Acupuncture mats are perfect to use for at-home relaxation, working to relieve aches, pains and help with sleep problems such as insomnia. If you are a fan of relaxing and meditating at home, an acupressure mat would be a perfect addition to your life. The mat itself has several benefits to your overall mental and physical health and well being.
What is an Acupressure Mat
An acupressure mat is a cotton mat containing hundreds of plastic pressure points. These plastic points don’t penetrate the skin or cause any damage, they simply put pressure on the body. The pressure points within the mat work to stimulate the skin to aid in pain relief on any part of the body, including legs, back, shoulders and hips. Acupressure works similarly to acupuncture as it stimulates the body, releasing your body’s natural painkillers aka endorphins.
Benefits of an Acupressure Mat
Helps relieve stress and anxiety
Acupressure mats can work wonders for relieving stress and anxiety. As the mat stimulates your body to produce the chemicals that provide pain relief, it kindles the nervous system. This simultaneously provides pain relief and stimulates the part of the brain that regulates emotions. The effect this has reduces stress levels and can calm and aid with high anxiety levels.
Relieves and helps with insomnia and restful sleep
With the mat giving you a noticeable reduction in stress and anxiety, a better more peaceful sleep will follow. As a form of mediation and relaxation, the improvement in sleep can be excellent and extremely beneficial for your overall health and wellbeing. Particularly if you use the mat before you go to sleep, you will feel calm and relaxed before attempting to sleep.
Has little to no side effects
Using the mat as a treatment for aches, pains, migraines etc has little to no side effects unlike a lot of medicines or other forms of treatment. You may experience some slight discomfort in the first few minutes when you begin using it but as you use it regularly this should lessen or go completely.
Relieves aches and muscle tension
The mat is effective at relieving muscle tensions and aches. Particularly in the neck and back area and it works well to give relief from sciatica pain. The mat provokes the circulation of endorphins, a natural pain killer that will aid with bodily aches, as well as migraines or headaches.
How To Use An Acupressure Mat
Acupressure mats aren’t difficult to use but they may take a few tries to get used to the feeling of the pressure points. As a beginner, it would be a good idea to wear a t-shirt while you use the mat in order to get used to the feeling before moving up to bare skin. Targeting your back when you first start is the best way to get used to the mat before moving onto other problem areas.
Start off by laying the mat down on a flat surface, this could be the floor, a bed or a sofa. Lay on top of the mat and get yourself into a comfortable position. At first, you may not feel comfortable, it may take a few minutes for your body to adjust to the new feeling. To target your lower back, bend your knees in a comfortable position to allow for the pressure to focus more closely on your lower back.
For maximum results, this relaxation technique should be done at least 2-3 time a week in order for you to properly feel the full benefits. At the beginning you may do 10-15 minutes but it’s best to use the acupressure mat for 20 minutes. You can build yourself to 20-30 minutes as you use the mat more regularly.
Relax
Mats are excellent for overall health and wellbeing, effectively targeting aches, pains, anxiety, stress and sleep problems. If you struggle to relax or experience a lot of aches and pains, from general life or from working out, this mat could give you some relief and benefit your overall health.