Difficulty Sleeping? Six Reasons to Try Acupuncture
The prevalence of sleep disorders is striking, with a significant one-third of Canadians revealing that elusive sleep is their nightly companion. Our hours of sleep hold profound influence over our overall well-being. Sadly, for many, the path to peaceful slumber isn't paved smoothly. And sleep aids don’t always get to the root of the problem. Let’s take a look at the six reasons your should try acupuncture for a better sleep.
Getting good sleep means a couple things:
Getting Enough Sleep: Adults usually need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Less sleep can mess up the natural sleep cycles that make us feel better.
Getting Quality Sleep: This means going to bed at a decent hour (not too late), falling asleep in about half an hour, not waking up during the night, quickly falling back asleep if you do wake up, and feeling refreshed when you wake up.
Sometimes, it's clear why sleep isn't great – like having a weird sleep schedule, drinking caffeine too late, an uncomfortable bed, too much device time and over-stimulation. But other times, the reasons are hidden behind other problems. This is when acupuncture takes centre stage. Using a holistic ethos, an acupuncturist can find the root reasons for sleep issues.
Here are 6 reasons to give Acupuncture a try for better sleep:
Boosts Sleep Quality: Acupuncture helps you get into the deep part of the sleep cycle, which is important for healing, detoxifying, regenerating energy, and more.
Helps You Sleep Longer: Acupuncture can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. This way, you can sleep through the night and get the right amount of rest.
Calms Your Mood: Stress and being worried can make it hard to sleep. Acupuncture can help your mind relax and reduce stress, anxiety, and sadness.
Fixes Other Night Problems: Acupuncture doesn't just help with sleep – it can also fix other problems that bother you at night. This might include feeling too hot or cold, sweating a lot, going to the bathroom a lot at night, feeling more pain at night, having bad dreams, or even conditions like sleep apnea or restless legs.
Get’s to the Root of Your Disharmony: The reality is there are a number of factors at play when it comes to getting quality sleep. We need strong Yin energy to anchor us at night. Yin deficiency can manifest as night sweats, low back pain, dryness, restlessness and more. In TCM we also take into consideration something called the organ clock. Every two hours a different organ system is either at its peak function of activity or its lowest activity or time of rest, just like the tides in the ocean. The Liver goes through peak function from 1-3AM, while the Lung is from 3-5AM. Disharmony with these organ systems can often result in waking during these hours.
Fixes Other Problems in General: Rarely is insomnia and poor sleep an isolated symptom of disharmony. Common signs of disharmony that show up with sleep issues include, mental emotional disharmony (anxiety, easily agitated/irritated, overwhelm, overthinking, worry, grief), dryness (skin, eyes, hair, hails), low back pain, menstrual disharmonies, and more.
We all love and need sleep. While the cause may not be immediately clear, be assured your acupuncturist will get to the root of it.
If the yearning for restorative slumber beckons, and the prospect of acupuncture’s effects intrigue you, please book a session with me. If you’re still on the fence, book a free 20 minute session and we can chat about your sleep and see if acupuncture might be a good choice for you.