THOSE living with insomnia may find the answer to their troubles by turning to acupuncture, a Mole Valley resident has claimed.
Gemma Watts used to struggle through her days on just two hours' sleep a night. Unable to sleep in bed, she would end up leaving her husband and finally dropping off on the sofa in the early hours of the morning.
As the difficulties began to set in shortly after the birth of her youngest child, the Dorking mother of three had to find ways to cope on minimal rest and still care for her family.
Now 30, she had been living with chronic insomnia for around five years when she visited Healing Touch Therapies in Dorking in January, complaining of back problems.
Until then, the full-time mum of Chart Downs had never been able to find a cure. "I tried tablets from doctors and they always seemed to work for a week or so and then it would be back to normal," she said.
"I used to worry about going to bed because I knew I was just going to lie there for hours.
"I can't explain it, but I just never used to be able to get to sleep in bed. I'd fall asleep around 5am and then was up again at 7."
She said she had always found ways to manage and care for her children, now aged 11, 9 and 5.
"You just learn to do it and live off whatever sleep you can get," she said.
Just before Christmas, Mrs Watts was diagnosed with viral meningitis. She was treated for six days in hospital, but was left with a severe pain in her back.
It was then that she decided to visit acupuncturist Preethi Sutton to see if the treatment could ease the problem, but felt forced to apologise as she felt so tired at the appointment.
She said: "I hadn't actually slept at all in the past 37 hours when I went that day. I mentioned it to Preethi and she said she could help."
Within 48 hours of that first treatment, she noticed a difference and, after a total of just three visits, found she was able to sleep normally.
"The first time I slept through the night was amazing," she said.
"I couldn't believe it when I woke up. It's fantastic."
Mrs Sutton said she was very pleased to see the changes in her patient. "By resolving the underlying disharmony in her body, her physical as well as mental issues, such as the insomnia, were resolved," she said.
