Correlation between insomnia and types of traditional Chinese medicine constitution in college students

Objective To explore the correlation between insomnia and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution types in college students. Methods Standardized Chinese version of the Athens Insomnia Scale (CAIS 1-8) and TCM Constitution Questionnaire was implemented among 1 080 college students. Factors of CAIS and constitution types were analyzed. Results The proportion of college students reported poor sleep was 35.7%. Female college students complained more fatigue than that of male students(P<0.05). Students of gentleness constitution type accounted for 25.8%. Yin deficiency was the most common in biased constitution, accounting for 16.7%. Insomnia rate showed significant different among different TCM constitution types(P< 0.05). Multiple logistic regression demonstrated the relation between insomnia and TCM constitution types. With gentleness type being the protective factor while yin deficiency, damp-heat and qiquality were risk factors. Conclusion Insomnia among college students correlates with traditional Chinese medicine constitution, indicating insomnia might be improved by regulating TCM constitution.