Do you find that you’re spending more time tossing, turning, and flipping the covers off and on than you do sleeping at night? Does it seem like no matter how exhausted you are, as soon as you hit the sheets, your mind starts running and you can’t get it to turn off? If so, you’re probably suffering from a case of insomnia.

Is Acupuncture a Treatment Option for Insomnia?

There are few things worse than not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep. Sleep is vital for your overall health and well-being, and when you don’t get enough sleep, your mood, physical health, and pretty much every other aspect of your life suffer. Despite how important sleep is, many people suffer from chronic insomnia and other sleep disorders.

If you’re suffering from insomnia, there’s a good chance you are willing to do just about anything to just get a solid eight hours of sleep. While it might be tempting to reach for sleeping pills, don’t! Sleep medicine can actually have a counter-effect, and instead of falling asleep, you could end up being even more awake. Is there a solution? Yes! A natural and effective treatment for insomnia is acupuncture.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese healing therapy has been used for more than 5,000 years. This form of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers a wealth of benefits and has been used to treat a variety of conditions – including insomnia. The premise of acupuncture is opening the meridians that run throughout the body and allow energy, or your life force, to flow through.

According to ancient Chinese medicine, by inserting paper-thin needles into the skin at strategic, specific points, blockages can be opened. As a result, energy flow (Qi) can be restored. When your energy is restored, your body is rebalanced, improving sleep quality, as well as your health and well-being.

The Benefits of Acupuncture for Insomnia

There are several different types of insomnia, including:

• Difficulty falling asleep or wakefulness during unusual hours of the night
• Waking up in the middle of the night and having difficulty returning to sleep
• Sleep that is disturbed by vivid, aggressive, and disruptive dreams
• An inability to fall asleep on time

According to acupuncturists, each type of insomnia is related to an imbalance of energy in a particular part of the body. As such, acupuncture can effectively cure all forms of insomnia.

Does Acupuncture for Insomnia Work?

An estimated seven percent of Americans use acupuncture to treat their insomnia. In fact, acupuncture is reported to offer excellent benefits for the condition. Acupuncture helps to alleviate disorders such as insomnia as well as sleep apnea, stress, anxiety, and depression.

Acupuncture reduces anxiety and activates the production of melatonin, the body’s natural sleep chemical. Therefore, acupuncture promotes sleep, while also reducing the number of disturbances and arousals once the individual has fallen asleep. In summary, acupuncture therapy has been found to offer positive benefits for insomnia.

Additional Information: Treatment of moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with acupuncture – National Library of Medicine

Southlake Natural Family Wellness

Our mission is to support the health and well-being of our patients by offering individualized, comprehensive holistic care including acupuncture, herbal recommendations, customized nutritional counseling, allergy elimination (NAET), whole food supplements, lifestyle suggestions, moxibustion, and cupping, as well as helping couples get pregnant and STAY pregnant by supporting all the paths to conception.

About Farrah Hamraie

Farrah Hamraie, L.Ac, MOM, Dipl.OM (NCCAOM), is licensed and board-certified in Acupuncture and Herbal medicine in the State of Texas with a Masters of Oriental Medicine from the Dallas College of Oriental Medicine. She is also a Diplomat of NCCAOM (the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine), a Board Certified Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist, and a member of the American Association of Oriental Medicine.