At Total Body, we treat insomnia by addressing its root cause—whether it stems from pain, stress, or other underlying factors. Each session begins with a detailed discussion of your medical history, lifestyle, diet, and sleep patterns. This helps us identify what may be contributing to your sleep difficulties.

A skilled acupuncturist will then insert 5 to 20 fine, sterilized needles at common acupuncture points for sleep, such as the arms, legs, and feet. After the needles are placed, you’ll relax for about 30 minutes. Your first visit may last up to 90 minutes, while follow-up sessions usually take 45 to 60 minutes.

For temporary insomnia, we typically recommend 2 to 3 sessions per week for about 10 sessions.

For chronic insomnia, ongoing care may be required to achieve lasting results.

After completing a course of treatment, we reassess your progress to decide if you’re ready for a maintenance plan. This usually involves continued acupuncture sessions tailored to your needs, along with simple lifestyle adjustments that support better sleep.

Many patients notice improvement after their very first session, while deeper, long-term benefits often appear after 3 to 4 sessions. Depending on the severity of your condition, follow-up visits may be scheduled weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Acupuncture naturally creates a sense of calm and relaxation, leaving you more focused, creative, and less stressed.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), insomnia is understood as a symptom of imbalance in the body’s vital substances—Qi (life energy), Blood, Yin, Yang, and Spirit—or in major organ systems such as the Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lungs, and Kidneys. Imbalances in the Heart or Liver are most often linked to sleep problems. For instance, a Liver Fire pattern can cause irritability, a red complexion, dry stools, and dark urine, while a Spleen/Heart deficiency may lead to fatigue, excessive worrying, poor concentration, forgetfulness, and restless sleep.

In TCM, the most common types of insomnia are: dream-disturbed sleep, difficulty falling asleep, waking up easily, and waking up at a specific time every night.

There is a lot of space devoted to insomnia in classical Chinese medicine textbooks. Several different types of insomnia are noted, and the differences point to different origins of the problem. The common types of insomnia are as follows:

Dream-disturbed sleep: Nightmares normally indicate a disorder of the Gall Bladder meridian. Dreams in which we go over and over the same ground, walking in a maze, or reliving aspects of our jobs or our relationships are generally due to a Spleen/Heart imbalance. People with this problem often say, “I can’t shut my mind off.