What to do about insomnia and depression?

Short-term depression is an emotional disease, while long-term depression is a constitutional problem. It is caused by being under great pressure or being in a state of disharmony with the people and things around you for a long time. If you want to cure depression, you should avoid dealing with people you don’t get along with, and put yourself in a relaxed and stress-free environment, because many of your troubles and unhappiness come from the people you come into contact with, and often the greatest harm occurs when you interact with people. When a person is affected by negative emotions for a long time, the body’s immune system will unconsciously decline, and this is also the beginning of the disease. So you must examine your social circle, examine the people around you, and stay away from your partner, parents, colleagues, and friends who consume you. You should reduce contact with anyone who makes you physically and mentally exhausted.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the liver is an emotional organ. Prolonged unaddressed negative emotions can easily lead to liver qi stagnation. The symptoms of liver qi stagnation include low mood, loss of interest in things, inability to feel joy, and slowed reactions. Short-term depression is relatively easy to regulate. Going out for a walk, strolling, or traveling to relax the body and mind can help soothe the liver and relieve stagnation. Once the stagnation is resolved, it can alleviate discomfort to some extent. At the same time, taking some liver-soothing herbs can also help.

For long-term depression, it’s not only necessary to soothe the liver but also to strengthen the spleen, as well as distance oneself from people and situations that drain energy. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the liver belongs to wood, and the spleen belongs to earth, with wood overcoming earth. Therefore, prolonged liver stagnation will inevitably affect the spleen. The liver governs dispersion, while the spleen governs transportation and transformation. Thus, when liver stagnation affects the spleen, issues such as qi stagnation and spleen deficiency with weakened function arise. At this stage, the patient may experience sudden low mood along with digestive abnormalities, such as poor appetite, belching, and bloating.

On the other hand, spleen deficiency weakens the source of qi and blood production. If spleen function is impaired, qi and blood will become deficient. This leads to the mind not receiving adequate nourishment, which worsens depression. When the brain lacks nourishment, it can also result in sluggish thinking and slowed reactions. Additionally, spleen deficiency can lead to internal dampness accumulation, and when damp turbidity clouds the head and eyes, it can cause symptoms like drowsiness, dizziness, insomnia，and persistent low mood.

Therefore, short-term depression is an emotional issue, while long-term depression is a constitutional problem. Symptoms will multiply, and the condition will become more severe. It’s necessary to not only soothe the liver but also nourish the spleen and stomach. Long-term depression is caused by prolonged deficiency of the liver and spleen. To improve depression, we must disperse stagnant liver qi, restore its dispersing function, and enhance the spleen’s transformative capacity.

Foods that regulate the spleen and stomach:
Millet, yam, pumpkin, oatmeal, sweet potato, cabbage, eggs, apples, longan, lotus seeds

Foods that strengthen the spleen:
yam, Poria cocos