If you have trouble sleeping, try this simple do-it-yourself reflexology move.
Reflexology involves applying mild pressure to specific spots on the hands and feet believed to correspond with different body organs. While there isn’t good scientific evidence that reflexology can treat diseases such as asthma and diabetes (as some people claim), there are some small studies that find that it can help with insomnia…and there’s no harm if it doesn’t help.
Deborah Flanagan, a certified reflexologist and founder of the Center for True Health in New York City, offers a do-it-yourself approach…
- Locate the middle of the “whorl” of your right thumbprint. In reflexology, this corresponds to the pituitary gland, which helps regulate sleep.
- Press the side of your left thumbnail into the center of the whorl and hold it for 45 seconds.
- Switch thumbs and hold for another 45 seconds.
- Do this two to three times per day.
- You can also try this “in the middle of the night if you wake up and have trouble getting back to sleep,” says Flanagan.
To learn more ways to improve sleep without drugs, see Bottom Line’s Guide to Better Sleep—No Sleeping Pills Needed.