Can an acupressure mat help you sleep better? (UK)

Good rest is as important for the body as physical activity and a balanced diet. It is estimated that 35% of the world's population have had moderate sleep problems in their lifetime, and 15% suffer from chronic insomnia.

The acupressure mat offers a number of benefits to the body, including helping people to maintain restful sleep for longer at night. In this article you have everything you need to know to make this product offer you a better quality of sleep.

What is acupressure therapy and what are its health benefits?

It is a holistic therapy that was born from traditional Chinese medicine, mixing several individual techniques to obtain a better distribution of "Chi" energy in the body. Today, these techniques are perfectly coordinated and form acupressure therapy.

The acupressure mat is a way of bringing the expertise of a physiotherapist to a product that achieves similar and respectable benefits, within your pocket. It is based on stimulating specific points on the body to give the person a complete sense of wellbeing.

These are the main benefits:

• Regulates body temperature: this benefit starts locally, where there is stimulation, and after 10 minutes the body begins to have a comfortable temperature that favours tissue recovery.
• Increases blood circulation: this prevents fluid retention in the lower limbs, where there is usually swelling due to this cause. With increased circulation, there will also be a greater amount of oxygen and nutrients in the tissues.
• Soothes physical pain: receiving massages and stimulations with acupressure mats reduces the intensity of pain when it is caused by injuries such as muscle contractures and tensions. Stimulations should be avoided when the pain is chronic.
• Improves digestion: acupressure also has positive effects on metabolism, which is the way the body uses the energy that enters the body through food, thus preventing the accumulation of body fat.
• It is an excellent analgesic: doing acupressure sessions makes different components, such as endorphins, have a greater presence in the body to provide physical and emotional well-being and serve as natural painkillers for injuries that may cause minor aches and pains.
• It distributes the "Chi" better: this is its raison d'être, to prevent muscular tensions due to the accumulation of energy from limiting people's mobility. Stress and excessive activity often cause the body to have excess energy in specific areas such as the neck, back and legs.

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What are the causes of insomnia and poor rest?

There are more than 80 types of disorders that alter the quality of sleep in people. However, there are also some lifestyle risk factors to consider.

• Incorrect habits: watching TV, checking smartphones and drinking coffee before bedtime are habits that undoubtedly disrupt the quality of restful sleep.
• Sleeping at the wrong time: it is natural for the body to rest at night and be active during the day, but when there are changes in the rhythm and hours of sleep, the body suffers because it cannot recharge its energy and the mind does not rest as it needs to.
• Advancing age: older adults tend to have fewer hours of sleep, so acupressure offers a short- and medium-term solution for nights of complete rest, with a minimum of eight hours of sleep.
• Stress and anxiety: at some point in their lives, everyone has had moments of stress that prevent a good night's sleep, even affecting muscle function to the point of limiting mobility. Often, this feeling leads to anxiety that reduces the hours of sleep.

How can the acupressure mat help me sleep better?

Reduce stress

The body and mind are more connected than you think, and when your mind is not calm it reflects on the musculature by causing tensions that prevent free mobility and keep people from relaxing.

The acupressure mat causes the body to unblock tensions by eliminating the energy that accumulates in specific areas. When the body senses that the tension is lowered, the mind interprets this picture in a favourable way and calms the negative thoughts that invade it, thus giving space for total relaxation.

It releases endorphins and oxytocin

Endorphin is considered the "happiness hormone" because it has not been possible to duplicate it in a laboratory, it makes people feel emotionally and physically stable, it is associated with happiness. In turn, oxytocin regulates behaviour, sexual and impulsive patterns.

Fortunately, the use of the mat increases the amount of both natural components in the body, so it is normal for your body to feel better when you receive lotus flower stimulation on your skin.

Relieves body tensions

According to acupressure therapy, which is part of traditional Chinese medicine, body tensions are actually irregular accumulations of "Chi" energy that affect muscle function. With the mat you achieve a better distribution of the accumulated energy.

To start receiving this benefit, all you need to do is place the mat on the floor and lie on your back on it for up to 15 minutes, so that the stimulation on the skin and tissues starts to have a relaxing effect.

Improves circulation

Another of the best purposes of the acupressure mat is to reduce the symptoms of vascular problems by increasing blood flow in the vessels and veins, thus preventing swelling in the lower limbs due to venous return problems.

However, special care should be taken not to fall asleep while relaxing the body on the mat as this can lead to circulation complications due to over-stimulation.

How to use the Lotus flower mat to improve sleep every night?

Positions

For better sleep, a short way to do it is to place the mat on the bed for a few days to see if you can get more hours of sleep at night, without your mind waking up at night or very early in the morning.

• Place the mat on top of the conventional pillow and bed.
• Your neck, shoulders and back should touch the mat.
• The lotus flowers will begin to have a relaxing effect on the body.
• Remember not to fall asleep on this product.
• Try lying your body on its side, resting your head on the acupressure pad.
• Hold this position for 5 minutes and switch sides.
• Maintain a half-lit environment, free from noise and distractions, for a longer lasting effect.

Time of use

• A complete session on the mat should last no longer than 15 minutes.
• If you wish to change position, the time is spread out so that it totals 15 minutes.
• You can do this routine once a day before going to sleep.
• Remember, if there is pain when using this product, you should stop using it and consult your doctor.

Regularity of use

• The acupressure mat is a safe product, you can use it every day.
• When you are able to sleep better, try to reduce the frequency of use to avoid dependency.
• Respect the time of use per session, so that the blood circulation is not affected.
• It is unlikely that you will need to use the mat for more than a week to get a better sleep.