Do Acupressure Mats Work for Sleep?

Do Acupressure Mats Work for Sleep?

There is research to show that acupressure can improve your sleep. Not only helping you fall asleep faster but also meaning you wake up less frequently throughout the night.

With an acupressure mat you can enjoy the therapy in the comfort of your own home.

One such study that proved its effectiveness was published in the Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences.

Researchers looked closely at the sleep quality of 120 menopausal women, instructing them to self-administer acupressure two hours before bed.

The results showed significant improvements, leading experts to conclude:

Acupressure can be used as a complementary treatment to relieve sleep disorders in menopausal women; and is offered as an efficient method to manage sleep quality.

Another project conducted in Taiwan looked at the sleep of patients with end-stage renal disease.

Participants were asked to keep a log, noting down their sleep quality and efficiency.

At the end of the trial they summarised the positive findings:

Sleep log data showed that the acupressure group significantly decreased awake time and improved quality of sleep over time more than the control group. The improvement could be seen as soon as the acupoints massage was implemented, and it was maintained through the post intervention.

If you’re one of the 30% of Americans who occasionally suffer from symptoms of insomnia, there is evidence to show that a mat could be a low-cost alternative treatment for the condition.

Sleep specialist and influencer, Dr. Michael Breus (better known as @thesleepdoctor), explains how the therapy works:

… treatment using acupressure is based on the ancient art of using pressure points to align “chakras” in the body, thought to release the body’s natural healing powers.

According to this theory, the human body contains a life energy (also called chi or qi), which flows through meridians in the body.

When this energy is flowing properly, a person can be healthy and the body can heal, but when the energy is not flowing properly, disease—and disturbances like insomnia—can occur. In essence, acupressure aims to “re-flow” the energy to support health.

For better slumber, the pressure points associated with relaxation and stress relief need to be stimulated. That’s why acupressure mats are so useful as they hit all of these points at once.

It’s great news that acupressure can be so powerful when we consider the shocking number of people that struggle to get a good night’s rest.

Recently published statistics revealed that a massive 35% of Americans don’t get the recommended amount of sleep each night.

Plus it isn’t the only benefit from using an acupressure mat, there are actually many, many more!

Resting your body on a spiky surface can treat anxiety, have a positive impact on headaches and migraines, and even treat low back pain.

If you want to learn more about the therapy then our article including all the benefits of acupressure will tell you everything you need to know.

Alternatively, if you’re ready to invest in your first acupressure mat, we’ve shortlisted the top ones on the market, including the world’s best!

Laura Smith

Author

Laura Smith

Associate Editorial Manager

Specialist health & wellbeing writer, passionate about discovering new technologies & sharing the latest research.