Reflexology and Self Help Tips for Insomnia

Everyone suffers from the occasional bad nights sleep but those suffering from either disturbed sleep or an inability to get to sleep on a regular basis will often find that their health suffers as a result.

Reflexology

There are several reflex areas recommended for those suffering from sleep problems - don't forget if you are working using a circular motion you should work in a clockwise direction to stimulate, and an anti-clockwise direction to calm and relax.

Head / Brain / Neck

The brain and central nervous system are mainly located in the big toe, however all the toes cover the head, brain and face reflexes so don't leave the other toes out while working.

Start by thumb walking up the pad of the big toe until you have covered the whole of the area, then walk down the front and the sides of the big toe, and walk around the neck of the big toe to cover the neck muscles.

Work the pituitary gland to regulate the hormone production of all the other glands, and then the pineal gland which releases melatonin to control the sleep/wake pattern.

I often find that individual toe stretching and rotating in each direction here is also useful for reducing tension.

Body

Gently work the diaphragm line on both feet in each direction to release tension and relax the client, give extra attention to the solar plexus point - you may want to come back and do a solar plexus hold several times during the treatment to relax the client.  The solar plexus reflex point is also K1 acupuncture point and the Chinese believe that it cools the heart fire energy, calming down the mind and helping you fall asleep.

The adrenals also have a role to play in controlling sleeping patterns, if the client is unable to sleep due to stress ensure that you work the adrenals using a circular motion in an anti-clockwise direction in order to calm and relax.

Make sure that you do plenty of spine work, finger walking up and down the spine as well as friction work to help release any remaining tension which may be held in the spinal area.  Ensure you include thumb walking across the spine rather than just up and down it - this will work the spinal nerves and muscles making sure the whole of the area has been relaxed.

Essential Oils

A number of essential oils are known to have sleep inducing properties.  Try adding a few drops of your chosen oil or oils to a warm bath, onto your pillow or a hanky in your bedroom, into a base oil to use for a back massage, or to a vapouriser.

Suggested oils include : lavender, chamomile, marjoram, melissa, neroli, sandalwood and ylang-ylang.

Supplements

You should ensure you are getting enough calcium, vitamin B and vitamin D if you are suffering from sleep problems.  Supplements such as valerian, chamomile tea, bachs rescue remedy have all been found to be useful for some individuals.

Progressive Relaxation

If your sleep problems are caused because you are stressed and over tense then progressive relaxation, which involves gradually tensing and relaxing muscles, may be extremely useful for you:

Clench your right fist as tightly as you can.  Keep it clenched for about 10 seconds, then release the tension immediately and completely as if turning off a switch.  Do the same with your left hand, then clench both fists at the same time.  Bend your elbows and tense your arms.  Release and let your arms hang at your sides.  Continue the process by tensing and relaxing your shoulders and neck, wrinkling and relaxing your forehead and brows, your eyes and jaw before moving onto your stomach, lower back, buttocks, thighs, calves and finally feet and toes.

Music & Visualisations

There is lots of different music on the market to aid sleep, choose carefully and read peoples reviews before purchasing as people's taste can vary hugely.  Our recommendation would be anything by Fredrik Karlsson, (no animal noises or words).  Alternatively you could try regular meditation -

Get some Headspace do a short 10 min meditation which you can download to your ipod for free.  Or try some visualisation - make sure you are comfortable, remember back to a time when you had to stay awake and you really didn't want to, remember how much of a struggle it was to stay awake - and then give in to the urge to sleep.

Crystals

Several crystals are thought to aid restful sleep - try placing your chosen crystal either under your pillow or by your bed:

Amethyst, cerussite, charoite, chrysoprase, hematite, lapis luzuli, lepidolite, muscovite, sodalite, blue tourmaline, labrodorite (if worries and fears are keeping you awake), moonstone, smoky quartz, rose quartz and rainbow obsidian.

Acupressure

There are several acupressure points along the occipital which is at the back of the head at the base of the skull.  Press into the indentations along the occipital and hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Other acupressure points which can help with sleep problems are:

HP7 – Great Mound – go to the palm side of the wrist crease and find the point halfway between the inside and outside of the wrist.

HP6 – Inner Gate – palm side of the hand, in the middle of the arm, three finger widths above the wrist crease.

B62 – Extending vessel – on the outside of the foot, in the indentation 1 and a half finger widths below the middle of the outer anklebone.

Feng Shui

If possible ensure that your bedroom is as uncluttered and restful as possible.  Try to avoid computers and TV’s in the bedroom which create too much busy energy.  Ideally you should be able to view the door but the door shouldn’t be directly in line with the door.  If you have a mirror directly opposite the door you may sleep better if the mirror is covered up.