Nights Kept Awake by Worry: Overcoming Anxiety-Induced Insomnia

What Donguibogam refers to as excessive contemplation closely resembles what modern medicine describes as anxiety or stress. When we worry excessively and overthink, an area of the brain called the amygdala activates to send danger signals, which in turn stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and promotes the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is an essential hormone that keeps us in an aroused state to function during the day, but if it maintains high levels at night, the body falls into hyperarousal, unable to sleep. In this state of hyperarousal, the secretion of melatonin, which induces sleep, is suppressed, and brain waves remain in the active states characteristic of wakefulness, such as alpha wave or beta wave activity. Even if you fall asleep, the sleep remains light or dreams become frequent, deteriorating the quality of deep sleep stages such as slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, meaning fatigue is not properly relieved. Spirit failing to guard its abode from Donguibogam serves as an excellent metaphor explaining this unstable neural activity of the brain and the disruption of the sleep-wake cycle. Furthermore, damage to heart and spleen can be understood in connection with autonomic nervous system imbalance in modern neurology. Stress and anxiety excessively activate the sympathetic nerve, elevating heart rate and blood pressure while reducing digestive functions, thereby causing tension throughout the body. This is entirely consistent with the Donguibogam perspective that a weakening of spleen function impairs digestion and depletes qi and blood. Ultimately, excessive thoughts before sleep tense both brain and body, disturbing deep sleep and creating a vicious cycle that leads to chronic fatigue. To resolve this, rather than simply taking a hypnotic agent, a fundamental approach that calms the brain's hyperarousal state and restores autonomic nervous system balance is needed.