Rolling restlessly from one side to the other. Staring into the darkness with open eyes or looking at the glowing screen of a smartphone in the depths of the night. Countless people suffer from sleep problems. We have already put together exercises on the topic of alleviatingsleep disorders with the acupressure mat . But the topic is more topical than ever.

Sleep problems can affect anyone

Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, many people have been worrying more and more and lying awake at night brooding. Fears for their own health

Job loss or complete overwork, physical impairments due to working from home, which is often not ergonomically suitable, and the additional burden of permanent childcare while still having to work, and so much more: 2020 and 2021 have put the body and soul of many people in an absolutely exceptional situation.

A recent study from Sweden, conducted in 2020, showed that women are particularly affected by sleep problems. They were ahead of men in every single age group surveyed. A further analysis of the data showed that among women over 45, around eleven percent were even affected by particularly severe sleep disorders.

To give you a little more insight into the topic of sleep, we interviewed sleep coach Christoph von der Malsburg. And following the interview, we've put together three new exercises to complement our first article on sleep and acupressure.

Sleep expert Christoph von der Malsburg in an interview about sleep & the acupressure mat Shaktimat

Sleep coach and entrepreneur Christoph von der Malsburg has been working intensively on the topic of sleep and how it affects our everyday lives for many years. He provides support on the topic of sleep, coaches athletes, gives workshops and speaks at events. I Photo: Anna Siggelkow

Dear Christoph, could you briefly tell our readers who you are and why the topic of sleep is so close to your heart?

As an entrepreneur, coach and speaker, I am committed to sleep in different ways. I accompany top athletes, associations, companies, employees, executives and all people who want to improve their sleep. I am also involved in various projects that support this work. These involve online coaching, chronobiology and sleep technologies. In addition, I have a podcast 'sleepchat', which I run with great pleasure.

Sleep has become a huge topic. The work with sleep is challenging and very multifaceted. Everyone lives differently, eats differently, feels differently and sleeps differently. In addition, sleep is far from being fully understood, so there are still many developments and new topics. All of this makes my work very exciting, varied, challenging and sometimes emotional - I like this mix.

What experiences have you had yourself with the ShaktiMat?

First of all, I had no particular expectations, except maybe to get rid of a permanent tension in my neck that I had since a bicycle accident a year ago. What influence the mat has on sleep, I could only imagine.

I have used the ShaktiMat every day for 3 months now and it is pure relaxation. The blood circulation gives me a very pleasant feeling, also emotionally. I drift off and am in a completely different mode for 20 minutes. This is important, especially when we think about sleep at night. When I get on my mat in the morning, it gives me a boost of energy for the day. A good day leads into a good night. The mat can contribute a lot to that.

And my neck pain has also gone in the meantime. Of course, I'm totally happy about that.

With a towel as support, the ShaktiMat adapts well to one's own body shape and the tips can be particularly effective. I Photo: Anna Siggelkow

Problems falling asleep as gone!

"I've been using the ShaktiMat for two weeks and my years of problems falling asleep have been blown away. The first few minutes always take some effort, but it's worth it. I have been given a piece of quality of life again. Thank you!"

- Helga H.

How do you think the ShaktiMat can positively influence sleep and which exercises do you find particularly helpful?

It is important to know that there are many indirect influences that can have a positive effect on sleep. Of course, this is very individual. I have summarized the function of sleep here here. 90% of changes happen during the day because we can influence them better. If we go to sleep well prepared, then we sleep better.

The feeling and constitution of body and mind play a very important role in the context. Everyone knows thoughts, feelings and physical restlessness that prevent you from sleeping. It is important to take care of it during the day.

This means that if you take care of your feelings and physical needs during the day, you will be much more relaxed at night and sleep better.My exercises tend to be the two classics: lying on the mat with my back and neck and standing on it in the morning. I also put it under my feet more often when I sit at my desk for a long time.

Do you have any tips for people who would like to try the ShaktiMat for better sleep, but are still held back by fears of touching the tips?

I think you have to distinguish between pain and injury. The tips look and feel wild at first, of course. But I can only confirm that the feeling subsides after 5 minutes. After some time, you get used to the feeling anyway, because you also know what to expect.

It also works to get used to it slowly. It's best to start in bed, maybe with a t-shirt on, then onto a softer surface without a t-shirt, and eventually you can lay down on a hard floor. I went straight to the floor. I liked to take it all in. But each best as it fits.

How do you recommend using the mat to prepare for sleep after a long day? Do you have any specific examples from your daily work?

For people who are often exposed to heavy stress - athletes, mothers, workers - the mat is really helpful. Because the mat has such a noticeable and extensive influence on many physical and psychological aspects, the ShaktiMat is a simple and very effective means to relax. Especially at lunchtime during the power nap, the mat can support very well. It increases the recovery even more. That is at least my experience.

If you are physically challenged, then I would definitely schedule the mat in the early evening. The additional blood circulation promotes regeneration. A calm and relaxed body sleeps much better. I would use the mat with some distance to go to sleep, because I would basically shut down all stimuli before falling asleep. But that's probably up to everyone, since the calming effect is also sleep-promoting.

Can you tell our readers your best tips that you can implement on your own to improve your sleep?

It is important to seize the day, to be active, to exert yourself physically sometimes, to get sun and to pay attention to a balanced diet. Towards the evening, I would generally avoid heavy meals. Overall, all of this increases sleep pressure during the day, which is important so that you naturally get tired in the evening.

Then I recommend paying attention to your own sleep type and trying to go to bed and get up in this rhythm as often as possible. As is well known, there are late and early types, but many are also so-called normal types.

Third, for those who don't fall asleep well, I recommend shutting down the system about 90 min before sleep, with reduced influence of light, especially from laptops and smartphones, but also the TV. It is best to develop routines that are calming, good for you and also fun. They don't always have to be the same - a meditation, breathing exercises, a conversation, reading, knitting ... whatever makes you feel good!

If you could just share two sentences about sleep for everyone reading this. What would they be?

When I mean the night, I'm talking about the day.

Sleep is actually quite simple, we just need to leave it alone.

We would like to thank Christoph von der Malsburg very much for the interview and the wealth of information on the subject of sleep, which affects everyone's everyday life. You can also find more specific acupressure exercises in our article "Alleviating sleep disorders with the acupressure mat" .

Three exercises with the acupressure mat for sleep problems

Half and half - distract the noisy brain with acupressure

In addition to the exercises from our detailed article on sleep disorders, we have put together three more ideas for you to help your body fall asleep directly while brushing your teeth as well as in bed with the ShaktiMat.

To sleep is to come to rest. Little stimulation and deep relaxation are important to glide into restful sleep. But what to do when racing thoughts wake you up and you wake up under complete tension or still lie awake?

Here, the half-and-half exercise can help quiet your noisy head a bit by giving in to the brain's urge to engage in a physical, rather than mental, way.

To do this, place half your body on the mat at a time as follows:

Start first on the right side with the shoulder and back area and then move a little further down to the buttocks and thighs. Breathe 10-20 deep, slow breaths at a time while the tips help your body with circulation. Then switch to the left side and repeat the exercise.

There are many people who find it easier to let go of the thoughts of the day when they engage their body more so that the carousel in their head doesn't take over. Try it out and see if you are one of those people!

Foot warmer

While brushing your teeth, first stand on the acupressure mat for about 30-60 seconds with your whole feet (preferably with socks, unless you are already a practiced ShaktiFan) and let the tips act strongly. Then move forward on the mat and stand on it with your heels only. Here you stimulate, among other things, acupressure points that are used for problems of the lower back and sleep problems.

Cross arms

This exercise is especially helpful for people who wake up at night with ice-cold hands or tingling arms.

Lie on your back in bed and place the ShaktiMat lengthwise on your stomach. Now cross your arms - with your palms turned towards the tips - on the mat and hold it with gentle pressure as if you were holding a Pillow in front of your chest. If you feel comfortable, you can also make tiny circular or wiggling movements to stimulate the circulation even more. Breathe deeply 10-40 times during the exercise, depending on how long you feel comfortable.

We wish you restful nights after a relaxing session with the ShaktiMat. If you would like to share your thoughts on the topics of sleeping better with an acupressure mat or acupressure for sleep disorders and give other affected people tips or ask questions, feel free to leave us a comment or visit us on Facebook.

Your ShaktiMat Team 

Sources for this article:

Study "Share of individuals with sleeping problems in Sweden 2020, by age group and gender", 05/2021, Sweden (accessed via Statista.org https://www.statista.com/statistics/952130/share-of-individuals-with-sleeping-problems-in-sweden-by-age-group-and-gender/)

Study "Share of individuals with severe sleeping problems in Sweden 2020, by age and gender" 05/2021, Sweden (accessed via Statista.org https://www.statista.com/statistics/961414/share-of-individuals-with-severe-sleeping-problems-in-sweden-by-age-group-and-gender/)

Andrews, Synthia and Dempsey, Bobbi: Acupressure & Reflexology for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Indianapolis 2007. p. 58 ff.

Dr. Stein, Aaron: Acupressure Guide. Alleviate Headaches, Neck and Joint Pain, Anxiety Attacks and Other Ailments. Mobile Reference, 2nd edition, Canada 2009. p. 80 ff.

Reed Gach, Michael: Healing Points. Acupressure for the self-treatment of diseases. Knaur, Munich 1992. p 297 ff.