Evening acupuncture in Hendersonville
Acupuncture for women whose sleep has changed
A one-room practice that opens after the workday, for women in their 40s and 50s who wake at 3 a.m., wake hot, or wake tired. Come in, tell me about your nights, and rest for an hour with the lamp low.
A note before you book
If your nights have changed
Somewhere in your forties or fifties, sleep stopped doing what it always did. You fall asleep fine and wake at 2:40. Or you wake hot, push off the covers and lie there running tomorrow's list. By morning you are tired in a way a weekend does not undo.
Many of the women who come to see me work all day, look after someone, or both, and the evening is the first quiet hour they have. That is why my room is open after the workday, and why the lamp stays low.
What I offer is an hour that is not about doing anything. We talk through your nights and your days. I take your pulse and look at your tongue, place a few fine needles, and leave you to rest under a blanket. Acupuncture affects people differently, and I can't promise what it will do for you.
Sleep that changes can have a medical cause, and some of those need a doctor before they need me. Below is a short list of when to see your doctor first. If you already have one, I am glad to work alongside them.
Nicolasa Polanco, Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.)
What people come in for
The night and the day after
The nights are why most women call. The days are what they tell me about once they have started coming.
- 10 p.m.
Step 1: Tired, but not sleepy
Your body is ready for bed and your mind is still in the day.
- 1 a.m.
Step 2: Waking hot
Warm, damp, or kicking off the covers, and then lying awake.
- 3 a.m.
Step 3: Awake and counting
Wide awake in the dark with the list for tomorrow.
- 5 a.m.
Step 4: Up before the alarm
Too early to get up and too late to go back to sleep.
- 8 a.m.
Step 5: Waking unrested
Eight hours in bed and a morning that still feels borrowed.
- 11 a.m.
Step 6: Foggy and forgetful
Losing the word, the name, the reason you walked into the room.
- 3 p.m.
Step 7: The afternoon wall
A heaviness that coffee only moves around.
- 7 p.m.
Step 8: A short fuse
Snapping at the people you love, then feeling bad about it.
This is what people tell me, not a diagnosis, and results vary.
See your doctor first if you have
- Snoring with pauses in your breathing
- Night sweats with weight loss
- A low mood that is new or won't lift
- Chest pain or a racing heart
- Heavy bleeding, or any after menopause
For chest pain that is sudden or severe, call 911.
Licensed in Tennessee
Who you will see, and what she holds
Her license, with the board that issued it, is at the bottom of every page.
Tennessee license
Nicolasa Polanco, Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.)
TN Lic. 000000 · Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, Committee on Acupuncture
Licensed to practice acupuncture in Tennessee
National credential
Nicolasa Polanco
Diplomate of Acupuncture (Dipl. Ac.), NCBAHM, formerly NCCAOM
Training
Nicolasa Polanco
Master's degree in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, with supervised clinical training
Nicolasa Polanco
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) and owner
I opened Lamplit for the women who tell me the evening is the only hour they have.
I see one patient at a time, in one room, and I keep the visits unhurried. I ask a lot of questions about sleep and about the day, and I explain everything I do before I do it. I am not a doctor and I don't replace one; I work alongside yours.
What I see most
- Waking hot or at 3 a.m.
- Tired, but not sleepy
- Tight neck and shoulders
- A busy mind at bedtime
Credentials
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.), State of Tennessee
Diplomate of Acupuncture (Dipl. Ac.), NCBAHM
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) · TN Lic. 000000
The room
A lamp, a blanket, a quiet hour
One treatment room, one table, and the lamp turned low.
You lie down fully clothed in loose layers, with a blanket over you. I place a few needles, dim the light and step out for part of the hour so you can rest. There is a cup of warm tea afterward and no rush to leave.
Monday to Thursday, 4 to 8:30 p.m.
Saturday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon
About 75 minutes the first time
Free parking at the back
Questions
What women ask before they book
Does it hurt?
Most people feel very little: a quick tap as a needle goes in, and sometimes a dull ache, heaviness or warmth around it. The needles are about as thin as a hair. Tell me if anything is too much and I adjust it or take the needle out.
Are the needles clean?
Every needle is sterile, used once and thrown away. I open each one in front of you, clean your skin first and wash my hands before and after. Used needles go straight into a sharps container.
How many visits will I need?
People usually plan for a short run of visits close together, then space them out. At your first visit I suggest a plan and we look at it again as we go. It is a plan, not a promise, and you can stop at any time.
Does insurance cover it?
I am out of network with health plans. I give you an itemized receipt, called a superbill, that your plan may use to pay part of the fee back, and the plan decides. Ask yours the four questions on How fees work.
Will I have to change my medicines?
No. Acupuncture does not change what you take, and you keep taking your medicines as prescribed. Tell your prescriber and me about everything you take, including hormone therapy, sleep aids and supplements.
When should I see a doctor instead?
I can't tell you why your sleep has changed, and some causes need a doctor first: snoring with pauses in your breathing, night sweats with weight loss, a low mood that is new or won't lift, chest pain or a racing heart, or heavy bleeding. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), any time. In an emergency, call 911.
Come in when the day is over
Tell me when you are free and how to reach you. I reply the next day to find an evening.