By Antonina Bezsmertna

Sleep disorders are very common, with one in three Canadians reporting they do not get enough sleep (source: Statistics Canada). The time that we spend asleep is essential for our well-being. Not only does our youthfulness, energy, and emotions depend on it, but our whole body is restored and repaired through deep, quality sleep.

For many people, sleeping well is not an automatic, natural thing to experience as many factors may cause changes in our sleep routine.

Sleeping well requires proper sleep quantity and quality.

1.      Sleep quantity is the number of hours needed to receive all the benefits sleep can offer.

On average, adults need to sleep 7-9 hours per night. A decrease in hours will result in broken sleep cycles, inhibiting the body’s ability to restore.

2.      Sleep quality measures how well we sleep. This includes:

• Your ability to fall asleep within 30 minutes

• Staying asleep throughout the night, ideally with no wake-ups

• Falling back asleep quickly if you do wake up

• Feeling rested and energized upon waking

Sometimes the reasons for poor sleep are obvious, such as a poor sleep routine, drinking caffeine too late in the day, or an uncomfortable mattress. However, from time to time, the real causes are hidden beneath other symptoms and conditions. That is when acupuncture comes into play; its holistic approach urges practitioners to find these hidden, yet true causes of manifesting symptoms.

Here are 4 reasons to try Acupuncture for better sleep:

1. It improves the quality of sleep. Acupuncture helps the body enter into the deep phase of the sleep cycle which is essential for cell recovery and repair. This systematic review has shown that acupuncture was both superior to placebo and pharmacotherapy in terms of improving sleep quality.

2. Acupuncture increases the duration of your sleep. By helping you to fall or stay asleep more easily, you will be able to sleep through the night and get the needed number of hours to feel rested and energized in the morning.

3. Acupuncture works on eliminating other uncomfortable symptoms that may be experienced at night. These include but are not limited to:

• Feeling hot/cold

• Excessive night sweating  

• Frequent night urination

• Pain that is worse at night

• Vivid, uncomfortable dreams; nightmares

• Sleep apnea

• Restless legs syndrome
  
  

  4. Acupuncture is effective for mood regulation. Stress and anxiety are very common causes of chronic insomnia. By calming the mind and alleviating stress, anxiety, and depression, acupuncture, as shown in this study, can provide long-term positive results in managing insomnia.

If you are willing to improve your sleep but are still not sure if acupuncture will be a good choice, book a complimentary consult with me and we can discuss your individual situation in more detail!

- Antonina Bezsmertna, Registered Acupuncturist