Sleeplessness

Type 1: Deficiency of both heart and spleen
Symptoms:
Difficulty in falling asleep at night, dream-disturbed sleep, frequent wakening from sleep, palpitation, amnesia, sweating easily, dull complexion, listlessness, fullness in the abdomen, loose stool, pale tongue with thin and white coating, thready and feeble pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Invigorating vital energy and nourishing blood. Select the points from the heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin, the spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin and Back-Shu points. Puncture with reinforcing method, needling the points in combination with moxibustion.
Prescription:
Pishu (BL20) (Pishu (BL20)), Xinshu (BL15) ( Xinshu (BL15)),Shenmen (HT7) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Primary Point (Shenmen (HT7) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Primary Point),Sanyinjiao (SP6) (Sanyinjiao (SP6))
Modification according to symptoms:
For dream-disturbed sleep, Shenmen (HT7), Pohu (BL42) (Pohu (BL42)) are added.For poor memory, apply moxibustion at Zhishi (BL52) (Zhishi (BL52)), Baihui (GV20) (DU20).
Type 2: Deficiency of yin leads to hyperactivity of fire
Symptoms:
Insomnia due to vexation or easy to be wakened from sleep, dysphoria with feverish feeling in the palms and soles, palpitation with fear, perspiration, dry mouth and throat, dizziness, tinnitus, poor memory, emission, soreness of the loins, red tongue, tiny and rapid pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Nourishing yin to lower the evil fire. Select the points from the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin, the Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin, the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin, the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin. Puncture with reinforcing and reducing methods.
Prescription:
Daling (PC7) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point (Daling (PC7) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point), Taixi(KI3) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point (Taixi(KI3) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point),Shenmen (HT7), and Taichong (LR3) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point (Taichong (LR3) Shu-Stream, Yuan-Source Point).
Modification according to symptoms:
For dizziness, Fengchi (GB20) (Fengchi (GB20)) is added. For tinnitus, Tinggong (SI19) (Tinggong (SI19)) is added. For emission, Zhishi (BL52) is added.
Type 3: Disorder of the stomach
Symptoms:
Difficulty to have a sound sleep, heartburn, fullness of epigastrium, belching, dizziness even to vomiting sputum, yellow and greasy tongue coating, slippery or wiry pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Eliminating sputum to regulate the stomach energy. Select the points from the Ren Meridian, the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming, the Spleen Meridian of Foot-Taiyin. Puncture with reducing method.
Prescription:
Zhongwan (CV12) Front-Mu Point of the Stomach (RN12), Fenglong (ST40) Luo-Connecting Point (Fenglong (ST40) Luo-Connecting Point), Lidui (ST45) Jing-Well Point (Lidui (ST45) Jing-Well Point), Yinbai(SP1) Jing-Well Point (Yinbai(SP1) Jing-Well Point)
Modification according to symptoms:
For heartburn, nausea, Neiguan (PC6) Luo-Connecting Point the Eight Confluent Point (Neiguan (PC6) Luo-Connecting Point the Eight Confluent Point) is added. For vertigo, Yintang (Ex-HN3), and Hegu (LI4) Yuan-Source Point (Hegu (LI4) Yuan-Source Point) are added.
Type 4: Flaming up of Liver-fire
Symptoms:
Dizziness and pain in the head, insomnia, vexation, irritable, conjunctival congestion, tinnitus, or accompanied by hypochondriac pain, bitter taste in the mouth, thin and yellow coating, wiry and rapid pulse.
Principle of treatment:
Calming the liver and reducing the liver-fire. Select the points from the Gall Bladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang, the Liver Meridian of Foot-Jueyin, the Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin. Puncture with reducing method.
Prescription:
Xingjian (LR2) Ying-Spring Point (Xingjian (LR2) Ying-Spring Point), Zuqiaoyin (GB44) Jing-Well Point (Zuqiaoyin (GB44) Jing-Well Point), Fengchi (GB20), and Shenmen (HT7)
Modification according to symptoms:
For tinnitus, Yifeng (TE17) (SJ17), Zhongzhu (KI15) (SJ3) are added. For conjunctival congestion, Taiyang (EX-HN5), Yangxi (LI5) Jing-River Point (Yangxi (LI5) Jing-River Point) are added.
Cautions and precautions:
Acupuncture has a better effect on sleeplessness. For the aged when total time of sleeping are shortened gradually and there are easily wakened, it's physiological phenomenon that no obvious symptoms occur.

Key Words: sleeplessness, acupuncture