With its surprisingly simple design and inexpensive construction, it’s easy to be skeptical about acupressure mat benefits.
However, sometimes simple solutions work best, as we’ve seen with inversion therapy.
Why Use an Acupressure Mat?
Acupressure mats can help with a variety of different health issues from lower back pain to headaches to sleep problems and more. Laying (or even standing) on a mat an help improve circulation as well as stimulate the release of endorphins.
They don’t take a long time to work, either. Many people use them for 5-10 minutes a day and experience significant results.
How to Use Acupressure Mats:
Use them on a bed, a sofa or on the floor. They are conveniently portable so you can take them with you to the office or when you travel, and they can be used while you are doing other activities like reading, talking on the phone or watching TV.
The great thing about this super simple DIY health remedy is that you can experience multiple benefits from a single treatment. Now that’s money well spent!
Note: Here’s a cheaper version that you can get in 7 different colors.
Acupressure Mat Benefits:
- Improved Sleep
- Pain Relief (including back and and shoulder pain, fibromyalgia, sciatica and headaches)
- Increased Blood Flow/Circulation
- Relieve Joint/Muscle Pain After a Workout
- Relaxation and Stress Relief
- More Energy
I’ve just touched on the main benefits. Let’s take a look at the additional benefits of increased circulation:
- Healthier Skin
- New Cell Growth
- Lower Heart Rate
- Improved Organ Function
And what about improved sleep? WebMD reports several health benefits, including:
- Less Hunger and Better Weight Control
- Clearer Thinking and Improved Focus
- Enhanced Memory
- Stronger Immunity
- Decrease in Chronic Pain
- Happier, Better Mood
Here’s an interesting video by Dr. Berg, where he explains how to lose belly fat by lowering cortisol using, you guessed it, acupressure!
Now let’s take a look at one of the more popular acupressure mats: The Nayoya.
This mat has 6,210 pressure points designed to deliver fast back pain relief. This particular package also includes the Neckupressure Pillow with an additional 1,782 acupressure points for helping to get rid of neck pain.
Keep in mind that it takes getting used to the pointy spikes on the mat, but it doesn’t take long before you can relax and reap the rewards from this super cheap at-home acupressure treatment.
Another very similar (ok, almost identical) product is the Spoonk Acupressure Mat. The main difference here is the fact that it doesn’t include the neck pillow so it costs about $20 less ($35). If you are on a budget or simply need a fix for lower back pain, this will save you money.
Another way to use these acupressure tools is on an inversion table of course. In fact, some inversion tables like the EP-60 provide this self-acupressure treatment. They provide the best results when partially inverted (vs full inversion) because you can apply more pressure on the mat.
Do Acupressure Mats Work? How to Know…
When doing your own research online, my suggestion is to have an open mind but not set your expectations too high. Reading customer reviews and testimonials about acupressure mat benefits can often be more telling than the product description.
Compare your health issues and pain symptoms with those of other people, and this may help you to find a better match for a solution to your own health problems. One single remedy is not likely to work for every single person. However, when the cost is low sometimes it’s worth giving it a try.