TCM for Sleep: Patterns, Herbs and Home Care

It is one of the most common searches that brings people to this site, and the honest answer has two layers: what Chinese medicine would diagnose, and what you can safely try tonight.

First, which pattern is it?

• Liver qi constraint with a mind that won't switch off
• Heart-spleen deficiency with light, dream-disturbed sleep and daytime fatigue
• Yin deficiency with night heat and a restless body

Those three look similar from outside but respond to different herbs. Tongue color, energy level and what makes it better or worse are the usual tells.

The standard TCM approach

• Chamomile (Yang Gan Ju): calms the spirit for a restless evening mind
• Jujube (Da Zao): calms the spirit with licorice and wheat in Gan Mai Da Zao Tang
• Lavender (Xun Yi Cao): soothes liver qi constraint behind irritability and insomnia
• Valerian (Xie Cao): settles the spirit where disturbed shen keeps sleep shallow

Acupressure to go with it: anmian, shenmen, yintang. A minute of firm circles on each, twice a day, is the standard home version.

Food rules that do the heavy lifting

Warm congee with red dates and longan in the evening; no green tea after mid-afternoon

Start low, watch how your body responds, and give it a fair run of a few weeks before judging. If something feels wrong, stop; that feedback matters more than any article.