At night, when the body should be resting and recuperating, some people fall into the dilemma of "sleeping and feeling like they haven't slept" - frequently waking up at night, having difficulty falling asleep, having multiple dreams and shallow sleep, and feeling drowsy and weak during the day. In recent years, the phenomenon of "fragmented sleep" has quietly eroded the health of many people and is worthy of vigilance. Fragmented sleep is a health alert issued by the body Song Zhaopu, the director of Jingeng Rehabilitation Hospital in Ruzhou City, Henan Province, said that during his own consultations, he found that there were many such patients, and they tended to be younger, with most accompanied by symptoms such as anxiety, headache, and palpitations. He analyzed from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine that sleep is closely related to the circulation of yin and yang, qi and blood in the human body. At night, yang qi should enter yin. If there is an imbalance between yin and yang, organ dysfunction, and loss of mental and spiritual nourishment, it will lead to restless sleep. The stagnation of liver qi and the transformation of fire can disturb the mind and spirit; or the excess of yin and fire can make people feel like they are not sleeping, "said Song Zhaopu. People who stay up late for a long time, have excessive thoughts, and are under a lot of pressure are the most susceptible. Zhu Yongfeng, chief physician of the Anesthesiology and Sleep Clinic at Henan Provincial People's Hospital, pointed out from clinical data that the causes of "fragmented sleep" are complex and diverse. On a physical level, sleep apnea, chronic pain, and hormonal changes (such as menopause) may lead to frequent night awakenings; On a psychological level, patients with anxiety disorders have increased alertness, while those with depression often wake up completely in the early morning; Environment and habits are even more "invisible drivers" - bedroom noise, high temperatures, drinking alcohol or consuming caffeine before bedtime can all interrupt deep sleep and become "sleep assassins". For example, the half-life of caffeine in milk tea is 5 hours. If you drink it at 4 pm, half of it will still remain in your blood at 9 pm Zhu Yongfeng said that if you wake up in the middle of the night more than three times a week for a month, it is recommended to do polysomnography - you may not be suffering from insomnia, but rather restless leg syndrome or periodic limb movement disorders. Experts remind that the harm of "fragmented sleep" goes beyond "drowsiness". Song Zhaopu said that this type of sleep can lead to "excessive liver fire, heart kidney dysfunction", dark circles under the eyes, dizziness and palpitations, and even anxiety and depression tendencies. After 24 hours of continuous' fragmented sleep ', a person's reaction speed decreases by 30%, "Zhu Yongfeng quoted research data as saying. At this time, emotional control is greatly weakened, the activity of the amygdala in the brain increases by 60%, and irritability or tears become the norm. Long term fragmented sleep is as harmful as staying up late and may cause irreversible harm. How to solve the dilemma of "not sleeping well"? For individuals with mild sleep difficulties, Song Zhaopu suggests using exercise and emotional regulation to aid sleep. To cure the root cause, it is necessary to regulate the internal organs. "He recommended two simple remedies: boiling fresh acacia bark in water instead of tea, which can soothe the liver and relieve depression; Pressing the Neiguan, Sanjian, and Shenmen acupoints three times a day, 20 times per acupoint, can calm the heart and calm the mind. For long-term patients, he reminded that under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine doctors, treatment should be based on syndrome differentiation, and the balance between yin and yang should be rebuilt through comprehensive conditioning such as traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion, and guidance. Severe patients can seek help from the hospital's sleep clinic, while mild patients can also 'scientifically self rescue' Zhu Yongfeng gave a daily guide: the golden formula=environmental improvement x behavioral training. Specifically, the bedroom upgrade includes blackout curtains (with a light transmittance of lt; 5%) to block out light, and a white noise machine to mask sudden sounds; Maintain a room temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and sleep naked to help lower core body temperature. Bedtime ritual: Soak feet in warm water at 40 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes to accelerate blood circulation; Reading paper books secretes more melatonin than reading e-books; Mindfulness breathing for 5 minutes can reduce anxiety levels by 40%. Wake up strategy: Do not check the time after waking up at night, close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths, and seize the "golden 15 seconds"; If you haven't fallen asleep for 20 minutes, you can get up and transfer anxiety through boring activities such as folding socks. On the internet, there are also some tips such as "eating apples before bedtime to help sleep" and "drinking hot milk works". Zhu Yongfeng explained that the vitamin B6 content in apples (0.1 milligrams per 100 grams) is less than 5% of the daily requirement, so it is better to eat a banana (0.4 milligrams per 100 grams); The tryptophan in milk needs to be combined with carbohydrates to enter the brain, and drinking milk with a biscuit is more effective. Some patients ask if melatonin is useful. Taking 3 milligrams 2 hours in advance during time difference can shorten sleep time by 40%. But long-term use should be cautious of hidden risks: if taken continuously for 3 months, one's own melatonin secretion may decrease by 30%, falling into a vicious cycle of increasingly ineffective eating Zhu Yongfeng said. (New Society)