Insomnia: Understanding the Condition and the Potential Role of Shiatsu
Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders worldwide and represents a growing public health concern. Epidemiological studies suggest that between 10% and 30% of adults suffer from chronic insomnia symptoms, and some reports indicate that up to about one third of adults experience insomnia at least occasionally. Sleep disturbances are associated with reduced cognitive performance, emotional instability, and increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
In modern societies, insomnia is often linked to lifestyle changes, chronic stress, and the increasing presence of artificial light and digital stimulation in the evening. Sleep is not simply a passive state but an active neurophysiological process regulated by circadian rhythms, hormonal balance, and nervous system activity. When these systems are disrupted, falling asleep, staying asleep, or achieving restorative sleep becomes difficult.
Insomnia is generally classified into two main temporal categories. Acute insomnia usually lasts from a few days to a few weeks and is often triggered by stressful life events, emotional shock, or environmental changes. Chronic insomnia is typically defined as sleep difficulty occurring at least three nights per week for more than three months. Chronic forms are more often linked to deeper physiological or psychological imbalances and tend to maintain themselves through learned sleep anxiety and behavioral conditioning.
From a clinical perspective, insomnia can also be described according to how it manifests. Some people primarily struggle with sleep onset, lying awake for long periods before falling asleep. Others experience sleep maintenance insomnia, characterized by frequent awakenings during the night. Early morning awakening insomnia is another pattern, often associated with mood disorders or hormonal shifts. These variations suggest that insomnia is not a single condition but rather a spectrum of dysregulations involving the nervous system, endocrine system, and emotional regulation.
What cause insomnia?
The causes of insomnia are multifactorial and often cumulative. Psychological stress and anxiety are among the most common triggers, as they maintain the nervous system in a state of hyperarousal incompatible with sleep. Lifestyle factors also play a major role, including irregular sleep schedules, excessive screen exposure before bedtime, and stimulants such as caffeine, which can block adenosine receptors involved in sleep regulation. Medical conditions such as chronic pain, depression, respiratory disorders, or hormonal imbalances can further disrupt sleep architecture.
From a neurophysiological perspective, insomnia is increasingly understood as a disorder of hyperactivation. The sympathetic nervous system remains dominant when the parasympathetic “rest and recovery” system should take over. This persistent activation explains why many insomnia patients describe feeling tired but wired, exhausted yet unable to sleep.
What can help?
This is where body-based therapies such as Shiatsu may offer meaningful support. While specific research on Shiatsu and insomnia remains limited, evidence from massage therapy research suggests mechanisms that are highly relevant. Manual therapies appear to reduce stress hormones such as cortisol, increase serotonin production, and promote parasympathetic nervous system activation. Since serotonin is a precursor to melatonin, these changes may indirectly support sleep regulation.
Touch-based therapies may also help by reducing physical tension and pain, two major contributors to sleep disruption. By improving circulation, reducing muscular contraction, and calming the nervous system, manual therapies can create physiological conditions more favorable to sleep. Some clinical observations also suggest that regular bodywork may help regulate circadian rhythms through repeated activation of relaxation pathways.
From the perspective of Shiatsu and East Asian medicine, insomnia is often interpreted as a disharmony between the mind and the body, or more specifically between the Shen and the physiological substrates that anchor it. Patterns such as Liver constraint, Heart and Spleen deficiency, or Kidney Yin deficiency are classical frameworks used to understand different insomnia presentations. Treatment aims not only to induce immediate relaxation but also to progressively restore systemic balance through regulation of meridian flow, autonomic nervous system modulation, and emotional regulation.
In clinical practice, Shiatsu sessions for insomnia often focus on calming the nervous system, releasing diaphragmatic and thoracic tension, regulating abdominal tone, and supporting constitutional balance through meridian work. The goal is rarely limited to making the client fall asleep immediately after a session, but rather to restore the body’s capacity to enter natural sleep cycles without excessive effort or anxiety.
Insomnia is rarely caused by a single factor and rarely resolved by a single intervention. However, when integrated into a broader strategy including sleep hygiene, stress management, and, when necessary, medical care, Shiatsu may provide a valuable complementary approach. By addressing both the physical and psycho-emotional dimensions of sleep regulation, it aligns well with the multidimensional nature of insomnia itself.
To learn how to combat insomnia, come along and attend Paul Banester’s training course (among many other international teachers) which will take place during the Balkan Shiatsu Summit 2026.
