Insomnia & Sleep
Acupuncture addresses the root causes of disrupted sleep — stress, hormonal imbalance, nervous system dysregulation — not the symptom in isolation. Whether you're struggling to fall asleep, waking at 3 a.m. and unable to drift back, or sleeping through the night but never feeling rested, acupuncture works with your body to restore the conditions that make deep, restorative sleep possible.
How Acupuncture Supports Sleep
Sleep is a whole-body event. It depends on a nervous system that can downshift, hormones that cycle on a steady rhythm, digestion that settles by evening, and a mind that isn't running circuits through the night. When any of those systems is off, sleep is usually the first thing to suffer.
Chinese medicine has treated insomnia for thousands of years, and the framework is remarkably precise at differentiating the myriad ways sleep can go wrong. Trouble falling asleep points to one pattern; waking between 1 and 3 a.m. points to another; vivid dreaming and unrefreshing sleep point to a third. Acupuncture works by identifying which pattern is at play and bringing that system back into balance — calming the nervous system, regulating circadian rhythm, supporting the organs involved in rest, and reducing the physiological load of chronic stress.
Patients often notice a shift after the first few sessions: falling asleep more easily, sleeping through the night, or waking feeling more rested. Over a longer course of treatment, sleep tends to stabilize into a reliable pattern.
Jeanne supports patients across a wide range of sleep presentations, including:
Difficulty falling asleep
Waking in the middle of the night and not returning to sleep
Early-morning waking
Restless, unrefreshing sleep
Stress- and anxiety-related insomnia
Sleep disruption from perimenopause and menopause — night sweats, hot flashes, 3 a.m. waking
Hormonally driven sleep changes across the menstrual cycle
Sleep disruption tied to digestion, pain, or chronic illness
Jet lag and disrupted circadian rhythm
Long-standing, chronic insomnia
Supporting your concerns
Bodies are wise — they want to be efficient. We can identify exactly where the imbalances lie and systematically work to address them. Wired at bedtime and unable to turn your mind off? We work on the nervous system patterns keeping it switched on. Waking at 3 a.m. with your heart racing? Often a liver or adrenal pattern that responds well to treatment. Perimenopausal night waking? Acupuncture can help regulate the hormonal and temperature shifts that interrupt sleep.
What distinguishes this practice from most is the degree to which treatment is individualized. There is no standard insomnia protocol here. Jeanne draws on her extensive training in different acupuncture styles and bodywork techniques, and selects her approach based on what each person's body presents. Sleep is almost never a stand-alone issue — digestion, stress, hormones, pain, and emotional load all factor in. We'll work on healing your body at the deepest levels, to show it the way back into balance. Your body wants to be healthy, balanced, and thriving — and it wants to sleep. We remind it how to get there, and give you simple steps to keep it there.
An Integrated Approach
1. Reach out
Share your general availability and, if you'd like, a brief note about what's happening with your sleep. You'll hear back to schedule your first session.
2. First session
The intake appointment is longer than a regular visit. It begins with a conversation about your sleep — when it started, how it's patterned, what you've already tried — along with how your body is feeling more broadly: digestion, stress, energy, hormones. Pulse diagnosis and palpation help shape an initial treatment plan, followed by your first acupuncture treatment. You'll leave with a clear sense of the approach and what to expect going forward.
3. Course of treatment
Treatment builds over a series of visits — typically weekly to start. Each session includes acupuncture and may include bodywork or manual therapy, depending on what your body needs that day. Most patients notice a shift in sleep within the first few sessions. Deeper, lasting change accumulates over time, with the plan adjusting based on how your body responds.
4. Transition to maintenance
As sleep stabilizes, visits can gradually space out — from weekly to every other week, then monthly or as needed. Many patients return periodically for maintenance, or when sleep shifts again with stress, seasons, or hormonal change.
The Process Is Simple
Getting Started
Location
NoMad/Flatiron, Manhattan — 1123 Broadway at the corner of West 25th Street, Suite 714. More than 15 years at this location. Convenient to multiple subway lines.
Get in Touch
If you've been tired for a long time and nothing you've tried has given you your sleep back, please reach out — questions are welcome, and helping patients return to restful sleep is some of the most satisfying work of this practice.
