Whether you struggle to fall asleep at night or suffer from disturbed, broken sleep, there is a traditional Chinese remedy which can help you catch enough zzz’s. This traditional form of healing focuses on stimulating various nerves to treat the ailment.
What is acupuncture therapy?
Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine which involves inserting fine needles in specific body parts to stimulate certain nerves and muscles. The needles used are extremely thin and are inserted into specific pressure points all over the body. It is commonly used in China to treat insomnia.
While there is no scientific backing on the effectiveness of this ancient Chinese remedy, it still remains widely popular for treating various kinds of pain and ailments.
How does acupuncture treat insomnia?
According to traditional Chinese medicine, the needles are placed carefully, in order to maintain proper body and mind balance. These fine needles are said to balance the Qi (Chi) which is the energy current known to run the body and if the Qi gets stuck, it may cause pain, uneasiness and various other diseases. It is also said that acupuncture treatment helps in the flow of blood and eases the pain.
What does the research say?
In a research published by Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, acupuncture was found to be more effective than sleep drugs to battle insomnia. It was also found that it improved the quality of sleep and its duration. The results of the study found that acupuncture achieved a 92.9 per cent total effective rate and the drug zopiclone achieved a 67.9 per cent total effective rate.
For the uninitiated, Zopiclone is a drug used to help people sleep better and maintain the quality of sleep throughout the night. Acupressure was also known to improve sleep latency in the participants of the study. Sleep latency is actually the amount of time it takes a person to fall asleep from the state of being fully awake.
Should you try acupuncture for sleeping better?
If you have been battling with poor sleep, it is important to understand the root cause of the problem. Before you book an acupuncture session, it is strongly advisable to visit your doctor or a trusted medical professional to find out ways in which you can relax and calm down at night to sleep well.
Remember:
Since the procedure involves inserting fine needles near the nerves points on the body, make sure that you are comfortable with the idea of needles being pricked through your skin. Also, make it a point to ask any questions that you may have beforehand so that you feel calm before going through the process.
You may experience slight bruising or soreness of the skin after the whole process. Some of the other side-effects may include feeling lightheaded, fainting and fatigue.
Also, it is extremely important to ensure that the needles used in the process are single-use only and are FDA approved.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article should not be considered as a substitute for a physician’s advice. Please consult your treating physician for more details.
