Clinical studies have shown that acupuncture has a beneficial effect on insomnia!
Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders, with a prevalence of 40% in adults. Patients with insomnia may feel tired, tense, lazy, or have delayed reactions, distraction, or headache. Thus, the problem is perpetuated over time, causing chronic fatigue and increasing the likelihood of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, depression, emotional instability and more.
Signs and Symptoms of sleep disorders:
- excessive daytime sleepiness
- irregular breathing or increased movement during sleep
- irregular sleep and wake cycle and
- difficulty falling asleep.
How Does Acupuncture treat Insomnia?
Not only does acupuncture help with better sleep but also can address those symptoms that are keeping you up at night and get to the root of why those symptoms are occurring in the first place. Traditional acupuncture accesses distinct points on the body to restore balance, alleviate pain, stress and anxiety, enhance sleep, and improve overall well-being. When systemic balance is restored, symptoms disappear and greater overall health is achieved. Acupuncture helps release substances in the brain such as noradrenaline which has an antidepressant action, serotonin which controls stress, β-enkephalin which has a strong analgesic effect etc. Thus, blood pressure and tachycardia are balanced, relaxation is induced and patients feel well and calm. Therefore, the quality of sleep is significantly improved.
References
- Kim SH, Jeong JH, Lim JH, Kim BK. Acupuncture using pattern-identification for the treatment of insomnia disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Integr Med Res. 2019;8(3):216–226.
- Lin YF, Liu ZD, Ma W, Shen WD. Hazards of insomnia and the effects of acupuncture treatment on insomnia. J Integr Med. 2016 May;14(3):174-86.
- Bergdahl L, Broman JE, Berman AH, Haglund K, von Knorring L, Markström A. Auricular Acupuncture and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia: A Randomised Controlled Study. Sleep Disord. 2016;2016:7057282.
- Fan L, Fu W, Chen Z, Xu N, Liu J, Lü A, Su S, Wu T, Ou A. Curative effect of acupuncture on quality of life in patient with depression: a clinical randomized single-blind placebo-controlled study. J Tradit Chin Med. 2016 Apr;36(2):151-9.
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