By Du Wenjuan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-10-24 17:59

Chinese people don"t seem to be catching much sleep. Experts say insomnia has become the second most serious health problem after headaches in neurological diagnoses over the country, afflicting most people between 30 and 50.

According to a study last year on adult sleep quality in six large Chinese cities, about 57 percent of respondents have had sleep disorders over the year. And many of them have insomnia.

Over the past four years, the number of patients treated at the insomnia clinic of the Sleep Disorders Institute at the Shanghai TCM Hospital has increased 3.5 times every year. Last year, it treated more than 18,000 people with sleeping problems, about 50 every day.

People complain to their doctors that when they cannot sleep well at night, they don't feel good during the day. And then they can't sleep well again that night. It's a vicious cycle that haunts people with sleep disorders.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors are telling people to go to bed early in autumn and winter. Most Chinese believe it is a golden rule for good health.

But new research indicates uninterrupted sleep is more important than the length of time in bed.

Fragmented sleep causes health problems, which could affect the quality of sleep at night.

Different seasons make different times appropriate for going to bed and waking up, TCM doctors say. And in both autumn and winter, it's better to sleep early and eat certain dishes to keep healthy.

They suggest it's better to fall asleep between 11 pm to 1 am and massage the feet before sleeping if possible.

A new research in US indicates sleep does not change much from age 60 onwards; and poor sleep is not because of aging, but mostly because of illnesses or medications used to treat them, says a report in the New York Times.

For the elderly, back pain and arthritis can disrupt their sleep; stomach disorders, emotional states, as well as palpitations and breathing problems brought by cardiovascular diseases can all cause sleeping problems.