Acupuncture, a form of alternative medicine, is becoming an increasingly popular method to treat many medical conditions, including sleep disorders. Acupuncture dates back thousands of years and is rooted in Eastern healing practices. It's based on a concept that all disease, including sleep problems, is the result of an imbalance of subtle energy moving throughout the body. This energy moves along 14 pathways in the body called meridians. Through the ages, practitioners have identified and charted these meridians. Treatment by an acupuncturist involves inserting very fine needles at various points along these meridians to increase, decrease, or balance the energy flow.

In the Western scientific community, there is a great deal of skepticism about the use of acupuncture, mainly because there have not been many well-designed studies proving its effectiveness.  Dr. Adam Chen with a group of coworkers conducted a well know clinic research project to understand the value of acupuncture in treating insomnia.  This study concluded a significant effect of acupuncture on reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality.  This study also discovered that such positive effect is associated with the improvement of the brain electrical activity and with the balance of the melatonin production.  The results of this study have been published in the Journal of Neuropsychology and Clinical Neurosciences. 
Acupuncture has also been suggested -- and in the East, used -- as a remedy for insomnia, although scientific proof of this particular benefit is lacking. Still, acupuncture might be worth a try, especially for people suffering from chronic pain that affects their ability to get enough restful sleep.

Most people have heard about someone who has been helped by acupuncture but are reluctant to try it themselves because they fear having needles inserted into their body. But the consensus of most people who have used acupuncture is that the procedure causes little or no discomfort, and many swear by the benefits they've received. Side effects from acupuncture are also rare and appear to result mostly from treatment by unqualified practitioners.

If you decide to try acupuncture for your sleep problems, seek out a well trained acupuncturist.  In the US, if your state governs this profession, you can find one certified by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists. In addition, check to be sure the acupuncturist uses sterile, disposable needles, to decrease any risk of transmission of blood-borne infectious organisms.

A close cousin of acupuncture is acupressure. Acupressure relies on the same meridian points as acupuncture, but uses finger pressure, rather than needles, to stimulate points along the meridians to increase, decrease, or balance the energy running through the body.