Finding Restful Sleep Again: How Acupuncture Can Help With Insomnia

It’s easy to take a good night’s rest for granted until you’re stuck awake, counting sheep or staring at the clock until the early morning hours. This struggle is more common than you might think: Up to 35% of American adults experience short-term sleep issues, while 10% live with chronic insomnia.

At Twin Acupuncture, provider Kerri Kuhlsen, Lac, cSMA, offers effective, medication-free solutions for insomnia and sleep difficulties. If sleepless nights have been plaguing you, it’s time to discover how specialized acupuncture treatments can help you find restful sleep again.

How does insomnia affect your health?

Insomnia is defined by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing poor quality sleep, all of which can impact your daytime mood and function. 

For chronic sufferers, these symptoms occur at least three nights per week for three months or longer. Even short-term sleep difficulties can severely drain your energy and focus, leaving you feeling exhausted, irritable, and unable to concentrate on complex tasks.

But the effects of insomnia extend beyond fatigue. Over time, poor sleep can weaken your immune system, disrupt your hormone balance, and increase your risk of diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.

How acupuncture restores sleep quality

A sustained lack of quality sleep activates the sympathetic nervous system, putting your body in fight-or-flight mode. This increases the production of stress hormones like cortisol, which makes it even harder to get to sleep.

Acupuncture shifts your body out of its hypervigilant state by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system and the rest-and-digest mode. By stimulating specific points with very fine needles, treatments effectively lower cortisol levels and promote the release of melatonin — the primary hormone that controls sleep-wake cycles.

This allows you to re-establish a healthy sleeping pattern.

With regular sessions, patients may experience these key improvements:

• Better sleep quality and duration
• Fewer night time wake-ups
• Faster sleep onset
• Reduced stress and anxiety

In addition to regulating your stress response, acupuncture offers significant physical relief. The needle stimulation boosts local circulation and encourages the release of natural pain-relieving chemicals to ease muscle tension and chronic pain, both of which can contribute to sleep disruptions and restless nights.

Healthy habits to support your sleep

Acupuncture for insomnia is most successful when paired with healthy practices that support its calming effect on your nervous system. Here are our tips for good sleep hygiene:

Mind your evening diet

Avoid caffeine and excessive sugar after mid-day, and stop consuming alcohol several hours before bedtime, as these substances can interfere with deep sleep cycles.

Establish a consistent sleep schedule 

Get into a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays. Consistency reinforces your circadian rhythm, or internal clock, making it easier to transition into deep, restful sleep each night.

Optimize your sleep environment

Ensure your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet to prevent unnecessary sensory input from disrupting your sleep. Blackout curtains or a white noise machine can help you create the optimal environment for quality rest.

Power down your electronics

Blue light from digital screens suppresses melatonin production, keeping you awake longer. Be sure to put away all phones, tablets, and computers at least 60 minutes before bed.

Experience deep, restorative sleep again with acupuncture

If you’ve been looking for a way to end the exhausting cycle of chronic sleeplessness, take the first step toward restful nights and better health with a consultation at Twin Acupuncture in Staten Island, New York. Call today or request an appointment online.