This post is part of an ongoing series on acupressure. If you’re jumping in the middle of this series, please check out our video giving a general introduction to acupressure and how to make these points work for you.
At some point, nearly everyone will have a bout of insomnia for one reason or another. While there are many reasons that sleep can be elusive, one of the most common is that a person can’t calm their mind enough to allow themselves to fall asleep. Today we have some acupressure points that can help you relax the mind and find some peace. These points are to be pressed and worked around an hour before bed. If you find you are waking up during the night with your mind racing, or you spend more than 20 minutes trying to get to sleep, rather than working these points again it would be better to get up and walk around and try to sleep again when you are tired. Also, if you are waking due to pain or some other reason then please check out our acupressure posts for pain, or schedule a consultation for a more personalized workup.
(As with our other acupressure posts, click on any image for a larger view.)
Anmian
This point is around the back of the head, just under the skull. Place one finger under the earlobe, and with another trace around the base of the skull to find the edge of the trapezius muscle (the finger will be in a shallow divot between muscles. Anmian is halfway between these points. If you’re having trouble finding it, press and massage all around the base of the skull for a similar if less strong effect.
Shimian
This point is found in the center of the heel. Apart from pressure, the best way to activate this is with heat, so we often tell our patients to massage or soak their feet in warm water before bed.
Heart-7
This point is found on the wrist. Bend the palm of the wrist toward you to see where the skin creases on the wrist. At this level, move out from the central tendons on the wrist to the inside edge of the flexor carpii ulnaris tendon – the most palpable tendon on this edge of the wrist. Heart-7 is right at this location.
Not sure if these points are right for you? Schedule a consultation and we can help you catch those sweet dreams!
