Acupuncture for Insomnia
Everybody needs a good night’s sleep to face the challenges of a new day. But if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, it can take a toll on your health.
If you’re desperately searching for new ways to catch some Zs, acupuncture for insomnia can help you relax, unwind, and finally get some rest.
No matter how good you are at what you do, you’re not bionic. You need downtime to recharge so you can keep performing your best. If you can’t get restful sleep due to insomnia, that inevitably impacts every area of your life.
A lack of sleep also contributes to elevated stress levels. Sleep is like a release valve. It helps us blow off some steam so we can face our problems head-on and tackle all of our responsibilities with the attention they deserve. Without sleep, we lose our mental clarity, and with it, our desire, motivation, and can-do attitude.
Unfortunately, for many people, insomnia makes getting a good night’s sleep next to impossible.
To make matters even more complicated, insomnia can be caused by a number of factors. Elevated stress is certainly one of them, but there are other things that can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep, too.
Some patients have a reverse circadian rhythm. If you’re a night owl who feels most awake at night and has trouble waking up early in the morning, this is probably the case for you. But hormonal fluctuations, such as those women experience during menopause, can make it difficult to get restful sleep, too.
How does acupuncture help insomnia patients?
It goes without saying that if you want to get restful sleep, you should enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Getting enough exercise, and creating a sleep schedule are two beneficial measures that will get you pointed in the right direction.
But if you’re doing everything right and you still can’t get some shut-eye, acupuncture can give you that extra help you need to finally fall asleep. Dozens of our patients have been able to fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly thanks to the healing powers of acupuncture.
Well, it’s no secret that acupuncture is incredibly relaxing. Sometimes, new patients are surprised by how calm and at ease they feel after their first session. That’s because as acupuncture needles are placed, they open up blocked pathways to restore energy.
Acupuncture has an adaptogenic effect in that it stimulates underactive systems while at the same time calming overactive ones. And this naturally results in a tremendous sense of calm. But another reason why acupuncture promotes restful sleep is because it physically forces muscles to release tension.
It’s not unusual for insomnia patients to carry a tremendous amount of tension, usually in their shoulders, upper back, neck, and jaw. Keeping these muscles tight, even if you’re not trying to, throws your musculoskeletal system off balance, leading to chronic headaches and TMJ. It also puts you at a greater risk of developing a strain or sprain since it throws all of your other muscle groups out of whack.
During an acupuncture session, as hair-thin needles are inserted into corresponding pathways, they create tiny tears in the muscle fibers. These microtraumas stimulate tight muscles, causing them to twitch slightly, then release. If you’ve ever had a small muscle knot massaged away, the feeling is very similar.
What are the benefits of acupuncture for insomnia?
Of course, the benefits of acupuncture for insomnia go beyond simply promoting muscle relaxation. Acupuncture has a balancing effect on neurotransmitters and hormones that also help make it an effective remedy for sleeplessness.
For starters, acupuncture stimulates the release of serotonin, which is a precursor to melatonin. The body releases melatonin in response to low light. In the evening as the sun goes down, the pineal gland begins producing melatonin which makes us sleepy. And, when the sun comes back up, the pineal gland stops producing melatonin so we wake back up.
But in people with insomnia, this process can be wonky. If you spend your evenings looking at a computer, the blue light confuses the pineal gland and can hinder melatonin production.
Because acupuncture increases serotonin, this makes it easier for your body to produce adequate levels of melatonin, which will help you fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night long. And, if you suffer from insomnia due to hormonal imbalances, acupuncture can help fix those issues as well.
Cortisol is a major player when it comes to our sleep-wake cycles.
A healthy, natural circadian rhythm is one in which cortisol levels rise with the sun, and gradually taper off during the day. But if you have insomnia, your cortisol pattern may be reversed, with low levels in the morning, and high levels at night. Because cortisol has a stimulatory effect, high evening levels of this stress hormone can make falling asleep nearly impossible.
But acupuncture has been proven to reduce cortisol, and to rebalance cortisol production. Along with a healthy sleep schedule, acupuncture can help restore your circadian rhythm so you can establish a regular bedtime and wake up more easily.
It’s worth noting that cortisol is not the only hormone that influences our sleep patterns. Sex hormones are also key players.
When women reach menopause, many experience changes in their sleep patterns. As estrogen and progesterone levels decline, this results in a series of biochemical changes, and that can disrupt sleep. But acupuncture has been shown to improve sleep in perimenopausal and post-menopausal women, offering them relief from their insomnia and related symptoms.
Overall, acupuncture is tremendously beneficial for insomnia patients because it promotes relaxation on multiple levels. The physical effects of acupuncture needles are compounded by the hormonal and neurotransmitter benefits they cause, helping your body relax naturally.
Acupuncture for insomnia is an excellent alternative to sleep medications, and study after study proves that it really works. So if you want to get off prescription sleep meds, or if you’re looking for a non-addictive solution, let acupuncture be your go-to alternative.
Get in touch with Beth Conroy Acupuncture today. Located in Union Square, NYC, we’ve helped hundreds of patients just like you find relief from their debilitating symptoms. Book your first appointment now so you can finally get the restful sleep you deserve.