KATY BRADSHAW ACUPUNCTUREWhy Do People Fall Asleep During Acupuncture?
(otherwise known as the acu-nap)
Many people feel so relaxed they fall asleep during acupuncture. This is an experience so common that it has earned its own name: the acu-nap.
Anyone who’s experienced this deeply restorative snooze will tell you that it’s incredibly relaxing. But why when you fall asleep during acupuncture is it quite so special?
In our busy lives, many of us spend much of our time rushing from one task to the next, leaving little opportunity for genuine rest and recovery.
Some things are ok to block out. Some are harder.
And amongst all the chaos, it’s more important than ever to take time to decompress. Time to rest, restore, and build strength.
Which is where the acu-nap comes in.
The needles are in, you’re resting on the warm couch tucked up in blankets. As snug as a bug. You start to drift off; not fully awake or asleep, but definitely deeply relaxed.
Why does acupuncture make me sleepy?
There’s been quite a bit of research on what happens in our brains during acupuncture, which has shown that acupuncture significantly increases our ‘slow wave’ brain activity.
As you can imagine, our brainwaves change according to what we’re doing and feeling. When slower brainwaves are active, we feel sleepy or dreamy. When higher frequencies are active we might feel wired and alert.
Our everyday active brain waves are Beta waves. These are fast waves that keep us alert, attentive and engaged. But they use up a lot of energy and it’s not great to be in this state for too much of the time.
When we’re in deep sleep our Delta waves are active.
And in between these two are the Alpha and Theta waves. It is thought that when we’re receiving acupuncture (and for some time afterwards) we move into one or both of these two brain wave patterns.
Alpha is when our brain is in a resting state.
Accessing these brain waves creates calm and presence.
Theta is a little deeper, it’s where we are in the few minutes before we fall asleep and when we first wake up. It’s where we go when under hypnosis. It’s what we access in deeper meditation states and is exactly what many of you experience when you’re resting on the couch during your treatment.
Theta wave states are important because they are essential to healing and integrating the mind and the body. By accessing this state, you improve your intuition, imagination, creativity, and ability to relax.
So if you, like me, are finding the world a challenging place right now, then give yourself the gift of an acu-nap.
Want to experience this for yourself? Then why not book in for a free 15-minute consultation to see how acupuncture can help you.