A 2004 study published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry Clinical Neuroscience explored the relationship between acupuncture to insomnia and anxiety. After participating in a five-week acupuncture treatment, participants in the study had an increase in the amount of melatonin in their bodies. Melatonin is a sleep hormone that helps trigger the onset of sleep and keeps you stay asleep through the night. Participants in the study slept longer and woke less often during the night.
Human beings have an intrinsic and powerful connection to sunlight that evolved over thousands of years. Before the advent of electricity we were bound by the constraints of daylight, and our sleep cycles followed suit. But today, electricity and technological stimulation allow our minds and bodies to be active after sundown, which can wreak havoc on our health. Many hormonal processes in our body are literally hardwired to be orchestrated by sunlight and the absence of sunlight. It is no surprise that adhering to a normal sleep pattern is therefore highly important to maintaining optimal health.
