Pure Rejuvenation: How Acupuncture Can Improve Sleep

In the United States alone, around 1 in 3 adults report experiencing less than quality sleep, getting less than the nationally recommended 7-9 hours each night. This lack of restful, rejuvenative sleep can result in poor quality of life, improper eating habits, irritability, issues with fertility and conception and so much more.

In today's blog, we'll explore how acupuncture can help restore balanced, healthy sleep patterns to daily life and help to benefit everything from daily mood, eating habits, mood and behavior and more!

Acupuncture as Physical Medicine

Acupuncture as we know it today has been used to help treat a variety of sleep related ailments, like insomnia or sleep apnea, for over two thousand years, with some clinical studies finding that it can actually be a more effective route at treating these issues that traditional Western medicine. This is done by engaging various points along the body's natural meridians to engage the channels of energy or Qi throughout the form.

Here are a few common points used for sleep in acupunture:

• Yintang: Behind the eyebrows, can clear the head, bringing deep relaxation to the entire body and mind.

• Anmian: Behind the earlobe, used primarily for insomnia. Its name literally means "peaceful sleep!"

• Sanyinjiao (SP6): Located four finger-widths above the inner ankle bone, balances energy and encourages deep sleep.

• Neiguan (PC6 / Inner Gate): On the inner forearm right near the wrist, relieves nervous tension, worry, and restless sleep.

How Can it Benefit Sleep Patterns?

Now that we know the power that acupuncture can add to our wellness routine, we thought it would be important to discuss what actually happens in the body when acupuncture is performed for sleep.

Here are just a few of the ways in which acupuncture could be beneficial to your sleep:

• Calm the nervous system by engaging specific, nerve-calming channels of energy, known as Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine

• Reducing common stress hormones like adrenaline or cortisol throughout the body that tend to disrupt what would otherwise be a restful sleep

• Encouragement of the release of natural sleep chemicals, like melatonin and serotonin, into the bloodstream.

If you're interested in knowing even more ways in which acupuncture can help you achieve your "dream" sleep, we recommend setting up a free consultation with Dr. Laura today! Head to our Booking Page or give us a call to start.

Final Thoughts

We hope you've enjoyed this information on the process and benefits to trying out acupuncture for better, more restorative sleep. Though we've only scratched the surface on the true positive shift that can come along with trying out this method of self care, we hope you've taken away what this incredible practice can do for you!

With love,

The Wildflowers