Acupuncture works well for various conditions not least of which being insomnia, and research has backed that claim in recent years. Not only does acupuncture treat the insomnia itself, but acupuncture works on a multitude of conditions that could be the cause of a patient’s insomnia making it an all-inclusive, safe treatment option.
Western medicine tends to treat insomnia with prescription medications on top of any medications being taken for any number of conditions accompanying the insomnia delivering various side effects; some even worse than the insomnia itself. Due to this, many patients are looking to find a natural alternative to treating their insomnia that have longer lasting effects than prescription medications.
Understanding Insomnia
While all people having trouble sleeping now and then, but it is considered insomnia when a patient has trouble falling or staying asleep or getting quality sleep for more than 3 nights per week or lasts longer than a month. Most adults on average need anywhere from 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, but this can vary from person to person.
Potential Symptoms of Insomnia:
- Waking during the night
- Waking too early
- Trouble falling asleep at night
- Lethargic or sleepy during the day
- Feeling depressed, anxious, or irritable
- Trouble focusing or remembering
- Excessive worry about sleep
- Having more accidents or making more mistakes than normal
The cause of insomnia cannot always be pin-pointed, but many times it is from any number of issues from underlying conditions or even simply stress. Insomnia also becomes more normal with age due to a variety of factors such as change of sleep patterns, changes in health, potentially more medications, and changes in activity levels.
Typical Causes of Insomnia:
- Work schedule – if the patient travels for work over various time zones or has a fluctuating work schedule, it can disrupt their circadian rhythm leading to insomnia.
- Eating a lot late in the evening – this can cause discomfort laying down whether from heartburn or just general discomfort from feeling too full.
- Stress – this is often the most common cause of insomnia if there are no other underlying conditions. In this fast-paced world, stress can come from work, money, school, health or family. It can also come from traumatic life events like death of a loved one, job loss, or divorce.
- Mental health issues – any number of anxiety disorders can interrupt sleep, and depression can cause a patient to be waking up too early.
- Bad sleep habits – this can include taking naps during the day, too much activity before bed, a sleep space that is uncomfortable, working, eating or watching tv in bed, using electronics close to bedtime, and going to bed and waking up at different times every day.
- Medical conditions – this can include sleep disorders like sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome as well as cancer, diabetes, GERD, hyperthyroidism, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and more.
- Alcohol, nicotine, or caffeine – all of these are stimulants and intaking any of these close to bed time can prevent a patient from falling asleep, staying asleep, or cause multiple wake-ups through the night.
Western medicine offers a variety of treatments for insomnia such as medications or sleep hygiene techniques or lifestyle recommendations, and depending on the patient condition these may be required. However, for most, acupuncture and TCM can offer a more extensive and well-rounded understanding of sleep issues, and can lessen or resolve their insomnia.
Acupuncture for Insomnia
Acupuncture works for insomnia by increasing melatonin, increasing blood flow to the brain, and positively influencing the neurotransmitters in the brain that are responsible for the body’s internal clock.
Neurotransmitters Affected by Acupuncture:
- Melatonin – helping the body calm and get ready for sleep
- GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) – aids in helping one fall asleep and stay asleep
- Norepinephrine – helps to wake up and stay alert during the day
The main goal, as with all other conditions treated with acupuncture, is to find the underlying cause of the insomnia and create a treatment plan from there. As acupuncture providers we should utilize points derived from their TCM diagnosis to balance the patient’s energy, decrease stress, and regulate sleep by using acupuncture to produce more melatonin.
Acupuncture for Insomnia Works By:
- Lowering stress and anxiety
- Enhancing focus and memory
- Boosting restful sleep through regulation of the nervous system
- Decreasing fatigue while increasing energy
- Raising melatonin secretion
- Decreasing sympathetic nervous system activity
- Balancing levels of neurotransmitters
- Raising nitric oxide content to encourage standard function of the brain
As with other conditions according to TCM, there is no one-size-fits-all type of insomnia, and each will involve a different TCM diagnosis and tailor-made treatment plan.
Common TCM Diagnoses for Insomnia:
- Liver Qi Stagnation – comes from a Qi block in the Liver.
- Leads to: irritability and feeling emotionally stuck, headaches, chest pain/discomfort, and distention of the abdomen.
- Recommendation to patients with this diagnosis – avoid alcohol or caffeine, and increase intake of foods/herbs that encourage Qi flow like turmeric, lemon or ginger.
- Leads to: irritability and feeling emotionally stuck, headaches, chest pain/discomfort, and distention of the abdomen.
- Phlegm-Heat – comes from the compiling of heat and phlegm in the body.
- Leads to: irritability, feeling heaviness in the head, restlessness, dizziness, bitter taste in the mouth, and vivid dreams.
- Recommendation to patients with this diagnosis – avoid alcohol, caffeine, and greasy or spicy foods. Instead, patients should be eating Yin foods like celery, watermelon, and cucumber. Herbal teas like chrysanthemum or mint tea is also helpful for this diagnosis.
- Leads to: irritability, feeling heaviness in the head, restlessness, dizziness, bitter taste in the mouth, and vivid dreams.
- Heart & Spleen Disharmony – comes from emotional issues like anxiety and overthinking.
- Leads to: trouble falling asleep, frequent wake-ups in the night, and vivid dreams.
- Recommendation to patients with this diagnosis – avoid greasy or heavy foods, and instead incorporate lots of fruits and vegetables in their diet.
- Leads to: trouble falling asleep, frequent wake-ups in the night, and vivid dreams.
- Blood Deficiency – comes from a deficiency of Blood in the body.
- Leads to: fatigue, palpitations, trouble falling asleep, dizziness, dry skin, brittle nails, and pale complexion.
- Recommendation to patients with this diagnosis – avoid intense exercise, unnecessary screen time before bed, or late-night work. These patients should eat foods which nourish the Blood, for example, black beans, red dates, eggs, black sesame, and goji berries.
- Leads to: fatigue, palpitations, trouble falling asleep, dizziness, dry skin, brittle nails, and pale complexion.
- Kidney Yin & Heart Yin Deficiency – comes from a Yin energy deficiency in the Heart and Kidney.
- Leads to: restlessness, hot flashes, dry mouth/throat, night sweats, and palpitations.
- Recommendation to patients with this diagnosis – avoid alcohol, caffeine, and spicy or greasy foods. These patients should nourish Yin with foods such as apples, spinach, black and kidney beans, goji berries, and squash.
- Leads to: restlessness, hot flashes, dry mouth/throat, night sweats, and palpitations.
There are also insomnia patterns like Liver Fire Blazing, Heat Fire Blazing, Heart Blood Deficiency with Spleen Blood Deficiency, Gallbladder Deficiency, Kidney Yin with or without Empty Heat, and more. Although there can be any number of TCM diagnoses when it comes to insomnia, they all point to the same issue; internal disharmonies. Sleep is vital in TCM health not only for overall well-being, but also for the body’s ability to heal itself with the help of acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Acupuncture Points for Insomnia:
- HT7
- Yin Tang
- ST36
- SP4
- LV3
- PC6
- An Mian
It would also be beneficial to recommend lifestyle methods to encourage a good night’s sleep such as keeping the room cool, reading instead of being on electronics before bed, listening to guided meditation, write in a journal before bed, establish a bed time routine, and decreasing caffeine intake overall.
Acupuncture Research for Insomnia
There has been a great deal of research done in recent years in the treatment of acupuncture for insomnia, and although more research is always needed, positive results have come out of them.
Acupuncture Research for Insomnia:
- Acupuncture at Umbilical Four-Acupoints Chronic Insomnia and its Comorbid Symptoms, June 2023 – this study involved 120 patients split into a control group and an observation group treated with acupuncture at regular acupuncture points as well as the umbilical four-acupoints while the control group was just treated with just the regular acupuncture points.
- The study concluded that in the observation group sleep quality and comorbid symptoms were improved, and the severity of the insomnia was lessened.
- The study concluded that in the observation group sleep quality and comorbid symptoms were improved, and the severity of the insomnia was lessened.
- Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture on Sleep Quality for Post-Stroke Insomnia, June 2023 – this study searched 8 databases encompassing 3,233 participants covering 41 studies.
- The study found that acupuncture is effective long-term and can improve sleep quality over control groups.
- The study found that acupuncture is effective long-term and can improve sleep quality over control groups.
- The Effects of Acupuncture on Sleep Disorders and its Underlying Mechanism, August 2023 – this study explored the effects of acupuncture in a rodent models of sleep disorders in which 17 studies were looked at to perform quality assessments on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and electroacupuncture.
- The study concluded that neurological processes, which are an important part of the acupuncture mechanism involving sleep disorders, can be regulated with acupuncture.
- The study concluded that neurological processes, which are an important part of the acupuncture mechanism involving sleep disorders, can be regulated with acupuncture.
- Acupuncture for Insomnia Symptoms in Hypertensive Patients, February 2024 – this study researched multiple databases as well as articles published through September 2023 to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture for insomnia in hypertensive patients.
- The study concluded that acupuncture improves sleep quality and lowers blood pressure in patients who are experiencing insomnia and hypertension. Further research should be done to determine optimal acupuncture points to produce maximum benefits.
While there is a plethora of research in years past, and still more that needs to be done, these results speak for themselves. Insomnia has become increasingly more common in recent years between COVID and additional stressors, and sleep is vital to function properly day to day. According to the American Sleep Association, 50 to 70 million adults in the U.S. have some type of sleep disorder, and more than 30% of adults have insomnia. Although a common complaint, insomnia doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture amongst our patients, and acupuncture, with science behind it, could be the answer for them.