Insomnia means regularly having difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early or feeling unrefreshed after sleep. Short-term insomnia lasts less than three months, while long-term insomnia lasts for three months or longer.
The effects are often felt during the day. Poor sleep can contribute to tiredness, irritability, low mood, difficulty concentrating and reduced ability to work, drive or manage normal activities safely.
People need different amounts of sleep. Insomnia is not simply sleeping fewer hours than expected; it involves sleep difficulty that affects daytime functioning.
The existing East West Clinic page usefully recognises that worry about sleep can become part of the problem. Concern about whether you will sleep, checking the time and worrying about functioning the next day may increase alertness and make it harder to settle.
Insomnia may interact with stress, anxiety, depression, pain, hormonal changes, medication, caffeine, alcohol, shift work and the sleeping environment. Other sleep disorders, including sleep apnoea and restless legs syndrome, can also disturb sleep and may require medical assessment.
During treatment, Jamie considers the pattern of your sleep, its effect during the day and the wider factors that may be contributing. A sleep diary kept for one or two weeks can help identify patterns and provide useful information for healthcare professionals.
Chinese medicine uses an individual diagnosis rather than treating everyone with poor sleep in the same way. Two people describing insomnia may therefore receive different acupuncture treatments according to their sleep pattern, physical symptoms, health history and wider presentation.
Jamie combines more than 20 years of clinical experience with detailed pulse diagnosis to explore the individual pattern. Treatment is adapted according to your presentation and response, with attention to relevant concerns such as stress, emotional wellbeing, energy, digestion, pain and physical tension.
The first appointment provides time to discuss your sleep in detail, including difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night, early waking, sleep quality and the effect on daytime functioning. Jamie will also ask about your general health, stress, mood, medication, caffeine, alcohol and any other treatment or support you are receiving.
The appointment includes an individual Chinese medicine assessment and, where appropriate, your first acupuncture treatment. Jamie will explain the initial approach and discuss a suitable rhythm of care.
Do not stop, reduce or change prescribed sleeping medication or other medication without speaking to the healthcare professional responsible for your care.
Insomnia usually connects most naturally with the Anxiety and Regulation Pathway, particularly when worry, stress, tension or difficulty switching off are prominent. This pathway provides a clear framework for considering sleep alongside emotional and physical wellbeing.
Where fatigue, general health or broader wellbeing concerns are more prominent, aspects of the Foundations of Health and Wellbeing Pathway may also inform care. The pathway remains clinical guidance rather than a fixed programme or guarantee of improved sleep.
Pathway link: Anxiety and Regulation Pathway
The British Acupuncture Council insomnia fact sheet reviews clinical trials and earlier systematic reviews concerning acupuncture and related approaches for insomnia. It reports that many studies found possible benefits, but also acknowledges that the methodological quality of much of the evidence was poor and that larger, more rigorous studies were needed.
The BAcC fact sheet relies substantially on older evidence and includes strong claims that should not be presented as settled conclusions. Current NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary guidance identifies cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, known as CBT-I, as the first-line treatment for both short-term and long-term insomnia in adults. Good sleep habits and assessment of contributing conditions are also important.
Acupuncture is not included as a first-line insomnia treatment in current NICE guidance. Responses vary, and acupuncture should be considered only as an optional complementary part of wider care.
Further reading:
Speak to a GP if changing your sleeping habits has not helped, you have had trouble sleeping for months, or poor sleep is making everyday life difficult to manage.
Seek assessment if you may have another sleep disorder, particularly if you snore loudly, stop breathing or gasp during sleep, experience an uncontrollable urge to move your legs, or regularly fall asleep unexpectedly during the day.
Do not drive or operate machinery when sleepy. Seek appropriate support if insomnia occurs alongside significant anxiety, depression or other mental-health concerns.
If poor sleep is affecting your energy, mood, concentration or everyday life, a first appointment gives us time to understand your individual sleep pattern and discuss whether acupuncture may be a suitable complementary part of your wider care.