with the thumb and index finger, and press for 1 minute each time, so that soreness or numbness occurs.
Repeat the above operations 3-5 times a day.
It is suitable for: patients with diabetes mellitus and insomnia of various types of traditional Chinese medicine.
Note: It should not be used by people with inflammation or frostbite on the skin of the auricle.
02
Medicated pillow to help you sleep
The medicine pillow is mainly filled with Chinese herbal medicines, which is pillow on the head and neck at night to promote the slow exertion of the medicinal effect of the herbs, and at the same time, the medicine can also stimulate the meridians and acupoints of the head and neck to help sleep.
Fall asleep with a pill pillow every night and change the medication every 15 days.
(1) Select nightshade, mother-of-pearl, cocoon, acacia bark, sour jujube kernel, calamus, rose, take 200 grams each, mix evenly after powdering, and put them into the pillow core with good air permeability to make a medicinal pillow.
It is suitable for: patients with diabetes and insomnia who are depressed, depressed, upset, chest tightness, dizziness and other liver qi stagnation, and have mental nourishment.
(2) Select 500 grams of hook vine, 500 grams of Luo Bu hemp leaves, and 500 grams of cassia seeds, and mix them with cassia seeds evenly after grinding them into coarse powder, and make a medicine pillow. The medicine pillow has the effect of clearing the liver fire and calming the heart and nerves.
Suitable for: insomnia and dreams, even sleepless all night, irritability, red eyes and tinnitus, dry mouth and bitter mouth, loss of appetite, dry stool, yellow urine, red tongue, yellow tongue coating sugar friends.
Note: It is contraindicated in patients with allergies to the above drug components.
03
Traditional Chinese medicine foot soak
Traditional Chinese medicine foot soaking, as the name suggests, is to fumigate and soak the feet through the medicinal liquid, so that the medicine can penetrate the skin, stimulate the meridians and vascular nerves, improve blood circulation, regulate the internal organs, and balance yin and yang.
Commonly used medicines: raw astragalus, chicken blood vine, acacia bark, night vine, shengdi, angelica, cinnamon branches, take 30 grams each, decoction into juice, pour into 2-3 liters of warm water and mix evenly, the water temperature is controlled at 37 °C-38 °C (it is better to soak the foot bucket at a constant temperature), and then soak the feet fully for 20 minutes, insisting on 1 time per night.
The drug has the effect of nourishing qi and blood, nourishing the heart and soothing the nerves, and invigorating blood circulation, and is suitable for patients with qi and blood deficiency, blood stasis obstruction, and mental dystrophy, and is especially suitable for insomnia patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy such as numbness, coolness, and pain in the lower limbs.
Note: The water temperature should not be too high to avoid skin burns. If there is a skin ulcer, infection and venous thrombosis of the lower limbs, it is not contraindicated.
04
Five Elements Music Therapy
Five Elements Music Therapy is a combination of music, medicine and psychology to regulate the body and mind, smooth the internal organs, and prevent and treat diseases. The sound waves and melodies produced by different keys affect different viscera to promote the balance of the five elements of yin and yang in the human body, improve the body's various functions, and improve sleep quality.
(1) If you have symptoms of diabetes mellitus, such as insomnia and dreams, irritability, dizziness and swelling, red eyes and tinnitus, dry stools, etc., it is recommended to have horn (wood) music, such as "Blue Danube" and "Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo Music".
(2) Diabetic patients have symptoms of heart and spleen deficiency such as difficulty falling asleep, insomnia and dreams, fatigue and weakness, palpitations and shortness of breath, fatigue of limbs, tasteless mouth, abdominal distension, etc., and it is recommended to have uterine tune (earth) music, such as "Moonlight Sonata" and "Plum Blossom Three Alleys".
(3) When diabetic patients with insomnia still have phlegm, chest tightness, yellow and sticky phlegm, nausea and nausea, oily face and head, and easy acne, it is recommended to have commercial (golden) music, such as "Sunset Bells and Drums", "Symphony No. 3", etc.
It is generally recommended that patients lie flat with their eyes closed, their feet slightly wider than their waist, their palms facing up, listen to music, and take deep breaths to relax their whole body.
Music therapy should be given once a day for half an hour.
I wish all sugar friends can have a good sleep like a baby and sleep well on blood sugar.
Author: Li Lijuan, Department of Endocrinology, Mentougou District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing
Bibliography:
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[3] Lu Liting, Liu Jun, Yu Bohao, et al.Correlation between blood glucose control and mental and psychological factors in patients with type 2 diabetes[J].Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Cardiovascular Medicine,2019,11(7): 881-885.
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