TCM anti-epidemic - starting from sleep

Registered Chinese medicine practitioner Chen Yinghui

In the past six months, due to the impact of the epidemic, our daily life has changed a lot. We can't travel, we can't meet with friends, and even going to drink tea and go shopping will become nervous. Under the influence of such a big environment, Emotions become more and more depressed, tense, anxious and fearful, and sleep will also bear the brunt of the impact.

I once read a report that a certain university interviewed 807 citizens by telephone and found that 6.8 out of every ten citizens suffered from insomnia in the past six months. More than 60% of the citizens interviewed said it was related to the epidemic. Insufficient sleep will affect our daily work and social activities. If it becomes chronic insomnia, it will lead to a decline in immunity and induce many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, emotional disease, diabetes, obesity and tumors. Recently, friends often ask me if there is any way to increase immunity and help fight the epidemic. In fact, from the perspective of Chinese medicine, having a good mood and adequate sleep is undoubtedly the best tonic, which can greatly replenish one's own righteousness and improve immunity.

How much sleep is normal every day? Most modern studies suggest that you should go to bed around 11 o'clock in the evening, and 7-8 hours a day is the best, but we often hear that some people go to bed late, and only 4-5 hours of sleep per night is enough. There are also some people who need more than 8 hours to fall asleep, so it varies from person to person. As long as you wake up the next day, it is normal to be full of energy. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that healthy sleep should not only conform to the changes of the four seasons of the year, but also conform to the law of the twelve hours. There are two sleep regimens advocated by the ancients, one is called the midnight nap method, and the other is called the four-hour sleep method.

"Huang Di Nei Jing" said: "Sleeping at midnight, taking a nap at noon", it is suggested that we should fall asleep at midnight and noon every day. An important time for the handover of Yin Qi and Yang Qi, such as Zishi, is the time when Yin Qi is at its peak and at the same time it is the end of Yin Qi. As the saying goes, when the first yang is born, it is also the time when the yang is weakest, so it is not suitable to be consumed. This newborn yang should be well protected. The best way is to take advantage of this time to rest and sleep well, so that the body's yin and yang can be released. Successfully completed the handover conversion. There is also a method of sleeping at four o'clock. The "Huangdi Neijing" says: In the spring and March, one should lie down at night and get up early, and be slowed down by hair,...  Xia Sanyue wants to go to bed late and get up early, to be tireless in the sun,... In autumn and March, you should go to bed early and get up early, and enjoy yourself with the rooster... In winter and March, you have to lie down early and get up late, without disturbing the sun.... Generally speaking, spring and summer are the seasons when all things are growing and developing, with strong yang energy and vitality, so you can go to bed later and wake up early in spring and summer, and sleep for about 6 to 7 hours a day. , fallen leaves are flying, and the yang energy is not as strong as spring and summer, so we need to rest longer than spring and summer, and we need to sleep about 7 to 8 hours a day. In winter, it is the season for collecting all things. It is cold and freezing, and animals will use hibernation to survive the winter. We should go to bed early and wake up late in winter. We need to sleep for 8 to 9 hours a day. Reduce consumption and replenish Yang Qi through longer sleep time.

I will introduce several soups for you, which can help you sleep .

✨Goji berry rose tea

Material:

Goji berries 10 capsules

4 roses

step:

1. Wash the ingredients, soak wolfberry in boiling water for 15 minutes

2. Put in the roses

It is suitable for insomnia patients with stagnation of liver qi, often manifested as insomnia, depression, anxiety, nervousness, chest and hypochondrium pain, sighing, women may also have breast and abdominal pain during menstruation, irregular menstruation, etc.

✨Ginseng root broth

Material:

Astragalus 3 qian, Codonopsis 3 qian

Yuan meat 3 qian, candied dates 2 grains

Bamboo shredded chicken (appropriate amount) or pork belly 2 taels

practice:

1. Wash the ingredients with clean water. If you want to add bamboo shredded chicken and pig meat, please pour water first.

2. Wash astragalus, Codonopsis pilosula, and Yuan meat

3. Put all the ingredients into the stewing pot and simmer for 3 hours before serving

It is suitable for insomnia caused by deficiency of Qi and blood, deficiency of both heart and spleen. Patients manifest insomnia, fatigue, drowsiness of limbs, shortness of breath, palpitation, pale complexion, dizziness, etc.

✨Dendrobium Huaishan Fish Maw and Snail Head Soup

Material:

Dendrobium 3 qian, Chinese yam 3 qian

1 fish maw, 2 scallops

2 snail heads, 3 red dates

practice:

1. Soak the snail heads and scallops overnight until soft, wash the snail heads with a brush, and pre-soak the fish maw

2. Wash red dates, dendrobium and Chinese yam

3. Put all the ingredients into the stewing pot and simmer for 3 hours before serving

It is suitable for patients with yin deficiency and internal heat, often manifested as difficulty in falling asleep, early awakening, upset and palpitations, hot hands and feet, night sweats, hot flashes, dry throat and mouth, sore mouth and tongue, red tongue with little coating and other symptoms.

If you don’t want to make soup too troublesome, you can simply use Sydney Lily Ophiopogon japonicus to make tea.

✨Sydney Lily Ophiopogon tea

Material:

Sydney 1, lily 5 coins

Ophiopogon japonicus 5 qian, a little honey

practice:

1. Wash the pears with the skin and cut them into small pieces, wash the lilies and radishes

2. Put all the ingredients into the stewing pot and simmer for 2 hours before serving

3. Add a little honey to taste after cooling

If you are not sure which type you belong to, you can choose the following Ganoderma lucidum tea series to drink.

✨Lingzhi tea series

  • Lingzhi Honey Tea
  • Lingzhi Jujube Tea
  • Ganoderma lucidum longan tea
  • Ganoderma lucidum wolfberry tea

practice:

1. Ganoderma lucidum 2 qian (soak for half an hour first)

2. Other ingredients (6 pieces of jujube, 2 qian of longan, 2 qian of wolfberry) can be selected. After washing, boil about 1 bowl with 2 bowls of water and drink

3. Add a little honey to taste after cooling

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