Do you wake up feeling tired and unrefreshed?

Can you relate to any of the following?

• Difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep (resulting in poor quality sleep and waking up still feeling tired)?
• Fatigue, daytime tiredness and/or irritability?
• Waking up during the night/very early in the morning?

These are all examples of insomnia which is a common problem resulting in upset sleep pattern. It can last short term from just a few nights broken sleep, to weeks or months of suffering. The causes can be varied including stress, emotions, anxiety, grief, trauma, allergies, pain, caffeine/stimulants, some medications, shift work, jet lag or underlying medical conditions, to name a few.

How can Reflexology help?

Reflexology is based on the belief that specific areas in your hands and feet (“reflex points”) are linked to all areas of your body. By applying pressure to these points it is believed to stimulate and restore the natural balance of the body and place it in a position to restore or boost it’s own natural healing system, it can reduce stress by calming the body down and places the body and mind into a state of deep relaxation. This switches our body from the sympathetic nervous system (a stimulated state of being wide awake and alert), to the parasympathetic nervous system (a relaxed state which promotes rest and repair).

Reflexology is a gentle, enjoyable and relaxing treatment with many of my clients falling into a relaxed state and leave the session feeling deeply relaxed, refreshed and more positive.

Specifically for insomnia, after a normal Reflexology treatment, I return to focus on the hormonal system. The pituitary gland regulates the circadian rhythm which regulates the sleep/wake cycle. The thyroid glands govern metabolism and the adrenal glands regulate stress hormones. Treating these glands can help start to return the body to it’s natural, calmer state with an aim to restore good sleep patterns.

The vast majority of my clients report improved sleep the night after their treatment, which is well known to be a good side effect of Reflexology. I believe this is partly due to switching on the parasympathetic nervous system (explained above) and the work I do on the diaphragm and solar plexus, our breathing and emotional centre. This all results in a calming effect on the whole body and helps regulate breathing and heart rate.