How can acupuncture help?
A growing body of Western medical research techniques, including brain scans and ultrasound, is showing that acupuncture triggers direct, measurable effects on the body, including activation of precise regions of the brain. Neuroscientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, who have a federal grant to study acupuncture’s effects on the brain, are finding decreased activation in deeper brain structures in the limbic system, which governs emotions and other physiological functions.
According to a recent story in the Los Angeles Times, researchers have also shown that acupuncture boosts levels of serotonin, which is often deficient in people with depression, and lowers levels of norepinephrine and dopamine, which are often elevated in people who are suffering with stress and pain. Depression, stress, and pain are often prime causes of insomnia.
According to Dr. John Farrar, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, a decade of acupuncture imaging research has shown “people who get better with acupuncture have clear changes in their brain function.” Changes are seen in the thalamus, a brain region that processes information from the senses, including touch and also pain.
There are a number of distinct diagnoses or “patterns” for insomnia that determine what type of treatment is appropriate—trouble falling asleep easily, waking up during the night, sleeping restlessly, waking early in the morning, or having dream-disturbed sleep. Whatever the root cause, acupuncture has been shown to be effective in many cases of insomnia.
According to Chinese medicine theory, mental activity and consciousness “reside” in the Heart system. The heart pumps the blood, but it is also the seat of awareness and higher mental functions. Interestingly, some of the points we use on the heart and pericardium meridians that calm the mind also help the heart to pump blood more efficiently.
Acupuncture has a calming effect on the nervous system. It clears the obstruction of Qi, or energy, facilitates the flow of oxygen-enriched blood, and relaxes the system. Benefits of acupuncture include deeper breathing, improved digestive abilities, better sleeping patterns, pain reduction, and a general sense of well being.
The incidence of insomnia is increasing
Since 1999, the number of people complaining of sleep problems has risen steadily, according to studies by the National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group that is dedicated to improving understanding of sleep and sleep disorders. Almost a third of adults have trouble sleeping and about 10 percent have symptoms of daytime impairment as a result of insomnia.
In a 2005 poll by the foundation, 75 percent of the respondents said that at least a few nights a week they struggled with a sleep problem, from delayed sleep onset to problems in an intimate relationship due to fatigue.
As the youngest of 76 million baby boomers move through their 40s, they’ll experience what many older Americans already know: the older you get, the more likely you’ll have chronic insomnia. Among 20-somethings, only about 1 person in 8 is an insomniac. By ages 50 to 64, it’s 1 in 5. It rises to 1 in 4 after age 65. Snoring and sleep apnea (repeated short episodes of not breathing) also increase with age.
A panel of specialists brought together by the National Institutes of Health concluded recently that two things are clear: chronic insomnia is a major public health problem, and too many people use unproven therapies.
Ambien, a prescription sleep aid introduced in 1994, has soared to the top of the pharmaceutical charts. However, studies have found that higher doses of Ambien actually keep users awake rather than put them to sleep. Using alcoholic beverages to fall asleep is not helpful because alcohol actually disrupts quality sleep. And using over-the-counter sleep aids or sedating anti-histamines like Benadryl is counterproductive because they can cause lingering daytime sedation and other cognitive problems like forgetfulness or lack of concentration.
Acupuncture, however, has no negative side effects! There are also some very good Chinese herbal formulas that are used to help relieve insomnia by treating the root cause rather than simply producing a drowsy state.