Complementary therapies have long been used to help people cope with long-term health conditions. But can they make a difference when it comes to sleep disorders? Karen Young explores the options…
For many people, massage and other therapies are still seen as a form of pampering – an occasional treat to be enjoyed as part of a spa day. Yet an increasing number of people are turning to complementary therapies to help improve their health and wellbeing.
A recent survey of professional therapists showed that nearly two thirds of them are treating clients who have a long-term health condition. Further still, 82% reported they regularly support clients with stress and anxiety, 65% with lower back pain, 55% with joint and mobility issues, and 35% with a diagnosed mental health condition. These sorts of things can have a huge impact on our sleep but the question is, can complementary therapies help?
In terms of hard evidence, there’s obviously more research available for conventional medical treatments than for complementary therapies. But there are a good number of studies that suggest certain therapies may also benefit different groups of people, conditions and symptoms. Many of these studies include at least one measurement of sleep, to try to identify whether the therapy helped improve this. Very often the answers are ‘yes’ and ‘significantly’.
Most complementary therapies take a holistic or whole-person approach, rather than target a specific problem. As such, an overall effect of the treatment might be that it helps to relax a person and reduce their level of anxiety or pain, and if it’s the anxiety or pain that’s been affecting their sleep, then their sleep should improve. Or to look at it from another angle, unlike a sleeping pill, it means the therapy has helped address the underlying cause as well as the symptom, and without any unwanted side effects.
It’s also important to note that it might not be the therapy alone that helps improve sleep, but a combination of different factors that make up the whole treatment experience. This might include having the time to talk through your health concerns with a therapist, the essential oils being diffused in the room, the relaxing background music, the dimmed lighting, or the chance to simply stop, lie back
