If you’re one of the nearly 40 million people in America who have problems sleeping, then you’ve likely tried a range of treatments to relieve the tiredness caused by your insomnia and headaches.
While medicine may help, it doesn’t work for everyone, and some drugs can have serious side effects. That’s why many people turn to alternative treatments like acupuncture and acupressure.
These can now be done in a semi-permanent way in the form of specialized ear piercings.
If you’re thinking about one of these, here’s what you should know.
Acupuncture can help sleeping cycles and headaches. In one study, 4 weeks of acupuncture led to fewer migraines for the next 5 months.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099267/
The ear piercing in certain points on the ear help to relax the mind, balance your natural energy flow, and relieve stress and pain.
It’s a new form of acupuncture, which has been a part of Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years.
The two piercings that are said to relieve migraines and the other insomnia are the 10 o clock piercing, and the 2 o clock piercing.
They are most commonly used together and called “an industrial piercing”, and many wear it as a bar, though studs can also be worn.
The combined piercings help release tension that is built up during a headache, which is a large factor towards why many people cannot fall asleep at night. The double piercing hits an area near the vagus nerve, which travels from your brain to multiple organs. It controls some of your body’s hormones. Stimulating this nerve has been a way to treat insomnia and headaches in the past.
If you’re looking into getting the piercing, prices and pain levels vary for different shops and different people.
Most people wonder- will the piercing hurt?
Let’s just get this out of the way. Yes, the piercing will hurt. Since there are two holes to pierce, the ear will already be inflamed and tender when the second hole is made.
Many people who get these piercings report that the first hole is not too bad, about a 2 on a pain scale of 1 to 10. Though, the second hole tends to be more painful, closer to a 4 on the pain scale.
Another thing that many people report about the industrial piercing is that the healing process can be somewhat painful.
Cartilage is more sensitive to pierce and takes longer to heal than other types of tissue. If you want to pierce both your ears with these piercings, you’ll have to wait two weeks in the middle, of you won’t be able to sleep on them.
The initial piercing pain is a sharp pain, like a hard pinch, and you may also experience some pain as the jewelry is pushed in place. The pain that follows during the healing process is typically less intense but can be constant and throbbing.
If you are a minor; your state may have laws or certain parental restrictions against piercings, so be sure to check what they are for your specific area before you head to the shop.