Is EFT the Secret to a Good Night’s Sleep?

What do Lily Alen, Fearne Cotton, Boy George and the Duchess of Cornwall all have in common? They all reportedly use EFT.

According to Google Trend Data, the search term EFT has received a 911% uplift in searches within the last 3 months. Such an uplift reflects the UKs desire to understand the practice and how it can benefit their wellbeing. Along with EFT, the term why can’t I sleep? has seen a 5,900% uplift. Here, Martin Seeley at MattressNextDay reveals why EFT may be the answer to a good night’s sleep.

The Science Behind EFT Tapping & Sleep

How we feel emotionally often manifests in physical form. For example, when we feel scared, the heart beats faster, when hear music that ‘moves us’, we get goosebumps and when we are nervous, we may vomit. This is the mind/body connection at work.  Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a therapy that ‘taps’ into this connection to restore both emotional and physical wellbeing.

The limbic system is a part of the brain that plays an instrumental role in our behaviour, particularly our fight or flight response. Poor sleep hygiene interrupts the connection between the limbic system and prefrontal cortex, igniting our ‘flight response’, sparking feelings of anxiety, anger, and frustration. These feelings disrupt sleep, and a vicious cycle begins.

Research shows that tapping affects the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes emotions, whilst supressing the stress hormone cortisol and increasing the feel-good hormone serotonin. Also working to calm the central nervous system, EFT helps diminish the negative emotions that are keeping you from sleep.

Studies have also found that EFT tapping influences the hippocampus, the part of the brain that plays a key role in our learning and memory, seeing that EFT not only eases negative emotions but encourages the participant to adopt a new outlook on negative memories. In fact, research by Bach et el 2019 showed that EFT, decreased anxiety by 40% and blood pressure by 8% whilst increasing happiness by 31% and immune markers by 113%.

But what is EFT Tapping?

There are two threads to EFT. The first uses the beliefs found in ancient medicines, stimulating the body’s meridian points, like acupressure. The second draws on the psychology of exposure therapy, seeing participants repeat certain phrases that work to shift a person’s feelings and perspective towards the subject that they are tapping about.

How to Tap

Firstly, you must recognise your concern, pinpointing it specifically, in this case, sleep. Set a benchmark from 1 to 10. One is you feeling the worst you could feel about the concern and is 10 feeling great, free of it altogether. Setting a benchmark is a great way to monitor progress without any pressure.

Secondly, build a phrase that identifies what you wish to resolve and declares that you accept yourself despite the challenges you face. Commonly, those that practice EFT and wish to heal their sleeping patterns choose: ‘Even though I cannot sleep as easy as I would like, I choose to love and accept myself’. You must ensure that the phrase is specific to you and doesn’t account for anyone else’s feelings or involvement in your sleeping habits. 

Finally, start tapping.

Begin by tapping the ‘karate chop’ point at the side of your hand and repeat your phrase 3 times.

Then tap on the following, each time repeating the phrase:  

Repeat the round 3x minimum and return to the benchmark that you set at the beginning. Readjusting the scale if necessary. Eventually, you will see your positivity towards sleep improve, easing the pressure and making it easier to fall asleep.

Incorporate EFT tapping into your nightly routine to receive its full effect and remember, the practice doesn’t have to be limited to sleep.