Acupuncture for insomnia-anyone had success using it?

[[ru...]]

I have had chronic insomnia for 18+ years. A side effect of the Z drugs I was using to get sleep was bad to awful anxiety. I tried acupuncture for 3 months ( twice weekly) with some, but marginal improvement in the anxiety.

 

Has anyone had success in employing acupuncture for relief with insomnia? If so, how frequently did or do you have treatments? Also, it really would be helpful if you could provide a listing of the sites your acupuncturist  targets in your treatment. I have access to only one practitioner and he is rather new in the business and as a result has been searching for the magic bullet with me. 

[[MT...]]

I've tried it numerous times 1-2 times per week with no results. It was relaxing but didn't translate into sleep. Good luck though.

[[al...]]

I tried it for awhile right after I got off of ambien and it did nothing to improve my sleep. It also did not help with my anxiety at the time because I could not even tolerate being alone on the table with the door closed. I had to ask to at least keep the door open so I could hear other people outside the room. I spent a lot of money for nothing, but that is not to say that it won't work for you. Just don't expect too much.

[[...]]

I've had very good results from acupuncture on sleep, and I believe on other symptoms too.  I feel like it's been the only thing helping me, besides time.  I love my practitioner, he is a western trained MD from China, now only doing acupuncture in the US, so I really trust his medical knowledge.  He says he treats a LOT of people now coming off dependencies from meds.  The magic points for sleep for me seem to be 3 points in the head, because when he only does 1 point, I don't get as consistent results.  I told him I don't care if it's just a placebo, do all 3 points! I cannot tell you specifically what these points are, but one is the center top of the head, and then one off to each side. I go twice a week, and went 3x/week during more difficult weeks.

 

I also was not comfortable being alone in the room for long, so they have a buzzer they put in my hand in case I need to call someone.  At the beginning, he also would pop his head in every 10 minutes or so to check on me, and sometimes I asked to keep the door open.  Find a practitioner who will do what they can to help you feel comfortable.  It won't work for everybody all the time, and may not be enough to combat the most intense symptoms, but I think is worth trying.  Maybe if you don't think it's doing anything, stop for a while and see how you're doing. 

[[Co...]]

i've tried bbrs parallel acupuncture which was really successful until lately. We are not sure why it doesn't work right now but it has probably to do with my seroquel

[[te...]]

I've been getting acupuncture semi-regularly for a year or so now. Originally I went for anxiety/panic/heart palpitations and stomach aches related to work burnout. Then when this all started she began to address sleep. I'm not sure what the points are she uses, sometimes I get treatment on my back and sometimes I lay face down for treatment, we mix it up. I don't think it is a magic bullet, but it does help calm down my sympathetic nervous system a great deal which helps break up the anxiety cycle. I really think my anxiety is a huge source of everything so I want to continue to target that. And at the most I've gotten treatments 2x a week. I think it does make a big difference!

[[NY...]]

Acupuncture was my saving grace throughout taper. I used it to manage all of my symptoms as they cycled through.  For insomnia though, I eventually had to pull out the big guns and used medical marijuana when it got really bad (adrenaline surges, etc).  I hope it resolves for you soon.  WR

 

[[te...]]

I have been doing acupuncture but I can't tell if it's helping my insomnia. My insomnia has gotten a bit better, so it could be helping, but it could also just be time. My acupuncturist is also an MD and she seems to really know what she's doing. She puts a needle in between my eyes, one on the top of my head, a few on the hairline, one in each ear, two or three on the inside of my arms (near the wrist), one near each ankle (on the inside) and one on the top of each foot.

[[te...]]

Glad to see this thread got another post i'm going for my weekly acupuncture session today and I can't wait.  I just love it. It might not necessarily "solve" our sleep issues, but it is really good for the nervous system and soul. at least I think so

[[So...]]

I started auricular (ear) acupuncture about two months ago with an experienced oriental medicine doctor. I learned about auricular acupuncture by reading The Mood Cure, by Julia Ross; I truly recommend this book for anyone who is going through withdrawal or are trying to find a more natural approach to their ailments. Anyway, this doc assures that this type of acupuncture creates new neuropaths to diminish cravings of addictions, hence diminishes anxiety; it is used for weigh loss also. I go every three weeks and the sessions only lasts 30 minutes and they are very affordable. I can't exactly which points he uses in my ears. However, I don't solely use acupuncture to cure my insomnia. I take amino acids/supplements, stopped coffee, alcohol, limited sugars, carbs; changed my sleeping habits; do yoga, meditation, swimming. I am sleeping an average of 6-7 hours daily now, and I started my withdrawal tapering a month ago exactly; it is going so well, I can't believe it myself. So, I believe in my case a combination of good habits and amino acids are helping me restore my sleep. I take the amino acids under the supervision of my Pdoc who happens to be a licensed naturopath also. I am doing a super slow tapering, so hopefully when I am finished, I will continue sleeping well enough. I am 100% functional now, and sleeping well has a lot to do with it. You can check Julia Ross's website; I believe she has a section on insomnia and treats patients online. Wish you full recovery and don't lose hope curing your insomnia 

[[te...]]

I started auricular (ear) acupuncture about two months ago with an experienced oriental medicine doctor. I learned about auricular acupuncture by reading The Mood Cure, by Julia Ross; I truly recommend this book for anyone who is going through withdrawal or are trying to find a more natural approach to their ailments. Anyway, this doc assures that this type of acupuncture creates new neuropaths to diminish cravings of addictions, hence diminishes anxiety; it is used for weigh loss also. I go every three weeks and the sessions only lasts 30 minutes and they are very affordable. I can't exactly which points he uses in my ears. However, I don't solely use acupuncture to cure my insomnia. I take amino acids/supplements, stopped coffee, alcohol, limited sugars, carbs; changed my sleeping habits; do yoga, meditation, swimming. I am sleeping an average of 6-7 hours daily now, and I started my withdrawal tapering a month ago exactly; it is going so well, I can't believe it myself. So, I believe in my case a combination of good habits and amino acids are helping me restore my sleep. I take the amino acids under the supervision of my Pdoc who happens to be a licensed naturopath also. I am doing a super slow tapering, so hopefully when I am finished, I will continue sleeping well enough. I am 100% functional now, and sleeping well has a lot to do with it. You can check Julia Ross's website; I believe she has a section on insomnia and treats patients online. Wish you full recovery and don't lose hope curing your insomnia 

 

That sounds amazing!!! Thanks for sharing. It does take a holistic approach doesn't it?