Acupuncture for improved sleep
Are you frustrated with sleep? Night after night – watching the clock? Staring at the ceiling? Waking up in the morning feeling exhausted? Your situation is not uncommon. Our lives are stressful, filled with expectations and desires for the future. Work and family stress combined with financial worries is the perfect storm for a sleepless night.
Medications can leave you fuzzy headed and exhausted in the morning. Some advertised medication show the relaxed puppies sleeping… but after long term use these medications can cause insomnia. People can spend years going from medications to medications searching for the elusive good night’s sleep.
Here are some common tips that really do work:
- Remove the TV from the bedroom. No excuses. The flickering light will activate certain parts of your brain which make it difficult to decompress.
- Develop a routine and keep to it. An example: have something to drink, brush your teeth, get into bed and read a book and go to sleep. Follow the routine every night to the minute. The mind and body love routine and it will encourage signaling to the brain to go to sleep.
- If you wake up and can’t get back to sleep, get up and go to another room. Sitting in your bedroom and being frustrated teaches the mind that the bedroom is associated with anger.
- Stop drinking caffeine. No excuses. It encourages your body to release stress hormones and those hormones can keep you up at night.
- Recognize the emotional issues in your life. Insomnia can be associated with emotional issues that are being trigger during the day, like feeling unhappy in your relationship, an angry boss or feeling bored with life. Though it can be scary to go into those uncomfortable feelings, by delving into the unknown can bring much relief.
Why Does Acupuncture Work for Insomnia?
Over all acupuncture releases feel good hormones which can calm the nervous system and changes the affects of chronic stress. In a study conducted at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and published in the winter 2004 edition of the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, researchers found acupuncture to be an effective treatment for anxiety and insomnia.
The researchers wrote that five weeks of acupuncture treatments was associated with a significant nocturnal increase in endogenous melatonin secretion and significant improvements in total amount of sleep time, especially deep sleep and woke up feeling refreshed. A side benefit to improved sleep patterns is a significant reduction in anxiety, a common issue intertwined with insomnia.
How does Chinese medicine view insomnia?
Western medicine looks at insomnia from one perspective – you are not sleeping. From a Chinese medicine perspective insomnia falls into some broad categories which indicates the best treatment for the client.
Stress Insomnia
People under a lot of stress frequently experience insomnia, irritability and fatigue.
Menopausal Insomnia
Menopause will disturb sleep either as a standalone symptom or combined with night sweating.
Low Blood Sugar Insomnia
Waking hungry, craving sugars, or feeling shaky.
Insomnia Induced by Anxiety
The feeling of being shocked awake or being jolted awake as the verge of sleep comes on. This can happen repetitively resulting in being unable to even fall asleep.
Unable to Fall Asleep
Problems with falling asleep – mostly due to an over busy mind.
Waking and Being Unable to Fall Back to Sleep
Usually occurs at 3am and is mostly associated with stressed individuals.
How long is the treatment process?
Each client is different and how their insomnia is manifested will change the treatment process. Generally, 5 to 10 treatments combined with Chinese herbs and supplementation to improve sleep issues.
Call (914) 572-5137 today or click here to schedule an appointment & learn more about how we can help with your insomnia.