Quality sleep is foundational to health in Chinese Medicine philosophy, and disrupted sleep is always understood as a signal of deeper imbalance. Our team at Rozelle Acupuncture takes a whole-person approach to diagnosing and treating sleep disorders.
Systematic reviews of acupuncture for insomnia report improvements in sleep quality compared with no treatment, though the trials are generally small and rarely well blinded. The mechanisms usually proposed are effects on autonomic arousal and on cortisol and melatonin regulation; those are studied and plausible rather than settled. In practice, we work on the pattern underneath the insomnia (anxiety, chronic pain, hormonal change, digestive disturbance) as much as on the sleep itself.
We treat a range of sleep conditions including: difficulty falling asleep, waking frequently during the night, early morning waking, restless sleep and vivid dreams, sleep related to anxiety or stress, and insomnia associated with hormonal changes such as menopause.
Our treatment approach combines acupuncture with Chinese herbal medicine, and may include practical guidance on sleep hygiene and lifestyle factors. Some patients report improvements in sleep quality over a course of treatment.