Insomnia (TCM)

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is a complicated condition, that includes difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or early final waking. If you suffer from insomnia, you can feel dissatisfied with your sleep and usually experience one or more of the following symptoms: fatigue, low energy, difficulty concentrating, mood disturbances, and decreased performance in work or at school.

Insomnia in TCM perspective

Insomnia in TCM is regarded as a branch of a disease and the root of the disease is a dysfunction or imbalance within the body. For example if you have a deficiency in a particular part of your body, you could wake up easily and early from sleep, or if you have excess condition of the liver, you could suffer from difficulty falling asleep.

How we treat insomnia at Richmond Osteopaths

We mobilise and stretch the muscles and joints in your neck and upper back to improve their health, so that your head and brain gets improved circulation. Advice is given on how to improve your posture and relax the muscles of your neck. Acupuncture can be used to help with the disharmony by selecting specific acupoints and use stimulating hand techniques to stimulate Qi.

Our advice

Invest in massage. It’s amazing what a massage can achieve. Also fidget, fidget to keep the circulation flowing. It takes 5 seconds to roll your shoulders.

The “sciency” part

Certain acupuncture points have been shown to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress by affecting areas of brain, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytic’ brain, which is responsible for insomnia and anxiety.