Acupuncture and Insomnia at Aletris in Scottsdale, AZ
 Insomnia can be defined as poor sleep followed by daytime fatigue, symptoms which persist over time and may affect quality of life. Because sleep requirements, such as number of hours, varies for different people, the real issue of insomnia is energy level during the day.

Insomnia may have a number of causes, including depression or anxiety, irregular work schedules, medication side effects, alcohol abuse, chronic pain, hyperthyroidism, or sleep apnea. Acupuncture and herbs for insomnia have high success rates with each insomnia symptom and can therefore treat insomnia at its root cause.
 
A study published recently in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, reports that patients who received acupressure and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) experienced a significant improvement in their insomnia symptom, including problems of fatigue, sleep quality and depression.
Oriental medicine relates insomnia to the heart meridians. Of course, an insomnia remedy would include a complete diagnosis and treatment system that would focus on each individual, and the many syndromes that are differentiated within the context of insomnia would be explored. Other organ systems and syndromes may be involved, and until the body is brought back into balance through Chinese medicine treatment such as herbs for insomnia and acupuncture, each insomnia symptom will continue.

One contributor to insomnia, stress, weakens the function of the Liver, which in turn affects the health of your nerves. Stress-related insomnia is often accompanied by another nerve-induced problem: restless leg syndrome. This can make bedtime even more of a battle for sleep. When the liver is unbalanced and being asked to deliver energy it does not have, uncomfortable symptoms are your body's way of signaling the need to get things back into harmony.

Acupuncture has a calming effect on the nervous system. It clears obstructions in the muscle and nerve channels, facilitates the flow of oxygen-enriched energy and relaxes the heart system. Common noted benefits of acupuncture include deeper breathing, improved digestive abilities, better sleeping patterns, stress reduction, decrease in pain and a general sense of well being, which are all excellent treatments for insomnia.

An example acupuncture protocol for the treatment of chronic insomnia may include 6 initial treatments at two to three treatments per week, followed by a two to four week observational period and possibly one treatment per every month afterwards.

Source: www.acufinder.com