Tired But Can’t Sleep? Try Reiki for Insomnia Help!

Feeling tired, but can’t sleep? There are numerous different causes of insomnia and ways to help ease it so you’re not awake at all hours. Now, one option that many people don’t know about is how the gentle touch of Reiki energy work can help you relax when it’s time for bed. Let’s explore Reiki for sleep assistance!

First, some background: My name is Lillie and I’ve been a certified Reiki practitioner in Boston since 2018. I’ve also suffered from insomnia, myself, and gone to energy workers to help treat it; sometimes the treatments helped, and sometimes they did not.

I want to be realistic and truthful in this article; there are many kinds of insomnia that Reiki CANNOT help treat (such as sleep apnea), but there are some which it can. Let’s explore the latter.

How might Reiki help ease insomnia and assist you in falling asleep instead of tossing and turning awake all night? There are several reasons — all of which have to do with how stress can cause you to be tired but not able to sleep. Easing that stress through Reiki can bring on happy slumber at last. As one of the 5 Reiki Principles states: Just for today, I will not worry.

Reiki for Sleep: Ways it Can Ease Insomnia

1. Identify what is stressing you out.

Reiki is a form of assisted mediation in which the practitioner uses gentle hand placements and deep Reiki breathing to guide the client into a relaxed, dreamlike state. In this meditative state, the body is able to think deeply, and process unresolved thoughts and wishes. If it’s stress that is causing your insomnia, this identification step is key.

So what happens during a Reiki session to provide this benefit? Well, you may see visions during Reiki, or may even semi fall asleep — but whatever happens, you can certainly use Reiki for clarity in figuring out what your biggest stressors are right now in life. Though it may seem obvious to know what’s causing angst, I’ve found time and time again that clients don’t fully realize what’s blocking them until after our session is complete.

What’s particularly nice about Reiki (in contrast to other bodywork like acupuncture) is that the practitioner is there to talk with during the entire session. Having another person to bounce ideas off of during Reiki or after it helps immensely in providing life clarity — thus sometimes allowing sleep to come again.

2. Use assisted meditation to find actions to decrease stress.

Once you’ve used Reiki to identify the source(s) of stress, you can then use energy work as a sort of life coach: helping to reveal (through the deeply relaxed state of assisted Reiki meditation) what next steps you might take in order to get to the outcome you want. Though it seems scary, sometimes taking these actions (even just conversations) in life can provide the path which allows you to sleep well again.

In my case, one action that made a great difference in my ability to fall asleep was learning to stop drinking alcohol. It was Reiki that helped me identify this life choice, and move forward on the path to make it a reality — thus easing my insomnia.

3. Energetically release blockages.

Sometimes Reiki can help ease insomnia by allowing you to energetically release grief, frustration, sadness, anger, or other emotions you’ve been holding onto for too long. This may manifest in crying, shaking during Reiki sessions, yelling, moaning, or just taking some huge exhale breaths. After sessions like this, clients often report feeling a huge weight lifted, and “sleep like a baby.”

4. Co-regulate breath and relaxation.

I’ve had a lot of clients tell me that having my gentle Reiki hand placements and nearby deep breathing allows them to finally let go and relax — and sometimes even fall asleep on the Reiki table — in ways that they haven’t been able to for months or even years. Though other forms of relaxation like daily meditation can help items #1 through #3 above, Reiki is one of the best ways to relax by co-regulation.

Think of a family member or friend who’s been nearby comforting you when you were stressed-out, maybe with a gentle hand on your shoulder, and how much it helped to have that calming presence co-regulating with you. One of the benefits of Reiki is that it can provide similar assistance, which then can transfer to days after the session, assisting sleep and easing insomnia, as your body has been reminded how to relax.

Can Reiki CAUSE Insomnia?

In this article I’ve been discussion how Reiki can help ease insomnia so you can sleep — but can Reiki ever CAUSE you to stay awake more at night than you’d like? Yes, that is possible in two instances. First, that negative reaction can happen if you haven’t drunk enough water after the session, and thus are dealing with a headache after Reiki. Simple solution: Hydrate.

The second reason that Reiki might cause insomnia is if you have opened up a new line of thinking or realization, but not fully followed it through to find actions to get to a better place with it — so you’re tossing and turning in this liminal state of realizing what the stress is coming from, but not knowing how to proceed to ease it. In this case, I refer you to my article, “How many Reiki sessions are needed?” which explains that in cases like this, it’s advisable to have several energy work sessions that are closely spaced together, so that you can gain momentum in clarity and next steps.

Tired But Can’t Sleep?

I hope this article on how Reiki can help if you’re tired but can’t sleep has been helpful. If you’ve ever used energy work to ease insomnia, do consider leaving a comment in the box below to share your experience with others so we may learn from you. Happy sleeping, and remember that making requests is a good thing!

Want more? Check out “Is Reiki Real, or BS?” For other practical benefits of Reiki, try “Grief Release and Relief by Energy Work.”