How Acupuncture Can Free You from Insomnia 

Insomnia Acupuncture is a technique that involves inserting needles into the skin to stimulate certain areas of the body. The practice of acupuncture has grown in popularity as a treatment for a variety of health conditions, like allergies, asthma, stress, depression, and insomnia. Here’s what the research has to say about the types and benefits of Pcos acupuncture for sleep, along with tips for finding a practitioner.

Benefits of acupuncture for sleep

Although experts at the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health say there’s evidence to recommend acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain, they say there isn’t enough research yet on its effects on other health conditions, such as insomnia. That doesn’t mean acupuncture doesn’t help people to sleep better — or even that it hasn’t been studied. Although more research is needed, acupuncture may be a helpful treatment for symptoms of sleep disturbances, sleep apnea, insomnia, pain, anxiety, depression, and restless legs syndrome.

General insomnia

Everyone has trouble sleeping from time to time. You may be among the estimated 1 in 3 people with insomnia if poor sleep affects their ability to function during the day. Insomnia symptoms can last for a few days to months or longer and include:

• having a hard time falling asleep

• waking up during the night and finding it difficult to fall back asleep

• waking up early

Primary insomnia

While more research needs to be done, there’s some evidence suggesting that acupuncture can help people with insomnia that’s not attributable to any specific cause. In a small 2017 study, researchers gave traditional acupuncture or sham acupuncture, where needles are not inserted as far into the skin, to 72 people with primary insomnia. Participants were treated 3 times per week for 4 weeks. Researchers found that acupuncture was more effective at improving insomnia symptoms, sleep efficiency, and total sleep time during treatment. People sleep awakenings and self-rated anxiety also improved significantly 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. A 2013 double-blind study of 180 people with primary insomnia found that traditional acupuncture was more effective at increasing sleep quality and daytime functioning than sham acupuncture or the sedative medication estazolam.

Sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition where you stop breathing while you’re sleeping. It can result in oxygen deprivation throughout the night that can leave you tired the next day, even if you slept all night. A 2020 review of nine studies involving nearly 600 people found that acupuncture significantly improved OSA symptoms, ratings of sleepiness, and oxygen saturation levels. This was especially true among people with moderate to severe cases. 

Insomnia and mental health disorders

Sleep problems are more common among people with anxiety and depression. There’s limited research suggesting that acupuncture may help. A 2020 study of 90 people with depression and insomnia found that 3 weekly sessions of electro-acupuncture, a type of acupuncture that uses electric currents, for 8 weeks improved: sleep quality, sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and depression. These improvements were significantly greater when compared with sham or placebo treatment.