Today is World Sleep Day, which is an annual event that takes place each year on the Friday before the northern hemisphere vernal equinox. The goal is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep and to draw attention to sleep problems and how they can impact your life. If you’re unfortunate enough to suffer from bad or erratic sleep, you’re certainly not alone! One of the knock-on effects of this is the cost of productivity to worldwide economies, with lack of sleep affecting people’s output, attendance or concentration at the workplace, moods swings and much more.

There are many ways by which you can try to combat erratic sleep, from meditation to engaging in regular strenuous exercise to tire yourself out and, of course, the wealth of medication available to knock you out and help you to fall asleep more easily. At Touch Tuina, we prefer to look towards more natural solutions, and we’d always recommend these as healthier alternatives for our clients to try. One of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal formulas we make up in clinic for better sleep is Suan Zao Ren Tang.

Suan Zao Ren Tang (Sour Jujube Decoction), is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal formula primarily used for insomnia, anxiety, and irritability. It’s especially helpful when sleep issues are linked to nourishing the Heart and Liver, calming the mind (Shen), and regulating Yin and Blood.

Benefits of Suan Zao Ren Tang:

                  •               Promotes restful sleep: Helps with difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, and light sleep.

                  •               Calms the mind (Shen): Reduces anxiety, restlessness, and irritability.

                  •               Nourishes Liver and Heart Blood: Supports emotional balance and relaxation.

                  •               Alleviates night sweats: Particularly when linked to Yin deficiency.

                  •               Eases palpitations and tension: Reduces physical symptoms of anxiety.

                  •               Relieves fatigue: Addresses tiredness caused by poor-quality sleep.

All of the individual herbs that make up this formula have their varying roles to play:

                  •               Suan Zao Ren is the chief herb, directly addressing insomnia and nourishing Blood.

                  •               Chuan Xiong moves the Blood and relieves Liver Qi stagnation, easing stress and tension.

                  •               Fu Ling and Zhi Mu address the balance between clearing heat and calming the mind.

                  •               Gan Cao acts as a harmonizer, making the formula gentle and balanced.

If you’d like to find out more about our TCM herbal remedies and how they could help you with all sorts of issues, just get in touch to book an appointment!