Acupuncture Anxiety and Insomnia

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Acupuncture Anxiety and Insomnia

Getting to the Heart of a Restless Mind

By Paul J.O'Brien
B.A., N.C.E.H.S., Dip. Acu., Cert Clin. Med. M.T.C.M.C.I., M.C.Th.A.

Acupuncture Anxiety and Insomnia is this focus of this article. If you are unfamiliar with how Acupuncture for Anxiety works I suggest you read this article first - click here. In it I examine the various causes and symptoms of anxiety discussing each aspects form a Western and Eastern point of view and provide a brief insight into the fascinating and colorful TCM system.

One of the points that I discuss in that article and the subsequent article following from that - Anxiety Acupuncture and Depression Relief, is the relationship between Acupuncture Anxiety and Insomnia. As I mentioned in that article one of the chief causes in Traditional Chinese Medicine for anxiety is a weakness in the Qi or energy associated with the Heart. Here’s the actual explanation…

“The Heart in Chinese Medicine, as do all organs in Chinese Medicine, contains both physical and mental emotional attributes. The physical attributes of the Heart would be involved in the circulation of blood. Its mental emotional function would be involved in feelings of joy and happiness. If the Heart is weak, then blood doesn’t flow freely, nor do you feel happy.

It’s easy to see how this relates to depression, a feeling of weakness, lassitude and lack of motivation as well as feelings of unhappiness. Perhaps less obvious is how this relates to anxiety.

In order to understand this it is important to understand the role of Blood in the Chinese Medical system. Blood has many functions, nourishing both the body and the mind. And it is the mind in this instance which is of particular interest. According to ancient Chinese texts, the blood is the residence of the mind. Without strong blood our mind has no refugee, nowhere to seek rest when we sleep. As such our mind flitters and becomes lost in obsessive and unhealthy thought that manifests as anxiety.”

So what has this to do with Insomnia?

Well it comes back to the nature of Blood in housing the Mind or Shen. If there isn’t blood is unsettles then the Mind will be also. You won’t be able to stop thinking and relax and each thought will build itself up in the Mind creating little movie montages. Parts of conversation often will be rehashed and redone with consideration to what you felt should have been said as opposed to what was. Incidents will be replayed with what you wanted to happen rather than what did, and sleep shan’t come easily.

If, luckily, sleep does come it will often be fitful, with a great deal of tossing and turning as with the diminishment of Yin (the mental emotional energy) there will come an increase in Yang (physical energy) leaving the body restless and agitated.

This is a brief overview of how Acupuncture Anxiety and Insomnia are all interrelated. Anxiety and Insomnia are symptoms of an underlying condition, both parts of the same root problem. Western is more likely to see it as a cause and effect relationship – “You can’t sleep because your anxious. You’re anxious because you can’t sleep”. The usual remedy for this of course is to take drugs which suppress the symptoms rather than relieving the under lying condition.

Acupuncture for Anxiety and Insomnia views things differently. In this case a Traditional Chinese Medical Practitioner such as myself, would look to see what imbalances in a person’s life could cause the anxiety and insomnia, attempting to understand how they relate to their world as a whole rather than as a series of independent symptoms. In this manner we attempt to re-balance the person and thus relieve them of the underlying cause. All though a little over simplified that’s how Acupuncture Anxiety and Insomnia works.

Finally if you have any questions or concerns regarding Acupuncture Anxiety and Insomnia or if you wish to start a course of treatment then please feel free to contact me or make an appointment where we can discus any specific concerns or questions you may have.