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Insomnia and Acupuncture
 We are all different, but in general adults under the age of 70 need between 7 and 9 hours sleep a night. Insufficient sleep can make us feel tired and irritable and adversely affect our concentration during the day.There are different kinds of Insomnia:
• Difficulty falling asleep (sleep-onset insomnia) - the most common type • Waking up in the night and not being able to get back to sleep • Waking up too early in the morning and not being able to get back to sleep • Not feeling refreshed after sleep Causes of Insomnia. Almost everyone has problems sleeping at some point in their lives. There are many possible causes:
• During or after stressful situations such as money or work worries, or death of a loved one. • Psychological problems e.g. anxiety, panic disorder or PTSD, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder • Underlying physical problems such as IBS, fibromyalgia, arthritis, hyperactive thyroid, respiratory or urinary problems, chronic pain. • Use and misuse of drugs such as alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and recreational drugs or medicines Treatments for Insomnia
The first step in treating insomnia is to determine the underlying cause. For short term insomnia your GP will advise you on good sleep habits and, if lack of sleep is severely affecting you during the day, prescribe you a short course of sleeping pills. Sleeping pills can help provide relief from the symptoms in the short term but do not address the underlying cause. If you have long-tern insomnia, cognitive behavioural therapy may also be recommended. Acupuncture for Insomnia
 In recent acupuncture clinical research trials, acupuncture appears to be at least as effective as existing conventional drugs without the side effects and should be considered as one of the therapeutic options for insomnia.Acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system, influencing the production of the body’s communication substances, such as hormones and neuro-transmitters. These influence the body’s self regulating homeostatic mechanisms and stimulate the body’s own natural healing abilities – thereby promoting physical and emotional wellbeing. Stimulation of certain acupuncture points on the body has been shown to affect areas of the brain that are known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain which is responsible for insomnia and anxiety.
Specifically, acupuncture is believed to benefit those with insomnia by:
• Stimulating production of melatonin, a hormone believed to help regulate sleep • Stimulating endorphin production • Increasing blood flow to the brain to optimise normal functioning • Reducing sympathetic nervous activity (our ‘fight and flight’ response to stress) and thus increasing relaxation • Regulating levels of neuro-transmitters in the brain which affect the brain’s mood chemistry and thus increase relaxation and reduce tension
 Many of my patients report that they sleep better after acupuncture treatment. Subsequently they feel less tired and more energised. For those suffering from insomnia, acupuncture can help provide the impetus to help develop positive sleep patterns. Patients say this can make a huge difference to their quality of life. Following an intensive programme of acupuncture for chronic insomnia over a period of weeks, one of my patients went to for a regular check up with his GP for long term hypertension and weight problems. He discovered that both his blood pressure and weight had come down significantly. They were both amazed at the results.Judy Bowen-Jones Lic Ac BSc MBAcC
References: British Acupuncture Council 2011
Cheng CH et al. Endogenous Opiates in the Nucleus Tractus Solitarius mediate Electroacupuncture-induced Sleep Activities. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2009: Sep 3 Gao XY et al. [Effects of acupuncture at Sishencong (EX-HN 1) on physiological functions in sleep disorder model mouse]. [Chinese] Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2007: 27: 681-3. Huang L S et al. The needle-rolling therapy for treatment of non-organic insomnia in 90 cases. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 29(1) (pp 19-23) 2009 Hui KK et al. Acupuncture, the limbic system and the anticorrelated networks of the brain. Auton Neurosci. 2010 Oct 28:157(1-2):81-90. Lee SY et al. Intradermal acupuncture on shen-men and nei-kuan acupoints improves insomnia in stroke patients by reducing the sympathetic nervous activity: a randomised clinical trial. Am J Chin Med. 2009a:37(6):1013-21. Lee B et al. Effects of acupuncture on chronic cortisone induced depression-like behaviour and expression of neuropeptide Y in rats. Neuroscience Letters 2009b:453:151-6. Luo WZ et al. [Effect of acupuncture treatment of relieving depression and regulating mind on insomnia accompanied with depressive disorders]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2010 Nov: 30(11):899-903. NHS Choices 2011 Reza H et al. The effect of acupuressure on quality of sleep in Iranian elderly nursing home residents. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2010 May:16(2):81-5. Spence et al. Acupuncture Increases Nocturnal Melatonin Secretion and Reduces Insomnia and Anxiety: a Preliminary Report. J Neuropsych Clin Neurosciences 2004: 16:19-28 Yan XK et al. [Effect of tranquilizing and allaying excitement needling method on brain blood flow in the patients of insomnia of heart and spleen deficiency]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2010 Feb:30(2):113-6. Yeung WF et al. Traditional needle acupuncture treatment for insomnia; a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Sleep Med 2009:10:694-704 |
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