Unlock Better Sleep: Top Acupressure Points For Sleep Techniques in Your Hand

Busy days can make a good night’s sleep feel priceless, but we have all had those nights where sleep seems to escape us. Sometimes it’s stress, and other times I have no clue what is causing me to feel restless all night. Sleep-inducing medications felt too unnatural for me, and I hated the side effects, while other simple solutions like exercise didn’t seem to get me sleepy enough. That’s when I decided to try these three acupressure points for sleep in the hands that you can use easily.

Activating these points has provided me with restful sleep at the touch of a pressure point. My favorite aspect of using hand acupressure points for sleep is that they can safely be combined with other methods of sleep enhancement, and it feels like a very calming nighttime ritual. I practice using these points nightly in conjunction with deep breaths, and I have found that my quality of sleep has greatly improved.

You can easily use acupressure to sleep better too, and here are the points and information you’ll need!

What Pressure Points Help Sleep?

While many acupressure points can affect the brain and relax various parts of the body, these three acupressure points for sleep in hand that you can use easily are considered some of the best. This is because these points are easily accessible in a reclined and relaxed position, allowing you to stimulate them and then quickly drift off to sleep.

You can also stimulate pressure points that reduce discomfort in any painful areas of your body to aid with relaxation as long as you are not stimulating energizing points.

Acupoint: PC-8 (Other Names: Pericardium-8/Lao Gong/Palace of Toil)

PC-8 or Laogong is a point known for its ability to balance the brain and body. This point is located on the pericardium meridian, connecting it to the heart and, therefore, much of the body’s daily functions. This point is popular as one of a few acupressure points in hand for weight loss. It is easy to reach and stimulate, and best of all, it results in a clearing of brain fog for calm sleep.

Locating PC-8 is as easy as making a fist. Once you make a fist, note where the tip of your middle finger lands. That location is the PC-8 point, and you will want to stimulate it with firm pressure for a few seconds at a time while taking deep breaths.

Acupoint: HT-7 (Other Names: Heart-7/Shen Men/Spirit Gate)

The body has natural rhythms that must be kept to maintain one’s physical and mental health. The circadian rhythm is one such rhythm, and when it is disrupted by restless nights or late work shifts, it can result in health complications. HT-7 is an acupressure point that works to relax the mind and body while bringing stability to the body’s blood flow. This results in a number of benefits that make this one of the best acupressure points to relieve anxiety attacks and a great way to improve your ability to drift off to sleep at night.

Practitioners of acupressure are able to easily locate this point, and you will be able to do the same, thanks to its obvious placement. If you hold with hand palm up, you will notice the crease between your hand and arm. Place a finger there and slowly slide it towards the pinky side of your wrist crease. You will feel a slight indent in the wrist below the pinky, and this is where you should apply gentle pressure.

Acupoint: LI-4 (Other Names: Large Intestine-4/He Gu/Joining Valley)

LI-4 is a popular point on the large intestine channel, and while it is known for influencing circulation in various areas of the body, it is best known as acupressure for circulation in the hands. This pressure point for sleep on hand is believed to stimulate the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s automatic functions, many of which are closely associated with sleep.

This point is located in the upper muscle in the hand between the thumb and pointer finger. Place the thumb of your opposite hand onto this point and apply pressure from the other side with your fingers in a pinching motion. You will want to press this point for 10 seconds and release it for 5 seconds. Repeat this process three times on each hand for an improved quality of sleep.

How Does Acupressure Help Sleep?

Acupressure works much like acupuncture, but without the needles, and as such, it has a number of influences over body functions when performed properly. Acupressure for good sleep is believed to improve the flow of energy, also known as qi, throughout the body. This view is most common in traditional Chinese medicine, and it is believed that the improved balance of energy contributes to a goodnight’s sleep.

Western science is a bit more torn on the functionality of acupressure for good sleep. Studies have shown that acupressure is an effective treatment for influencing the body’s functions in a number of ways, and some studies have even focused on the effectiveness of acupressure for sleep. The results of two different studies resulted in a significant amount of evidence supporting acupressure’s ability to improve sleep quality and associated daily functions the next day. With hundreds of individuals participating in these studies, it goes to show how widely applicable and effective this method of treatment can be.

It is wonderful to hear that acupressure points for sleep are effective, but how do they work? While this topic is still scientifically up for debate, it is believed that acupressure either reduces pain and inflammation-causing the body to relax for sleep, or it releases hormones in the brain that make us feel happy and safe so we can drift into a comfortable sleep.