Hochuekkito Prescribed for Qi Deficiency Effectively Shortened the Sleep time of a Woman with Hypersomnia: A Case Report / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

The patient was a 36 year-old woman with cold sensitivity who had repeated episodes of herpes labialis. Her average sleep time was 13 h, and she experienced problems in her daily life when she could not get enough sleep, so she was diagnosed as having hypersomnia. She gave birth to her first child at the age of 35 years. She had herpes labialis at 1 month after birth, and lochia continued for 3 months. She also experienced repeated episodes of herpes labialis and continuation of lochia after giving birth to her second child at the age of 36 years. In the examination, abdominal tension was low, and because she reported frequent fatigue and infections, she was diagnosed as having Qi deficiency. Hochuekkito was started internally, and after 2 weeks, she had less lochia and the herpes labialis disappeared. In addition, as her symptoms of hypersomnia improved, she became able to maintain her physical strength without excessive daytime sleepiness even after sleeping for only 5 h. Hochuekkito, which is often used to treat Qi deficiency, may improve Qi deficiency-related symptoms and contribute to improving daily life by shortening the sleep time of people with hypersomnia.