Insomnia and Sleep Problems
Good quality sleep is essential to living a good quality life. When sleep deprived, we quickly become fatigued, irritable and moody. If the full sleep cycle is not entered each night then often muscles become stiff and sore, headaches are more common and the thinking process becomes cloudy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a different approach to insomnia from Western Medicine. In TCM, a core concept to any treatment is the relationship of “root and branch.” A symptom like insomnia is considered to be “the branch” of a disease pattern. “The root” of any disease is an imbalance of the major organ systems including Heart, Spleen, Lung, Kidney and Liver. For insomnia, the organs most often disrupted are the Heart and Liver. When this is the case, it will be the Acupuncturist’s job to restore regular function of the Heart and/or Liver and thereby restore restful sleep for the patient.
Many of our patients had multiple health problems including moderate to severe insomnia. Many health conditions such as fibromyalgia are generally considered to be related to chronic insomnia. For these cases, Acupuncture is a very effective treatment for insomnia and related health problems. After a short series of acupuncture treatments once a week for four to six weeks, sleep is almost always improved dramatically.
For this condition, acupuncture has many positive benefits:
Acupuncture is safe and effective for a large variety of health concerns, and it is free of unwanted side effects. Multiple studies have scientifically demonstrated that acupuncture can have an measurable effect on the body’s central nervous system, and can boost levels of critical neurotransmitters, including serotonin.
Through this, Acupuncture promotes natural sleeping cycles, and doesn’t have the groggy morning after effect that many sleeping medications do. If you have been having problems with your sleep, it may be worthwhile to give acupuncture a try before taking heavy-duty medications. If you are currently taking sleeping pills and are bothered by the side effects, consider talking to your doctor or a Chinese medicine practitioner about alternatives.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding acupuncture for insomnia please contact us. If you wish to start a course of treatment then get started with a consultation today:
