Why Am I So Tired After Acupuncture?

Exhausted after acupuncture? Here's what your body is doing (and, yes it's good!)

If you’ve ever walked out of an acupuncture appointment feeling unexpectedly exhausted, you’re not alone — and no, something didn’t go wrong.

In fact, feeling tired after acupuncture is one of the most common and misunderstood responses to treatment. Many people expect to feel energized, lighter, or instantly “fixed,” so when fatigue hits instead, it can feel confusing or even concerning.

Let’s talk about why post-acupuncture fatigue happens, what it means, and when (rarely) it’s something to pay closer attention to.

Is It Normal to Feel Tired After Acupuncture?

Yes — feeling tired, sleepy, or deeply relaxed after acupuncture is completely normal.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture is not meant to stimulate the body in the way caffeine or adrenaline does. Instead, it helps the body shift out of survival mode and into a state where healing can actually occur. For many people, this is the first time in a long time their nervous system has been allowed to truly slow down.

Why Acupuncture Can Make You Feel Exhausted

1. Your Nervous System Is Finally Relaxing

Many of us live in a near-constant state of stress...even if we don’t consciously feel anxious. Acupuncture helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, often called the “rest and digest” state.

When your body finally exits fight-or-flight, fatigue can surface. Not because acupuncture has drained you, but because your body is catching up on rest it hasn’t been able to access.

This is especially common if you:

• Are chronically stressed or burned out

• Have anxiety or trauma history

• Struggle with sleep issues

• Tend to “push through” exhaustion

2. Energy Is Being Redirected Toward Healing

From a TCM perspective, acupuncture helps move qi (vital energy) and blood so the body can repair, regulate, and rebalance itself. And that process takes energy.

Instead of fueling mental alertness or physical activity, your body may temporarily divert resources toward:

• Tissue repair

• Immune regulation

• Digestive support

• Hormonal balance

Fatigue after acupuncture can be a sign that your body is doing real work behind the scenes. And that's a great thing.

3. Emotional Release Can Be Physically Tiring

Acupuncture doesn’t just affect muscles and organs — it also works with the nervous system and emotional body.

Some people experience:

• Emotional release

• Feeling heavy or introspective

• A need to withdraw or rest

• Vivid dreams later that night

Even subtle emotional processing can leave you feeling tired afterwards, much like a long conversation or therapy session can.

4. You May Be Dehydrated or Undernourished

Acupuncture improves circulation and movement. If you’re already slightly dehydrated or have been under-eating, fatigue can feel more noticeable afterward.

This is why many acupuncturists recommend:

• Drinking plenty of water after your treatment

• Eating a little something before your session

• Avoiding intense workouts immediately after

How Long Does Fatigue After Acupuncture Last?

For most people, post-acupuncture fatigue lasts:

• A few hours

• The rest of the day

• Occasionally into the next morning

By the following day, many people notice they:

• Slept more deeply

• Feel calmer or clearer

• Have improved symptoms

If fatigue lasts more than 48 hours or worsens with each session, that’s worth discussing with your acupuncturist so the treatment approach can be adjusted.

Is Feeling Tired After Acupuncture a Bad Sign?

The short answer? No, not at all. In many cases, feeling tired after acupuncture is a sign that your body feels safe enough to rest.

That said, you should check in with your practitioner if:

• Fatigue feels extreme or debilitating

• You feel dizzy, faint, or unwell

• Symptoms intensify instead of stabilizing

• You’re new to acupuncture and unsure what’s normal

Acupuncture should support you — not overwhelm you — and treatments can always be modified.

What Should I Do If I Feel Tired After Acupuncture?

Think of acupuncture days as low-output days, if possible.

Helpful post-treatment care includes:

• Gentle movement (walking, stretching)

• Warm, nourishing food

• Extra hydration

• Going to bed earlier than usual

• Avoiding intense mental or physical strain

Rest isn’t a setback — it’s often part of the treatment.

Just remember: body is shifting out of stress and into healing. Fatigue after acupuncture is common, temporary, and often a sign that something important is recalibrating beneath the surface.

If you’re ever unsure about what you’re experiencing, reach out to your acupuncturist. Acupuncture is a collaborative process, and your feedback matters.

Can Acupuncture Really Support Fertility? (The Answer is "YES!")

Learn more about how our Houston acupuncture clinic uses traditional Chinese medicine to balance hormones, regulate cycles, and naturally support fertility.

If you’ve been trying to conceive and it feels like nothing is working, you’re not alone. Many patients come to our Houston clinic feeling tired, discouraged, or confused about what their bodies need. The fertility journey can be an incredibly taxing, emotional experience, and if you haven't yet tried traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), keep reading to learn how it can support both your physical and mental health throughout the process of growing your family.

What is TCM & How Does it Work?

TCM is a beautiful diagnostic tool that offers a different lens—one that understands

health and fertility as the natural expression of a body that is balanced, well-nourished, and deeply supported. Think of a garden. This is the way Eastern medicine views your body and constitution; not as a machine that can develop broken parts to be fixed, but rather, as an entire, interconnected ecosystem. When some areas of the garden need attention, what must the gardener do? Perhaps they nourish the soil with nutrient-dense compost or adjust the watering schedule. Maybe certain plants require pruning while others need an adjustment in their level of sunlight. It’s a delicate balance, but with careful attention, the gardener helps the entire garden thrive.

Your body is the very same way. Please hear me when I say: You are not broken.

Many of the challenges we face with fertility—like poor circulation, chronic inflammation, or hormone imbalances—aren’t just “biological accidents.” They often reflect how our bodies respond to the pace and pressures of modern life. Long work hours, processed foods, stress, and constant stimulation can push the body out of balance, creating conditions that make conception more difficult. In TCM, we view these symptoms and patterns as signals from the body, like weeds sprouting in a garden, showing where care and cultivation are needed. With acupuncture, herbal support, and mindful lifestyle adjustments, we can help the body restore harmony, improve circulation, calm inflammation, and create the optimal environment for fertility to thrive.

Fertility Support with Acupuncture

Acupuncture for fertility works by:

• Regulating the nervous system (bringing the body into a more regular rest-and-digest state, where true healing can naturally occur)

• Improving blood flow to the reproductive organs

• Supporting healthy cycles and addressing individual hormone imbalances

• Calming the stress response in the body (which often plays a quiet but significant role in hormone imbalance)

Over time, patients notice better sleep, improved digestion, more stable moods, and more predictable menstrual cycles—all signs that the body is moving toward balance.

In TCM terminology, fertility depends on the strength of Kidney Jing (which includes adrenals, reproductive organs and our hormone balance), the smooth flow of Liver Qi, and the nourishment of Blood. When any of these elements become depleted or stagnant—due to stress, overwork, irregular eating, trauma, chronic inflammation, or long-term hormonal imbalance—the body has a harder time prioritizing reproduction. Acupuncture gently guides the body back into harmony so it can do what it was designed to do.

One friendly reminder: true healing takes time. Our culture emphasizes instant results and quick fixes, but the body works at its own pace. Imbalances often develop gradually over years due to stress, lifestyle, and environmental factors, and it can take weeks, months, or more to restore balance. It’s normal to feel impatient or frustrated along the way. Gentle, consistent care that nurtures your body, mind, and spirit—paired with nourishing practices—gives you the best chance to support long-term health and fertility.

Lifestyle Support for Fertility

Beyond acupuncture, I often remind patients that small, consistent lifestyle choices can make an enormous difference. A few foundational practices:

• Prioritizing rest and regular rhythms. Aim for lights out before 11 pm. Turning off all screens an hour prior to bedtime can be helpful, as well as sipping a cozy, sleep-supportive tea, like chammomile, lavender or lemon balm.

  
  

• Warming the body. Cold (temperatures, foods, and beverages) can slow circulation and digestion over time. It might seem a little strange, but Eastern wisdom has a clear understanding of the connection between "cold" elements and their effects on many aspects of our health, including the reproductive organs. It's best to avoid iced drinks, raw foods, and cold smoothies—especially during your luteal phase, just after ovulation. Try wearing warm socks or slippers inside the house if you have tile or wood floors, and incorporate more warm baths or foot soaks.

• Gentle movement. Walking, stretching, tai chi, or yoga encourage healthy energy and blood flow without taxing your system. If you lead a generally stressful life, it can actually be helpful to cut back on "high intensity" workouts. If you tend to run warm, please eliminate "hot" pilates or yoga. Opt instead for restorative, hatha or yin yoga over more fast-paced classes, like vinyasa yoga.

• Nervous system regulation. Breathwork, meditation, and even simple pauses throughout the day send a message to your brain and nervous system that your body is safe. This is an essential state for conception.

• Herbal medicine. Chinese herbal formulas can be a helpful tool alongside acupuncture to further hormonal balance and potential nutritional deficiencies. Centuries-old and well-balanced for specific constitutional patterns, customized herbal formulas have minimal side effects when used properly.

TCM Food Therapy for Fertility

Food and nutrition are often the missing pieces in many fertility cases. In Chinese

medicine, Blood and Yin nourishment are key for healthy ovulation and implantation (in cases of low ovarian reserve, nourishing yin is paramount!). These simple changes build a strong foundation for healthier follicles, thicker uterine lining, and more balanced hormones.

I recommend focusing on:

• Warm, cooked meals, like soups, stews, and broths (& limiting cold or raw foods and drinks)

• Kidney-supportive foods, like black sesame, black beans, Chinese yams, asparagus, bone broth, blackberries, blueberries, walnuts and pistachios

• Nutrient-rich seeds that support hormone balance, like flax, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds.

• Blood-nourishing foods, like leafy greens, beets, eggs, dates, seaweed, avocados, blackstrap molasses, and grass-fed meats

• Whole grains to support digestion and boost qi, like millet, rice, oats, and barley

• Warming spices to move qi, like ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and garlic

Supporting your body with the right vitamins and supplements can play a key role in preparing for conception. Find our general fertility supplement recommendations, plus a suggested schedule here. And keep in mind—creating a healthy pregnancy is a team effort. Your partner’s stress, diet, and habits can all affect sperm quality. Here are our recommendations for fertiltiy support for men.

We have modified protocols for issues like low ovarian reserve, PCOS, endometriosis or a history of miscarriage. Please feel free to reach out, or book an appointment if you need more help with any of these issues.

If you're seeking fertility acupuncture in Houston, we'd love to support you. Whether you’re preparing to conceive naturally, working with IVF/IUI, or simply wanting to improve the health of your menstrual cycle, TCM offers a deeply supportive path forward.

Fast Pain Relief with Battlefield Acupuncture

Chronic pain is a widespread challenge—especially among veterans and soldiers. In a study of nearly 2,600 service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, 44% reported pain lasting more than three months, and half of those individuals had been living with pain for over a year. Chronic pain not only affects daily functioning but can also deeply impact emotional well-being and quality of life.

What is Battlefield Acupuncture?

Developed in the early 2000s by Dr. Richard Niemtzow, Battlefield Acupuncture was designed for military use , where quick and effective pain control was essential. Instead of treating points throughout the body, like traditional acupuncture, BFA uses tiny, semi-permanent needles placed in specific points on the ear. These needles stay in place for a few days before naturally falling out, gently stimulating the body’s own pain-modulating systems.

Researchers believe BFA works by influencing how the nervous system processes pain, triggering the release of endorphins and helping reduce inflammation. Because it’s minimally invasive, fast to apply, and generally well-tolerated, it’s become an attractive option for people looking for non-drug pain management.

The Limits of Conventional Pain Management

For many years, pain medications—particularly opioids—have been the go-to treatment. While they can be helpful, their limitations are significant, and include:

• Side effects that can reduce quality of life

• Risks of dependence, tolerance, and overuse

• Limited long-term effectiveness for chronic conditions

Because of these challenges, the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have invested in finding non-drug approaches to pain relief.

Acupuncture has been one of the most promising options.

The Evidence So Far

Although the evidence base for Battlefield Acupuncture is still emerging, its potential has gained strong institutional support.

• The Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management, along with the Veterans Health Administration, recently invested $5.4 million over three years to train providers in acupuncture and BFA.

• More than 2,800 practitioners have been trained and certified across Department of Defense and Veterans Administration medical centers.

• At one VA facility, around 60 clinicians were trained, providing roughly 2,500 patient BFA sessions in just two years.

Clinical use so far suggests that BFA can help with headaches, back and musculoskeletal pain, and neuropathic pain. While more research is needed to fully understand its mechanisms, comparative effectiveness, and long-term outcomes, Battlefield Acupuncture is quickly becoming an important complementary therapy within mainstream medical practice.

At our Houston clinic, we’re proud to offer Battlefield Acupuncture as part of our pain management services. Andrea Fieldler, L.Ac is specially trained in this technique and has extensive experience helping patients find meaningful relief from both acute and chronic pain. Andrea is available for appointments on Mondays and Saturdays, making it easy to schedule care that fits your needs. Whether you’re struggling with stubborn headaches, back pain, or nerve-related discomfort, Andrea can guide you through this safe and effective approach. Click here to book an appointment.