Can Acupressure Help You Get Better Sleep?

Getting restful sleep can be difficult. Some wonder if Acupressure can help you sleep. Does Science Support Acupressure for Better Sleep? How Does Acupressure Work? This article looks at these questions about acupressure and sleep.

How Does Acupressure Work?

Acupressure is an ancient medical practice. It uses targeted pressure to restore body balance and blood flow. Increased blood flow encourages skin rejuvenation, improved metabolism, and releases endorphins. Endorphins improve mood, reduce pain and give natural energy.

DOES SCIENCE SUPPORT ACUPRESSURE & BETTER SLEEP?

A theory in Traditional Eastern medicine is that health problems originate from when the body suffers dysfunction due to a blockage of Qi within the meridians. Western medicine does not always agree but does often recognize the benefits of acupressure.

Acupressure & Sleep Research Studies

Our research located many clinical studies supporting acupuncture benefits. Studies showed acupressure helped anxiety, sleep problems, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, and nausea. Pain reduction occurred in chronic neck and back pain and acute orthopedic injuries. Acupressure even helped reduce labor pains and reduce symptoms in some types of pregnancy complications. Improved circulation and endorphin release are both benefits of acupressure.

One acupuncture study appeared in The Journal of Alternative Complementary Medicine.

This large hospital-based study included 519 acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture was done on subjects with anxiety, sleep disturbance, and pain ranging from minor to serious. Serious pain included bone cancer pain. Some study finding excerpts:

• “Seventy-five percent of participants were highly satisfied with acupressure treatments.”
• “96% of treatments were administered in less than 30 minutes”.
• “Acupressure is a highly satisfactory complementary therapy that can demonstrate a clinically significant decrease in self-rated pain and anxiety scores.”
• Those reporting a pain level of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 reported as much as a 4 point reduction in their pain after acupressure treatments. (1)

A second acupuncture study was done on injured athletes. It showed consistent pain reduction in even acute musculoskeletal sports injuries. (2)

Acupressure is a fast, pain-free way to improve sleep, increase blood flow, and control pain with no side effects.

Summary

Studies show acupressure was beneficial for sleep disturbance caused by pain or anxiety. It is a drug-free way to get better sleep.

Was Does Science Support Acupressure for Better Sleep useful? You may be interested in other Natural Remedies

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REFERENCES

1. “Beyond Pills: Acupressure Impact on Self-Rated Pain and Anxiety Scores.” Altern Complement Med.2019 Mar 30.  doi: 10.1089/acm.2018.0422, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30932686.
2. “Does Acupressure Hit the Mark? A Three-Arm Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Acupressure for Pain and Anxiety Relief in Athletes With Acute Musculoskeletal Sports Injuries. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 27(4):338–343, JUL 2017 DOI: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000378
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28653963