Changes in emotions, environment, sleep patterns, or time zone can easily affect sleep, leading to severe insomnia and even symptoms such as dizziness, forgetfulness, nervous exhaustion, and irritability. To improve sleep, in addition to adjusting mental state and eating more sleep-promoting foods, you can also use acupressure massage. So, which acupoints should be massaged for poor sleep?
Massaging the Baihui Point
Massaging the Baihui point helps treat conditions such as hypertension, headaches, dizziness, palpitations, forgetfulness, nervous exhaustion, insomnia, and hypotension.
Location of the Baihui point: It is located at the midpoint of the line connecting the tips of the ears and the midline in the front and back of the head, in the middle of the top of the head.
Massage method: Sit or lie down, locate the Baihui point, and use the middle finger or index finger to massage in a clockwise direction gradually increasing pressure for 2 minutes, until there is a slight soreness or distension in the area.
Massaging the Ganyu Point
Massaging the Ganyu point can help relieve symptoms such as nervous exhaustion, insomnia, irritability, premenstrual pain in the lower ribs, breast tenderness and discomfort, and lower back pain.
Location of the Ganyu point: It is located on the inner side of the scapula, 2 horizontal fingers away from the 9th thoracic vertebra.
Massage method: Sit down, make fists with both hands, use the knuckles of the middle and ring fingers to press and massage the Ganyu point, while moving downward with force, massage for about 2 minutes.
Massaging the Yintang Point
Massaging the Yintang point is effective in treating conditions such as nervous exhaustion, colds, insomnia, vascular headaches, supraorbital neuralgia, and hypertension.
Location of the Yintang point: It is located on the forehead, in the middle of the eyebrows.
Massage method: Sit or lie down, place the thumb of one hand on the Yintang point, and the other four fingers on the outer side of the opposite eye. Use the inner side of the thumb to push upwards from the Yintang point to the hairline, repeating this motion 20-30 times.
Massaging the Taiyang Point
Massaging the Taiyang point can assist in treating symptoms such as insomnia, red and swollen eyes, headaches, dizziness, and colds.
Location of the Taiyang point: It is located on the side of the head, at the intersection of the extension of the eyebrows and the outer corner of the eye, about 1 horizontal finger's depression back.
Massage method: Use the fingertips of both hands to massage the Taiyang point on both sides in a clockwise direction for 2 minutes, until there is a slight soreness or distension in the area. If a larger range or stronger pressure is required, the webbing between the two hands can be used instead of the index finger.
Acupressure on the Sishen Cong Points
Acupressure on the Sishen Cong points can help treat conditions such as nervous exhaustion, insomnia, dizziness, forgetfulness, and deafness.
Location of the Sishen Cong points: On the top of the head, the midpoint of the line connecting the tips of the ears is the Baihui point. 1 inch in front, behind, left, and right of the Baihui point are the four Sishen Cong points.
Massage method: Sit down, use the index and middle fingers of both hands to simultaneously press and massage the four Sishen Cong points, massage each point for 2 minutes, until there is a slight soreness or distension in the area.
Massaging the Anmian Point
Massaging the Anmian point can help treat symptoms such as insomnia, palpitations, headaches, irritability, dizziness, tinnitus, and hypertension.
Location of the Anmian point: It is located in the neck, approximately at the midpoint of the line connecting the Yifeng point and the Fengchi point. (The Yifeng point is located at the root of the ear, in front of the wind pool point covered by the ear, when selecting the acupoint, you can adopt a sitting or side-lying position, fold the earlobe slightly inward, and select the acupoint at the depression in front of the mastoid process; the Fengchi point is located on both sides of the lower part of the occipital bone, at the depression between the upper ends of the two raised muscles)
Massage method: Sit down, first relax the whole body, take 3 deep breaths, then breathe evenly. Use both thumbs to press and massage the Anmian point in a clockwise direction for about 2 minutes. The massage should be gentle, and there should be a slight soreness or distension in the area.
Acupressure on the Shenmen Point
Acupressure on the Shenmen point can help treat symptoms such as insomnia, vivid dreams, nervous exhaustion, and palpitations.
Location of the Shenmen point: With the palm facing up, it is located above the transverse wrist crease on the ulnar side.
Massage method: Use the tip of the thumb on one hand to press the Shenmen point on the opposite side for about 1 minute. Alternate between the left and right hands, until there is a slight soreness or distension in the area.
