Clinical Acupuncture for Stress, Anxiety & Sleep Disorders
If stress is affecting your sleep, digestion, mood, or body – you’re not broken – your nervous system just needs some attention.
There Are Ways to Reclaim Your Nervous System
Through NEUROMODULATION - Safe, Natural and Effective
Treatments That Can Help
Clinical Acupuncture
Acupuncture helps regulate the nervous system, reduce stress-driven symptoms, and support the body’s natural calming response. Many people notice improvements in anxiety levels, sleep quality, and physical tension. Learn how acupuncture calms the nervous system – here.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)
Transcutaneous auricular VNS – a no-needle approach to influence the vagus nerve at the ear – has shown in studies to calm the stress response. Supporting vagal tone may help shift the body out of fight-or-flight and into a more regulated, restorative state. Learn about neuromodulation & taVNS – here.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine is used to gently support stress resilience, sleep, digestion, and emotional balance. Formulas are selected based on patterns, aiming to nourish and restore rather than simply suppress symptoms. Learn how Chinese herbal medicine and nutritional guidance can support nervous system regulation – here.
When Stress Affects Your Nervous System...
It can lead to health issues such as:
Anxiety
Anxiety can show up in the body as much as the mind — including chest tightness, racing thoughts, and heart palpitations. Acupuncture works to calm the nervous system and support a more settled, regulated state.
Insomnia
Difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, or feeling unrefreshed can signal a stressed nervous system. Treatment focuses on helping the body shift out of “alert mode” so deeper, more consistent sleep becomes possible.
Digestive Concerns
Stress has a direct impact on digestion through the gut–brain connection. Symptoms like bloating, discomfort, or irregular digestion often improve as the nervous system becomes more balanced and regulated.
Other Effects of Stress
Ongoing stress can contribute to headaches, muscle tension, lowered immunity, and general fatigue. Supporting the body’s ability to adapt and recover can reduce these stress-related patterns over time.
Stress rarely shows up simply as “stress” — it mostly shows up as physical symptoms.
Anxiety – A persistent sense of nervousness or unease that can make it difficult to relax, focus, or feel settled in the body.
Palpitations – An uncomfortable awareness of your heartbeat, often felt as racing, pounding, or skipping, commonly triggered by stress or heightened nervous system activity.
Insomnia – Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early, often leaving you feeling unrefreshed despite enough time in bed.
Digestive Issues – Symptoms such as bloating, discomfort, irregular bowel movements, or nausea that are often influenced by stress through the gut–brain connection.
Headaches – Recurrent head pain or pressure commonly linked to muscle tension, stress, or prolonged nervous system activation.
Muscle Tension – Ongoing tightness or stiffness in the neck, shoulders, jaw, or back that develops when the body remains in a prolonged stress state.
Frequent Sighing – Repeated deep breaths or sighs that may reflect subtle breathing pattern changes related to stress or emotional overload.
Anger – Increased irritability or emotional reactivity that can arise when the nervous system is overstimulated and struggles to return to a calm baseline.
About Drew Nesbitt R.TCMP, R.Ac.
I’ve worked as an acupuncturist and TCM practitioner for over two decades and have spent most of those years teaching and mentoring other practitioners in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. During my time practising, I’ve seen how often stress, anxiety, and sleep issues show up in everyday life — influencing health in ways that aren’t always obvious at first.
My current clinical work focuses on supporting nervous system regulation, helping the body recover from prolonged stress, to help people regain a sense of internal steadiness. Using clinical acupuncture, VNS, nutritional support and a whole-body approach, I work with people to help them deal with anxiety, sleep disturbances, and stress-related physical symptoms such as digestive issues and headaches.
If you’ve been suffering from any of the above issues and are looking for a natural approach grounded in science – such as acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to help manage your symptoms – book online to see how I can help by clicking the book online today button.
– 25 years in clinical practice in Toronto
– Nearly 20 years teaching all levels of Acupuncture at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) in Toronto
– 12 time TOP Choice Winner for TOP Acupuncture clinic in Toronto
– Founder of AcupunctureMasterclass.com – an online course platform for Acupuncture students