Are uncertainty and fear killing your sleep?
For many people, January is the toughest month of the year. The weather is often cold and miserable, a return to work after the festive season fuels the sense of anti-climax, and the financial burden associated with Christmas is intensified by the arrival of bills and statements.
This year, though, things are even more challenging. The aftermath of the Covid pandemic together with the war in Ukraine has triggered the most challenging financial climate seen in a generation.
Not unsurprisingly, people are worried – and when people worry, they tend to experience stress.
Very short periods of stress are actually good for you: they release hormones and naturally occurring chemicals, such as adrenaline, that can help brain function and improve performance.
But chronic stress which is left unaddressed rarely has a positive impact on physical or emotional health.
One of the first and most obvious symptoms of stress is disruption to your normal sleeping habits.
The nights of sleeping straight through for 8 hours, being able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat or being able to get back to sleep when you do wake up become a thing of the past.
In their place are hours of staring into the dark, unable to think about anything other than the problem at hand.
This is the work of the subconscious at its most primal. Its only job in life is to keep you safe, so when it perceives you are at emotional or physical risk it places you on high alert, trying to force you to see and then deal with the danger at hand.
That works well enough when the threat is tangible and you have some control over it. But many people right now will feel they have limited options when it comes to trying to resolve the problems they face.
But it’s important to resolve stress because prolonged periods of being on full alert are not only emotionally exhausting, they also impact on physical health, and the disruption of sleep – the state in which the body re-energises and heals most efficiently – is particularly bad for us.
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is an increasingly common problem in the UK and affects 24% of men and 34% of women suffer from sleeplessness, and it comes in various different forms.
Patients with cancer, stroke patients, as well as those who are anxious or depressed, frequently experience secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia – where sleeplessness is a condition in its own right – can be the result of living with chronic stress.
Given we live in an increasingly stressful world, this may account for the rise in cases of primary insomnia.
Insomnia can also cause anxiety and despair, lethargy, tension headaches, and migraines. Although persistent conditions can lead to heart disease and stroke.
Medication may occasionally provide short-term benefits, but continued usage can have negative effects such as lethargy, addiction, and neurological harm.
What effect does lack of sleep have on me?
The list of ways in which poor sleep adversely impacts our general health is a long one, but here are some of the key problems that can result from a lack of proper rest:
- Reduced cognitive function: Sleep plays a critical role in how we think, learn and remember, and when we don’t get enough of it our attention becomes impaired, we’re less alert, and find it difficult to concentrate, reason and problem-solve
- Impairs libido: When we fail to get proper rest, we tend to suffer a loss of sex drive. This can lead to emotional issues not only for us as individuals but also for us within relationships.
- Can trigger weight gain: When we’re tired, we need more energy, and we get more energy by taking in calories. Unhealthy weight gain not only risks issues with our physical health but also our emotional health through loss of self-esteem.
- Ages your skin: Sleep has great restorative and regenerative power, especially in regenerating and healing skin and cells.
- Increases the risk of cardiovascular issues: Poor sleep puts you at greater risk of problems like heart disease, high blood pressure stroke, and diabetes
Over time, acute sleep issues can create new mental health problems or make existing issues worse.
More than that, tiredness reduces your ability to deal with the specific and difficult situation you’re facing as well as the daily routine challenges that are part of everyday life.
How can acupuncture help?
Acupuncture is a remarkable treatment that is always tailored to the individual, not the illness. There is no ‘off the shelf’ acupuncture solution – the treatment is always designed with your specific needs in mind.
The objective of acupuncture treatment for sleep is to restore the imbalance that stress causes. This is manifested in the disruption or interruption of the body’s natural healing energy, called qi.
In treating your sleep issues, your acupuncturist will look to identify the underlying causes of your stress (you’d be amazed at how many patients I see who know they’re experiencing stress but have no idea why!) and then develop a tailored treatment plan to resolve the issue.
Acupuncture has long been used to treat insomnia and studies have shown it is effective in restoring physiological function and achieving mental and physical balance through:
- increasing production of melatonin, the hormone that controls sleep cycles
- increasing nitric oxide and increasing blood flow to promote mental relaxation and enhance sleep
- reducing the fight-or-flight response and sympathetic nervous system activity, thereby relieving stress symptoms
- Controlling neurotransmitters (or their modulators) such serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, GABA, and neuropeptide Y to help relax and de-stress the body and mind.
Your acupuncture for insomnia treatment
Acupuncture uses superfine needles inserted painlessly into specific acupuncture points. These needles stimulate the natural energy in the body to re-establish the free flow of qi, restore balance between yang and yin energies, and trigger your body’s natural healing response.
Because acupuncture is a holistic treatment, it may be beneficial to also introduce lifestyle changes to aid a return to good sleep and good general health.
If you’re interested in finding out more about acupuncture for sleep or are interested in having a session to see how it may benefit you, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you!