During a patient’s initial acupuncture assessment, we discuss all aspects of the patient’s health. As a holistic medicine, it’s important to get a full picture of the patient’s various systems including digestion, respiratory, any chronic or acute pain, if the patient suffers from headaches, gynecological issues etc. 

What I have found in my practice is that the most common ‘secondary’ complaint a patient presents with is chronic stress. 

These days, it is rare to find a patient that comes in who does not list stress as a major concern.

More specifically, regardless of what a patient seeks treatment for, most people struggle with healthy sleep. This is due to so many different reasons, but the good news is that acupuncture is incredibly effective in improving sleep and minimizing the body’s stress response.

In fact, one of the major “side effects” I warn my patients of, regardless of why they are seeking treatment, is that many people feel tired and sleep really well after their treatments. Most feedback from patients during their second appointment proves this to be true. Whether a person was seeking treatment for sleep or not, most report a long restorative sleep following their treatments.  

In one case, I had a patient who was specifically seeking treatment for sleep. She arrived at the clinic reporting that she took a long time to fall asleep and would wake frequently throughout the night. She came to reduce her body’s stress response (aka – calm her nervous system!) and to improve sleep quality. At first, she received benefits on the night of her treatments and a few nights after, but between appointments, her sleep quality would decrease again. She kept with her treatments and after 10 weeks, she slept through the night, every night! She started scaling back the frequency of her appointments so that she would come as needed.

I call this approach a “tune up”. Sometimes the body simply needs a reset; sometimes life stressors come at us at a higher intensity, and we need a bit of help to calm the mind and rest. This is why we often eventually recommend a wellness schedule for our patients.

Whatever your primary reason for seeking treatment is, we could all use a little extra help managing our body’s stress response. So, when you are coming in because your shoulder is sore, bask in the additional benefits that acupuncture can provide to calm your nervous system, and get a good night's rest!