• Governing Vessel-20 is located right on the top of the head and is a great release point for excess heat, anger, frustration or nervousness that "rises" and builds up in the head. Needling this point can calm the nerves, relieve headaches and stabilize the willpower.

• an mian is an extra point which means "sweet sleep," located at the top of the neck just behind the ears. It functions to calm the Spirit (Shen) to enable restful sleep.

• yi ming (-): calms the Shen to enable restful sleep

• Bladder-38 is above the back of the knee and is known as the "Happy point" because it strengthens Deficiency conditions, tonifies the Heart function and releases unresolved emotions.

• Bladder-15 is located about an inch lateral to the spine on the back at the level of the heart and works to clear the Brain, calm the Heart and the Shen (Spirit), relieve palpitations, regulate the Xue (Blood) and Qi and relax the chest.

• Bladder-23 is also about an inch away from the spine, at about waist level. It the major point on the back regulating the Kidney function. Since insomnia, in TCM, is primarily due to imbalance between the Heart and Kidneys, both these organs must be properly treated to relieve your restless sleeping.

• yin tang is a famous extra point right between the eyebrows. It is famous for its calming effect on the entire system, probably because it stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands, thereby promoting relaxation.

• Heart-7 is located near the inner wrist and is specific for insomnia due to fear or an internal organ problem.

• Spleen-2, located at the inner aspect of the base of the big toe is said to be the patient who "cannot lie still in bed."

• Stomach-45, on the top of the foot, between the second and third toes, pacifies the Shen (Spirit) and facilitates flow of Qi.

• Liver-3 is between the big and second toes on the front of the foot and also pacifies the Shen, relieves anger and mellows spirits of those who are frustrated and jealous.

• Kidney-6, near the inner ankles is yet another point to pacify the Shen and also stabilizes the Will, nourishes the Heart, balances excess or deficiency of any hormonal secretion, and sedates pain.

• Aconitum napellus for sleeplessness after midnight with anxiety and nervous fear; restlessness; skin hot and dry; increased thirst for cold water.

• Arsenicum album also for sleeplessness after midnight; nervous exhaustion; restlessness and prostration; due to nausea and gastric troubles; fear of death or of being left alone; thirst for small sips.

• Belladonna is the remedy for sleeplessness of nervous excitement; flushed face; starting on first falling to sleep; sleep interrupted by talking, startings, muscular jerkings and spasmodic motions; head hot and throbbing; worse from noise and light.

• Calcarea carbonica is for the workaholic insomniac, troubled by phantoms; by frightful images which appear as soon as the eyes are shut.

• Chamomilla works well in children for insomnia due to irritability; for complaints of bowels and flatulence; sleeplessness due to pain; teething in children; the child wants to be carried.

• Cinchona is well known as a malaria remedy and is also useful for sleeplessness from exhausting diseases; the mind indulges in castle building; there may be a pressure-type pain in the head; this insomniac will start with fright as they begin to fall asleep.

• Coffea, a remedy derived from coffee, treats sleeplessness due to exciting, agreeable causes; this person cannot switch off their mind; all the senses are more acute; the insomnia is especially pronounced during convalescence from acute diseases.

• Hyoscyamus is for sleeplessness from nervous excitement with bewildering ideas and images; the patient complains of tossing about the bed.

• Ignatia, made from the strychnine nut, treats sleeplessness from grief, fright or suppressed mental suffering; for women with sleepless "hysteria."

• Lachesis, from snake venon, is for excessive mental exertion which prohibits sleep; particularly at menopause when there are frequent hot flushes and a felling of heat at the top of the head.

• Nux vomica, an addiction remedy, is for poor sleep from a "crowd of ideas"; night-watching; when late-night reading or singing is followed by wakefulness; this patient awakes from anxiety and frightful dreams; insomnia comes after the use of drugs, strong coffee, and/or tobacco.

• Pulsatillais given to the insomniac who is wakeful until early morning, then falls sound asleep but wakes unrefreshed. The symptoms are worse at menstruation; this remedy if for mild, timid women who suffer from indigestion and feel better in a cool breeze.

• Rhus toxicodendron, made from the Poison Ivy plant, is for the patient who is extremely restless with general soreness; is worse getting wet, better from heat, and has "exercise dreams" of walking, running or climbing.

• Sulphur is a remedy for the "hot, rumpled philosopher" who's mind is cluttered with arithmatic figures; sleeps for short periods of time only, or wakes frequently, or sleeps all day and is sleepless at night.

• agrimony
  
• rock water
  
• beech
  
• oak
  
• olive
  
• pine
  
• sweet chestnut
  
• cherry plum
  
• water violet
  
• impatiens
  
• willow
  
• centaury
  
• elm
  
• heather
  
• honeysuckle
  
• chamomile
  
• chaparrel
  
• white chestnut
  
• red chestnut
  
• mimulus
  
• dill
  
• lavender
  
• Saint John's wort

• violet acts as a tranquilizer when directed towards the face
• purple raises the threshold of pain and is soporific when applied on the face, throat and chest if your pulse fast or throbbing
• blue on the forehead and temples for 5 minutes before bed
• orange on abdomen
• green or magenta
• indigo, blue, green and orange

• Pearl
• Moonstone
• Ruby, Coral, Topaz, Cat's Eye combination

• Inability to forget the day may be due to guilt.
  
• Fear of death, since sleep can be equated to death.
  
• Depression can be a major cause of insomnia.
  
• Habit-bound insomnia.
  
• Fear. Not trusting the process of life. Guilt.
  
• Insomniacs are afraid of the night, of passivity. Transitoriness and death are important issues for them. They are lacking in native trust and the capacity for self surrender, and are usually identified with their active pole, the 'doer'.

• Bed should be used for sleeping, and not for other activities such as reading, watching TV, or eating. The bed should be behaviorally associated with sleeping.
  
• Meditation, breath concentration, mantra recitation, counting sheep; all these methods are monotonously boring to the left side of the brain and allow it to let go of its dominance.

Another psychological technique that may help insomnia is
hypnotherapy. This is a light trance state, self-induced or facilitated by a therapist, which allows you to backtrack in your history to the time before you had problems sleeping. When a series of memories is recalled through this method, you can get to the forgotten traumatic source of a personality problem that had previously been in your unconscious mind. This gives your body to physiologically recreate the hormone-encoded source of a problem that can now be accessed and reframed therapeutically.

Restful sleep implies the ability to bring the day consciously to a close, so as to give yourself over totally to the night. Sleeplessness could be taken as a cue for asking the following questions:

• Am I able to let go?
• Am I having sufficient regard for the night-side of my soul?
• How dependent am I on power, control, intellect, and observation?
• How afraid am I of death? What terms have I come to with this?
• How developed are my facilities for self-surrender?
• What is the symptom preventing me from doing? What is the symptom making me do?