A Guide for Climacteric Women: Overcoming Night Sweats and Sleepless Nights with Acupressure

Being unable to sleep due to the recurrent heat and sweat arriving each night is a painful burden. Modern medicine views these as the core symptoms of climacteric syndrome. The primary cause is the sharp decline in estrogen, the female sex hormone. Estrogen regulates diverse functions in the body, but it is especially deeply involved with the thermoregulatory center in the hypothalamus. When estrogen levels become unstable, this thermoregulatory center malfunctions, causing the body to react hypersensitively to even minute changes in body temperature. Even though the body temperature has not actually changed significantly, the brain mistakenly perceives it as excessively hot and immediately dilates cutaneous blood vessels and stimulates sweat glands to cool down. This is the exact mechanism of night sweats, where heat suddenly surges through the body and sweat pours down like rain while asleep. These hot flashes and sweats severely degrade sleep quality. Not only is it difficult to fall asleep, but even when one manages to do so, entering deep sleep stages such as slow-wave sleep or REM sleep becomes difficult. Waking up during the night becomes frequent, and even without waking, poor sleep quality leaves one unrefreshed and perpetually fatigued in the morning. Chronic sleep deprivation elevates cortisol, our stress hormone, which can trigger a vicious cycle that further disrupts hormonal balance. The heart heat and anxious mind described in Donguibogam are also closely connected to an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system in modern medical terms. The autonomic nervous system regulates essential life-sustaining functions—such as heartbeat, breathing, digestion, and thermoregulation—without conscious effort, operating through a balance between the sympathetic nerve (excitation) and parasympathetic nerve (relaxation). During the climacteric, hormonal shifts make the sympathetic nerve prone to excessive overactivity. Because the body maintains a state of tension even at night, one cannot sleep peacefully and feels anxious and restless. This can also manifest in various physical symptoms such as an increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and indigestion. How, then, can acupressure on Shenmen (HT7) be explained scientifically? According to Western medical research, stimulating specific acupoints promotes the secretion of neurotransmitters like endorphins in the brain and can positively influence the regulation of sleep-inducing and anxiety-relieving substances such as serotonin and GABA. Shenmen (HT7) belongs specifically to the heart meridian and is known to play an important role in regulating heart function and mental activity. Applying acupressure to this area activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps stabilize heart rate, lower blood pressure, and induce an overall state of relaxation, aiding in sound sleep. Studies also indicate that it may help alleviate the hypersensitivity reaction of the thermoregulatory center and calm excessive excitation of the nervous system caused by hormonal imbalance. In conclusion, the wisdom of Donguibogam is validated by modern science. Going beyond simply cooling the body, it serves as a delicate prescription that restores balance to the body's thermoregulation system and autonomic nervous system, which have been thrown into disarray by hormonal changes. On sleepless nights, instead of clinging to a cold pillow, gift your body and mind warm peace through acupressure on Shenmen (HT7).