Do you know what is considered “good sleep”? Why is it so important for our health? And do you know that acupuncture can help you get better sleep at night?
What is considered “good sleep”?
A good night’s sleep is when you can fall asleep quite easily, not being fully awake at night, not waking up too early or dreaming all night, and feeling refreshed in the morning. Having difficulty falling asleep or difficulty sleeping through the night is not healthy for people of any age. It is recommended to have 7 to 9 hours sleep per night to ensure healthy hormone production and regulation, which helps repair our body and keep it functioning well.
Of course, there are times we have trouble sleeping due to personal events or other factors in our lives. Let’s be honest, we have all been there! But not having a regular good night’s sleep is not going to do any good to both our body or mind. Not to mention that our performance at study or work can be affected a lot as well!
Our brain and body need to relax before falling asleep, Why? We have an autonomic nervous system which is made up of two divisions, the sympathetic system and the parasympathetic system. The sympathetic system is associated with the fight-or-flight response, and parasympathetic activity is associated with rest and relaxation.
Our acupuncture therapy could improve your quality of sleep
Now let’s talk about how our acupuncture therapy could improve your quality of sleep.
We practice traditional Japanese acupuncture which is a considerably gentle technique, meaning we only insert the needles 1-2 mm and in some cases we do not insert the needles at all, but only touch the surface of the skin. It almost feels like having a nice warm bath. That is because we believe that the nerves in the skin can sense the sensation of the needles and make positive changes in our body which include balancing our hormones, stimulating circulation, relaxing the muscles under the skin and producing endorphins. Plus we don’t want pain! But more importantly when you receive an acupuncture treatment the parasympathetic system can be activated which is essential for a good night’s sleep.
An acupuncture treatment is a great option for you
If you have had trouble sleeping for a while and nothing has worked yet or you generally want to improve your overall health, maybe having an acupuncture treatment is a great option for you.
Please feel free to contact Sawako Toyoshima at Ying Yang clinic, Omotesando, Tokyo for more information regarding our acupuncture sessions.
