You wake, and the room is dark and very quiet. Your mind is suddenly wide awake, even though your body is tired. You turn over, then turn back.
Brief wake-ups are normal for everyone. Lying awake for an hour, night after night, is common too, and it is worth working on. Here is one point I press on myself before bed, and what I do instead of pressing when I wake.
Try this tonight, before the lamp goes off
- Sit on the edge of your bed and turn one palm up.
- Follow the wrist crease toward the little-finger side until your fingertip meets the edge of a small round bone. There is a hollow tucked right inside it.
- Press with the tip of your other thumb, small slow circles, one to three minutes. Then the other wrist. Socks on, phone face down and out of reach, lie down.
If you wake anyway: don't look at the clock. Breathe out longer than you breathe in, as if cooling a cup of tea. Still awake after about twenty minutes? Get up to a room with a soft lamp and do something dull until your eyelids feel heavy. I never press points at 3 a.m. Searching for a tender spot is wake-up work.
The wrist spot is small, and a thumbtip is too wide to find it. The brass Acupressure Pen has a round head for most spots and a fine tip for the small ones on your wrists and hands. Keep it on your nightstand for the nights you wake. You get 3 pens for $19.99, shipping included, and there are only 97 gold sets. Claim your 3 Acupressure Pens now → Order by November 18 for Christmas. 30-day returns on unused tools.
One question: is it a busy mind that wakes you, or an ache?
Read the full guide: six reasons you wake, and five points before bed →
See your doctor if poor sleep has gone on for months, you snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep, you wake with chest pain or short of breath, or you feel low most days.
This is general wellness education, not medical advice. It does not replace your doctor or anything they have prescribed. If you are pregnant, take blood thinners, or have a health condition, check with your doctor before you press.
