Natural Remedies and Acupuncture for Insomnia
The causes for insomnia include many different factors including stress, anxiety, depression and pain. When you combine these factors with a lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep, they can cause insomnia to become chronic. Acupuncture is an effective natural remedy for insomnia which has been proven in clinical studies to have lasting effects on the body's circadian rhythms. This blog post will discuss how acupuncture can help regulate your sleeping patterns so you get better quality rest at night!
Acupuncture shows an effective way to treat insomnia in both adults and children; find out how it works here!
What is insomnia, and what are the symptoms of it?
Insomnia is a condition in which it is difficult to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep or the person wakes up too early and cannot go back to sleep. The symptoms of insomnia can be different for each person. Some people may not feel tired even though they are not able to sleep well enough. Others can experience frequent awakenings or restlessness during the night. This can cause them to be tired and fatigued throughout the day. Insomnia is a major health problem for many people, affecting quality of life and increasing the risk of various diseases such as obesity, heart disease, mood disorder and more.
There are many factors that contribute to the development of insomnia:
Psychological and social factors (anxiety, depression)
Poor sleep environment (noise, uncomfortable bed)
Use of substances such as caffeine or alcohol before bedtime
Poor sleep hygiene (late night snacks, irregular sleeping hours)
Disruptions in daily routine (jet lag, shift work)
What are the consequences of insomnia?
The consequences of chronic insomnia can be serious for an individual's health. Insomnia has shown an increase the risk of several cardiovascular diseases, respiratory disease and mental problems. Those who suffer from insomnia also tend to complain of fatigue daily.
How can you tell if you have insomnia?
If you are having trouble falling or staying asleep at night, if you wake up too early and cannot get back to sleep, or your quality of sleep is poor, it may be an indication of insomnia. If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, it may be time to see a doctor for diagnosis.
What are the types of insomnia?
There are three types of insomnia: primary, secondary and paradoxical.
Primary insomnia means there is no underlying medical condition or sleep disorder that can cause it. The individual does not have another mental or physical illness that can contribute to their lack of sleep either. Primary insomnia may be related to stress, anxiety or depression.
Sleep disorder causes secondary insomnia which is a medical condition. Conditions that often cause secondary insomnia include acid reflux, heartburn, arthritis pain and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms. A common sleep disorder associated with secondary insomnia is restless legs syndrome.
Diagnosis of paradoxical insomnia occurs when they experience symptoms of insomnia but show results from overnight sleep studies that indicate they should not be experiencing these issues. This is a rare disorder and the cause of this type of insomnia is unknown.
What are some natural remedies that help with sleep?
Natural remedies like acupuncture help regulate circadian rhythm and improve what is called Sleep Efficiency Percentage (SE%). SE% is calculated by dividing the number of hours you sleep each night by the number of hours in bed. For example, if you sleep 6 hours and spend 8 in bed, your SE% would be 75%. This means that you are getting enough sleep. We consider anything above 85% as normal.
Take natural supplements like melatonin or an herbal tea before bed to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. However, the use of melatonin is only for the short term, as the body makes its own, and can become dependent on the supplement. A recent study using acupuncture showed that it helps improve the quality of sleep in those suffering from insomnia. Acupuncture treats insomnia by regulating the sleep-wake cycle and balancing neurotransmitters in the brain.
Another method to help improve your SE% is practicing good sleep hygiene or habits that promote better quality of sleep such as creating a bedtime routine, avoiding caffeine after noon and not exercising too close to bedtime.
Avoiding common stimulants like nicotine, caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime is also beneficial for those who are struggling with sleep problems. Nicotine and caffeine are stimulants so they can interfere with your ability to fall asleep at night. Nicotine stimulates the nervous system while caffeine acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system. It may take up to 8 hours after drinking coffee for its stimulating effects to wear off. Alcohol may initially help you fall asleep, but it actually sends many people into a deep sleep and interferes with REM sleep later in the night.
Though it may seem like having a drink before bed might relax you, alcohol can actually increase sleep-disruptive alpha waves in your brain. It may also reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, but you are more likely to wake up during the night when you drink alcohol at night.
You can also ask your practitioner for customized herbal formulas. Practitioners can prescribe herbal formulas based on their individual patient's pattern, as insomnia can have many root causes.
The most common natural remedy is melatonin.
Melatonin supplements have shown to improve sleep quality and duration in those who have insomnia. The pineal gland in the brain produces the hormone Melatonin. Its production is regulated by light exposure to your eyes. Exposure to light at night reduces the amount of melatonin produced. We know it as the "darkness hormone" because it also helps regulate your circadian rhythm .
Your body produces more melatonin when it is dark outside, which makes you sleepy. An increase in melatonin could be responsible for the sleeplessness often experienced in people suffering from delayed sleep phase syndrome.
How does acupuncture help with insomnia?
Acupuncture is an effective natural remedy for insomnia by addressing the root cause of the condition. Insomnia is closely related to imbalances of the body's neurotransmitter, serotonin. Serotonin plays an important role in regulating mood, appetite, memory and sleep. When serotonin levels are low it can affect one's mood which may result in anxiety or depression; these effects may contribute to insomnia.
Acupuncture may not seem like it would be helpful for something as serious as insomnia but there are actually several conditions that respond very well to this type of treatment method. Insomnia is one such condition that responds extremely well to acupuncture treatments because it helps improve the body's ability to regulate itself.
Most people who suffer from insomnia will find that they also have problems with regulating their sleep/wake cycle (circadian rhythms). The circadian rhythm regulates your sleep cycles so your body knows when it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake up. The suprachiasmatic nucleus regulates this. This nucleus is located in the hypothalamus. When not properly regulated, this can cause you to sleep less than the recommended hours or to sleep too much. The use of acupuncture can normalize these cycles so your body knows exactly when it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake up.
By regulating your circadian rhythm, you will experience better sleep quality in general which means that you will not only sleep more efficiently but also have improved energy levels. This, in turn, will help regulate your appetite levels which can reduce weight gain or promote weight loss.
Acupuncture is also effective for insomnia because it reduces cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause you to have difficulty sleeping because of your body's reaction to the stressful situation. Acupuncture treatment uses very fine needles to penetrate the skin and stimulate the energy channels (meridians) in your body. It can help release endorphins which are the body's natural painkillers; these endorphins can help reduce pain and increase feelings of well-being.
If you're looking for more information on how to get better sleep at night, check out your local acupuncture practice!
Your local acupuncture practice offers a safe and natural answer to insomnia. Acupuncture can help reduce stress, regulate sleep cycles and improve the effectiveness of your circadian rhythm.
Check out our educational blog to learn about other health benefits of acupuncture and holistic medicine.