Anxiety, stress and insomnia
Patients often tell me that they feel relaxed after an acupuncture treatment. So one might think that acupuncture could be used helpfully to relax or to relieve anxiety and stress.
In clinical practice I do find that acupuncture can help reduce anxiety and even help patients sleep better. I have to admit that not everyone is helped with acupuncture in this regard, but some certainly are.
There has unfortunately been very little research into the effects of acupuncture on anxiety and sleep. However, one small study found a marked improvement in the quality and length of sleep, accompanied by a reduction in stress, in adults who received acupuncture twice weekly for 5 weeks.1
In clinical practice I do find that acupuncture can help reduce anxiety and even help patients sleep better. I have to admit that not everyone is helped with acupuncture in this regard, but some certainly are.
There has unfortunately been very little research into the effects of acupuncture on anxiety and sleep. However, one small study found a marked improvement in the quality and length of sleep, accompanied by a reduction in stress, in adults who received acupuncture twice weekly for 5 weeks.1
Interestingly, a scientific basis for acupuncture's positive effect was found in this study: those treated with acupuncture were found to have increased levels of melatonin at night. Melatonin is a naturally occurring compound that helps induce sleep and regulate the sleep-wake cycle; body levels of melatonin are naturally higher during the night.
1. Spence DW, Kayumov L, Chen A et al. Acupuncture increases nocturnal melatonin secretion and reduces insomnia and anxiety: a preliminary report. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 2004; 16: 19-28.