I’ve been seeing a Chinese medicine doctor for acupuncture for awhile now, and it’s helped a lot but because getting to the doc isn’t something I can manage to do on a daily basis, I’ve been looking for ways to more frequently get some of the benefits acupuncture has to offer.

A friend uses and recommended I try an acupuncture mat. It looks sort of like a yoga mat, but with thousands of little pins that hit your pressure points when you lay on them. Basically, a scary yoga mat. After looking into it more, there are a ton of benefits similar to what I get from my acupuncture appointments, including overall pain relief, improved circulation, headache relief, and increased relaxation. The list goes on!

The idea is that when you lay on an acupuncture mat, the thousands of little pins will activate some of your pressure points. Of course it’s not going to be as exact as a doctor performing acupuncture, but it’s not a bad back-up, especially if you are looking for something to hold you over between appointments, or if you’re just scared of real needles overall.

Challenge: Try an acupuncture mat

I’ve tested one out a few times, and each time, I felt more relaxed and noticed some of the pain in my upper back had subsided. Not to sound scary, but it can kind of be compared to laying on a bed of nails—but nails that are really, really good for you and that don’t puncture your skin. It hurts at first, but once you release tension, your body gets used to it. I honestly feel like I get a high from it, similar to meditation.

I’m going to try laying on my acupuncture mat every night before heading to bed to see how it improves my sleep, too.

P.S. You’re supposed to lay skin to mat, but I use a super thin t-shirt. I just can’t with the bare skin…yet.

Anyone else willing?