Many acupuncture practitioners consider the Spirit Gate the most calming and relaxing ear point
The fast-paced and busy lives take a toll on your health and how. Stress leads to restless sleepers who suffer a range of physical and mental health issues like obesity, heart disease, liver problems, and even anxiety. However, an acupuncturist has come out with her pro tip to help calm your nerves and help you get peaceful sleep.
Dr. Eileen Li, a Connecticut acupuncturist, Chinese medicine herbalist, and licensed physical therapist from New York, is using a giant model of an ear to teach her social media followers how to have an uninterrupted snooze. “Having trouble calming down or sleeping at night?” she said. “Let’s relieve the self-pressure by releasing the pressure in the ear.”
According to Li, the pressure release point can be accessed using a Q-tip. “At the top of the ear, there’s a little cave,” she explained, noting that the point where pressure should be applied is also known as the Shenmen Point, which translates as “Spirit Gate.”
Many acupuncture practitioners consider the Spirit Gate the most calming and relaxing ear point. “Place the Q-tip in the cave and swirl 20 to 30 times,” she said. She assured viewers that if they don’t have a Q-tip, they can repeat the motion with their thumb and index finger, placing them at the “tippy top” point of the Spirit Gate and massaging in a circular motion.
“Remember, this is a gentle process. Close your eyes and appreciate yourself. You are enough!”
How does acupuncture help you sleep?
According to proponents of acupressure therapy, there are many pressure points that can help you sleep. This practice triggers your body’s innate healing abilities, helping with inflammation and calming the nervous system.
Acupuncture helps relieve insomnia symptoms, including:
- Improving sleep quality
- Reducing nighttime wakings
- Increasing total sleep time
- Decreasing anxiety
- Alleviating pain
Also, apart from soothing your mind, acupuncture on the outer ear also helps in weight loss, eases food cravings, and lowers body mass index.
Other important pressure points
According to experts, a few other pressure points—apart from the ear—that work to reduce or eliminate sleeplessness include:
An Mian
An Mian is a traditional point for treating insomnia apart from reducing anxiety, vertigo, and headaches. The An Mian points are on either side of the neck. To find them, place a finger behind each earlobe and move the fingers just behind the bony protrusion. Light pressure is sufficient.
SP6
Point SP6—also known as San Yin Jiao—helps to relieve insomnia, menstrual cramps, urinary issues, and some other pelvic problems.
To access the point, find the highest point of the ankle on the inside of the leg. Beginning at the top of the ankle, measure four finger widths up the leg. Apply deep pressure just behind the bone above the ankle.
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