Sleep is precious. It is essential for daily wellness, and occasional sleeplessness can affect how we feel and function during the day. Sleep challenges can be incredibly complex. Sleep issues can be a secondary of other diseases.

But it is commonly a primary condition, meaning that folks with disturbed sleep are otherwise healthy individuals. Although we think of challenging sleep patterns as a minor ailment, it can plague sufferers for years or decades.

As those who toss and turn throughout the night know all too well, there are few satisfying options to deliver quality, uninterrupted sleep in conventional Western medicine. 

A Profoundly Different (and Natural) Approach

Chinese herbal medicine has traditionally been used to support restful sleep and relaxation, and is generally well-tolerated when used as directed. The secret to the Chinese herbal medicine approach is that disrupted sleep is always considered a condition of the whole body rather than merely the brain. Chinese herbal medicine therapies don’t simply “knock you out” or make you drowsy enough to sleep, rather, they seek to correct the underlying imbalance that results in sleeplessness. In addressing the “root” of the problem, Chinese medicine therapies are traditionally used to support a healthy sleep cycle, mood balance, and daytime wellness.

There is no “one way” to treat disturbed sleep in Chinese herbal medicine because there is no single underlying cause. The DAO Labs Sleep Series, however, brings you two of the most effective formulas in Chinese herbal medicine: Mental Tranquility, which is inspired by Gui Pi Tang, and Cool Slumber, inspired by Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan. Both formulas are traditionally used to support quality, long-term rest and relaxation.

Which Formula is Best for You?

According to Chinese herbal medicine theory, the symptoms surrounding lower quality sleep are due to the inability of the “Heart to store the Spirit”. But other organs and pathological mechanisms require healthy support as well. In order to select the correct formula and get optimal results, it is important to think holistically and examine all of one’s additional characteristics, even if you may have imagined them to be unrelated to your sleep disturbances.

When considered in this holistic manner, Mental Tranquility and Cool Slumber are based on traditional formulas that support balance and relaxation for differing sleep needs. The descriptions are meant as a guide and indicate general trends. It is not necessary to have every characteristic or even a majority listed below. Rather, it is important to focus on the pattern. Most folks will tend to fall into one category or another.

Are You Hot or Are You Cold? 

Mental Tranquility may be more appropriate for those who experience “cold patterns”; Cool Slumber is the opposite, delivering better sleep if you are more associated with heat: 

• Mental Tranquility: possible symptoms caused by “cold”: aversion to cold, pale complexion, sluggish digestion, lack of appetite, loose stools, depressed mood, pensiveness, inability to focus, overly active mind at night, pale tongue.
• Cool Slumber: possible symptoms caused by “heat”: aversion to heat, tendency towards constipation, agitation and tossing and turning at night, vivid dreams and nightmares, sense of feeling overheated at night (perhaps kicking off the covers), thirst, canker sores and raw painful tongue, red tongue with little coating or uneven coating (known as geographic tongue).

How is Your Digestion?

• Mental Tranquility addresses “Spleen Qi” deficiency and is usually more suitable for folks with poor digestion, bloating, abdominal discomfort, and loose stools.
• Cool Slumber caters to “Kidney Yin” deficiency, which is usually linked with insufficient body fluids and dryness, resulting in constipation (sometimes) or commonly resulting in mouth sores. Because it uses yin nourishing herbs that can sometimes be hard on the stomach, this formula it is generally not recommended for folks with stomach problems (unless it is modified).

How Old Are You?

• Mental Tranquility is more likely appropriate for individuals in their 30s or 40s. This is the time when the everyday wear and tear of work and family life can finally catch up with us, leading to a QI deficiency.
• Cool Slumber tends to be a better fit for middle-aged or older individuals. A popular saying in Chinese medicine is that we exhaust our naturally acquired yin essence by the age of forty. A lack of yin will produce the symptoms of heat described above. These symptoms are probably more likely to appear in one’s 40s, 50s, and 60s.

Gynecological Patterns

• Mental Tranquility: Mental Tranquility is traditionally used to support women’s health and promote overall balance. It is coincides with sleep disturbances, and it is usually an excellent choice for both. 
• Cool Slumber: This formula is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to support women’s health during menopause, including symptoms like sleep changes or body temperature fluctuations.

Using these four guiding issues, you should hopefully be able to determine which formula is best for you. Chinese medicine practitioners often rely on the “tongue exam” as part of their practice, and you might want to examine your own tongue in the mirror. Generally a pale tongue with a white coating of moss indicates Mental Tranquility; a bright red tongue with little, patchy, or no moss is a good sign that Cool Slumber will be the better choice. Good luck. We hope that nighttime rejuvenation is just around the corner for you. 

Care Consideration: Just a reminder that the above information is not a substitute for medical care and is not a substitute for medical advice or recommendations from a healthcare provider.  This information is not intended to treat, mitigate, or cure any disease.  That said, we encourage you to connect with an Acupuncturist in your community to learn more about this and other Traditional Chinese Medicine options.  If you’ve got questions about Chinese herbal medicine or getting started with an Acupuncturist, feel free to connect with us at hello@mydaolabs.com.

Dr. Eric Karchmer is a practicing Chinese medical doctor, medical anthropologist, and co-founder and Chief Doctor of Chinese Medicine for DAO Labs. From 1995-2000, Eric studied at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and today is both a licensed acupuncturist and professor at Appalachian State University. Eric can be reached at drkarchmer@mydaolabs.com.