TCM: Overcoming Springtime Sleepiness (Chun Kun) Part 1

[tcmgpt13]

If you are anything like me this spring and are sleepy, the suggestions in these articles may be helpful. Those who have chronic illnesses will often notice this type of fatigue in the spring. Some of the herbs mentioned in these articles may be available online. If you live near a Chinatown this should make shopping easier. There are also some suggestions which do not require herbs:

Fighting springtime fatigue - Don't cop zzzs, move that qi


When spring doesn't put spring in your step and you feel like sleeping, you may be suffering from springtime sleepiness. Don't cop more zs. TCM tells you how to get your qi moving, writes Zhang Qian.

Most of us feel invigorated in warming spring weather, but there are some people who feel tired and listless. While the world is waking up, they want to go to sleep.

This condition of low energy and fatigue is called chun kun (literally springtime sleepiness) in traditional Chinese medicine. It's a common symptom in the spring when the body fails to adjust to the changed warmer weather. Sufferers felt better in the cold winter.

It mostly affects some elderly people, the subhealthy and those who suffer from chronic ailments.

Getting more sleep won't help. Try a healthy schedule, a good diet and physical exercise.

Lack of sufficient blood and energy in the brain and organs causes spring drowziness, according to TCM. Usually, less blood flows to the surface of the body as capillaries contract in the winter cold. Thus, more blood flows to the brain and organs and provides more nutrition and oxygen where they are needed.

In spring, however, the capillaries relax. More blood flows to the surface, while comparatively less goes to the organs and brain.

If the body fails to adjust to seasonal changes, the organs and brain still consume as much oxygen and nutrition as in the winter. Then people feel sleepy.

Some people adapt to the changes in a short time, while others find it more difficult. The elderly and subhealthy usually require more time and are more vulnerable to spring sleepiness.

Those with chronic cardio-cerebral-vascular problems have more serious and long-term sleepiness problems. Those who use their brain a lot are also more likely to suffer sleepiness in spring than those who engage in physical labor most of the time.

A healthy waking and sleeping schedule is important to fight this kind of fatigue. Eight hours of quality sleep a day is enough for an adult, though not everyone needs that much. Prolonged sleep will only numb the cerebral cortex, causing more serious sleepiness, according to TCM.

Apart from regular sleep, try acupressure to help you wake up and get alert before you get out of bed in the morning. Rub the acupuncture points nei guan on the inner wrist and zu san li on the leg (see illustration.)

Physical exercise is invigorating and always good for the health. Jogging, swimming, ball games and even steam baths can help adjust metabolism and accelerate blood circulation. This sends more oxygen to the brain and relieves sleepiness. Be careful not to exhaust yourself.

Bland, protein-rich food like fish, eggs, milk and bean products help relieve fatigue. Fresh vegetables like spinach, shepherd's purse, cleome (spider flower) and carrots can help accelerate metabolism and expel internal toxins.

Avoid greasy foods and alcohol as they aggravate sleepiness.

Sleepiness in the spring is natural and usually disappears, but if it persists get a check up. It could be a sign of a more serious ailment, such as high blood pressure or high blood sugar.

For daytime sleepiness

Don't go to sleep.

Wash your face. Cold water can revive you.

Smell medicated oil.

Drink green tea.

Listen to lively music and move.

Stretch often to stimulate blood circulation.

Diet therapy

White hyacinth bean

congee

Ingredients: White hyacinth bean (bai bian dou), lotus seeds (15g), white fungus (10g), rice (100g)

Preparation: Soak fungus until it softens, then chop in slices. Cook all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a quick boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season.

Eat often.

Function: Reinforces yin energy, relieves fatigue and sleepiness, helps the spleen.

Rose congee

Ingredients: Dry roses (10g), rice (100g)

Preparation: Put roses and rice in a saucepan with water, boil quickly, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season.

Eat often.

Function: Relieves sleepiness, lifts spirits, improves skin.

Ginseng soup

Ingredients: American ginseng (5g)

Preparation: Cook ginseng in a saucepan, bring to a quick boil, reduce to gentle heat and cook for 20 minutes.

Function: Refreshes, reinforces yin energy, dispels pathogenic heat.

Kapok flower, red kidney bean and crucian carp soup

Ingredients: Kapok (15g), red kidney beans (30g), one crucian carp

Preparation:

1. Soak kapok and beans in cold water for 20 minutes.

2. Fried the carp quickly.

3. Put all ingredients in a saucepan with water and bring to quick boil, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Season. Eat often.

Function: Relieves sleepiness, works as diuretic, dispels toxins, benefits the spleen.

Acupressure in the morning

Nei guan

Location:

Two inches above the crease at the wrist on the palm side, between the two bones in the arm.

Press hard and rub for a minute before getting out of bed.

Zu san li

Location:

Three inches below the sunken place at the outside of the knee when the leg is flexed.

Press hard and rub before getting up.

(Shanghai Daily March 25, 200eight)

[tcmgpt13]

Literally translated into English and not always the easiest to read, still some of the suggestions translate and may help overcome springtime sleepiness:

As the old saying that, every early spring, many people must have become particularly Hao Shui, but woke up after the spirit of the poor, the so-called "Chun Kun."

To eliminate Chun Kun, should pay attention to do the following:

The first is Zaoshuizaoqi (good solid rest, not excess sleep, no late hours).

The spring had a good rest of sleep, the human body to get adjusted and supplemented to further promote functional ability to withstand tension to increase, decrease daytime sleepiness.Up late can not increase the blood supply to the brain, it will cause people's inertia, the more sleep the more the storm, the more sleep the more lazy. Another point worth noting is that spring-ri try not to stay up all night, so as not to induce and increase Chun Kun.

The second is to do the scalp exercises.

Spring insist on doing the scalp exercise, can eliminate the brain sleepy.The methods were: first, the natural flexor fingers with both hands close together, with the tip of finger from front to back, from the around the sides of the whole hair more effectively designated Mount 10 times; then fingers according to pre-order a more powerful 1.1-point to push three times; then fingers to do according to pre-order a short distance from scratch three times, each under the scratch area grasping 5; last, according to pre-order playful fingers massage 5 times.To get up early every day, sleep at night before going on a times, make energetic, quick thinking is to remove the brain fatigue, drowsiness of the simple and effective method.

The third is the visual stimulation.

Spring out of the outdoors, Everywhere distance, so that the beautiful panoramic view of natural scenery to give themselves to a good visual stimulation, help to eliminate Chun Kun.

Fourth, dietary intake tone (lighter eating, give liver a rest from heavy meat intake)

.Science diet to solve Chun Kun has a positive effect.Spring diet should light, fresh, digestible, cabbage, carrots, Malange head, celery, cabbage, water chestnuts and other food is the best option.Eat less fatty meat as much as possible in order to facilitate intestinal digestion and absorption; amount to eat some onions, ginger, garlic and other pungent foods, they have Qushi, avoid dirty muddy, promote blood circulation, excited the brain central role.At the same time, but also with the Health and 30 grams of barley, lentils 20 grams, 10 grams of porridge to eat yam drugs, or 20 grams Kapok, Chixiaodou 15 grams of brewing tea to drink.Take this approach, the elimination of Chun Kun can play better results.

The fifth is to use its brain science.

Science with the brain, left brain hemisphere is to allow proper rest.The brain's function, there are different left and right hemispheres.Their daily work in the spring, the left brain hemisphere is mainly responsible for language, mathematics, abstract thinking and so on, the right brain hemisphere mental fewer applications, is relatively easier.Therefore, when the muddle-headedness, and pain, they should put down the work at hand, listen to music, tours tours flowers, doing the gym, so are the activities and the use of right brain hemisphere, left brain hemisphere, proper rest.More importantly, exercise can the human body's largest brain oxygen consumption and supply in time be supplemented, so that is conducive to labor predicament.

Sixth is the ground brush face.

Brush face is a relatively simple and effective elimination of Chun Kun method.When the sleepy meaning strikes, can be used with the aroma of toothpaste brush our teeth, wash your face with cold water, so you can revive and refresh.

Spring is a beautiful season, but also people's favorite drowsy in season, as long as people correctly understand and take positive and effective measures, it will bring troubles to overcome Chun Kun, relaxed and happy to spend Chunkun season.

[tcmgpt13]

TCM recipes of Chinese food to fight drowsiness in SpringUpdated: 2010-03-24

Some people feel tired and sleepy as Spring approaches while the rest of the world is waking up.

Traditional Chinese medicine has a term for this, chun kun (春困), or spring sleepiness, which is felt most keenly in mid-March and April.

Eating more alkaline foods, such as fresh vegetables, can help rebalance the system, while greasy foods and alcohol can aggravate the problem. Fruits rich in potassium, such as bananas, oranges and grapes, help stimulate the nerves.


Traditional Chinese medicine suggests yang-reinforcing foods such as jujubes, jams, potatoes and tomatoes to maintain energy.

1.) Energizing juice blend

Ingredients: 1 banana, 1/3 pineapple, half papaya

Preparation:

- Chop, make juice in blender.
- Drink a couple of times daily between meals.

Benefits: Rich in potassium that calcium content stimulates nerves.
Rich in potassium that stimulates nervous system.


2.) Herbal tea

Ingredients: huang qi (黄芪) /milk vetch (16g), dried orange peel (陈皮) (8g), sheng ma (升麻)/black cohash rhizome (8g)

milk vetch (L), dried orange peel (M) and black cohash rhizome (R)

Preparation:

Soak ingredients in about 1,500-mililiter boiling water, cover 10-15 minutes. Sweeten to taste.

Benefits: Huang qi reinforces energy; sheng ma stimulates nerves; orange peel aids digestion.

3.) Bamboo shoots with chicken soup

Ingredients: bamboo shoots (500g), vegetables in brine (50g), chicken soup (150ml)

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop bamboo shoots. Cook in boiling water for 10 minutes, cool in cold water.

2. Soak vegetables in boiled water for five minutes. Remove, filter, chop.

3. Combine chicken soup, bamboo shoots, salt, sugar and yellow wine.

Benefits: Dispels pathogenic heat, dissolve phlegm, laxative.

Note: Bamboo shoots are available all year round, but those picked in spring taste are the best.

They are low in sugar and fat but high in fiber, they help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. They are rich in phytonutrients and fight inflammation.

Traditional Chinese medicine classifies bamboo shoots as a "cool" (yin/阴) energy food that can help dispel pathogenic heat, dissolve phlegm and soothe nerves.

Bamboo shoots are rich in oxalic acid that reduces the absorption of calcium, so growing children should not eat too much. Those with gallstones and kidney stones should avoid them.

Bamboo shoots should not be eaten raw, as they contain small amounts of toxic prussic acid; they must be peeled and cooked.

[cynical]

Hi Tcm,

Interesting info!

A healthy waking and sleeping schedule is important to fight this kind of fatigue. Eight hours of quality sleep a day is enough for an adult, though not everyone needs that much. Prolonged sleep will only numb the cerebral cortex, causing more serious sleepiness, according to TCM.

I can relate to this I just did a 12 hour stretch without meaning too and I am exhausted today. The scalp message looks interesting. Now I am going to go splash my face with cold water and smell some peppermint essential oil followed by scalp work then maybe I will have enough energy to cook something energizing

[tcmgpt13]

Me, too, Cyn, me too. I need to keep splashing that cold water on my face, eyes especially, to get going for the day. And to hopefully give me enough energy to get through the day to do the cooking which will help my energy. What a circle. LOL.

I wish the Oriental stores where I live carried the spring bamboo shoots. Sounds and interesting and easy recipe, if only the ingredients were available. I wonder too what exactly the vegetables in brine are and why regular vegetables are not right. Of course, this one could be problematic for me as this soup is laxative. With the herbs I am using now it could be overkill.

The one tea though is easy to prepare. If no Chinatown is available (there are probably other online sources too, maybe even some where you don't have to buy a large quantity):

Astragalus root is available in Powder, Cut and Concentrates. Low prices, and deep discounts when purchasing more than 20 pounds. Can be used in Teas, Extracts, Salves, and Decoctions. Organic, Natural, Chinese and Western Herbs. Classic formulas. Su

Black Cohosh is available in Powder, Cut and Concentrates. Low prices, and deep discounts when purchasing more than 20 pounds. Can be used in Teas, Extracts, Salves, and Decoctions. Organic, Natural, Chinese and Western Herbs. Classic formulas. Super

Orange peel can be dried at home (organic oranges):

How to Dry Orange or Lemon Peel at Home