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A Weird, But Wonderful Purchase

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I still remember the time I was about eight, when I witnessed my Grandma having a session of acupuncture and being absolutely horrified. I was talking to my sister about it the other day and she remembered it too. We were both mentally scarred by the incident. So it’s fair to say that being poked and prodded by teenie tiny needles is not something that has ever appealed. However, my Grandma and a few other people I know who are way braver than me and don’t mind being a human pin cushion always speak its praises, saying that it was a solution for a whole smorgasbord of ailments. This has always been in the back of my mind and during one of my many browsings of Cult Beauty I stumbled across a solution for needle-whimps like myself…

The Bed of Nails Acupressure Mat; acupuncture reinvented with a non-piercing Skandi acupressure twist. Instead of needles, the foam mat houses 8,800 non-toxic plastic spikes that work in a similar fashion to acupuncture by causing your body to release endorphins and oyxtocin, the former to cheer you up and the latter to keep you calm. It supposedly helps out with insomnia, neck and back pain, energy levels and all that jazz and I have to say, so far, so good.

I will admit that when my order first arrived I eyed it up for a good hour before I felt ballsy enough to lie on it. When you take a single finger to a spike it feels seriously painful. I imagined laying down and being punctured 8,800 times over resulting in a polka dot pattern of wounds on my back. But after lowering on myself slowly, with a thin t-shirt on (a layer that’s recommended for beginners) I was surprised by how un-painful the whole thing was. After a few minutes my back felt tingly and warm and 10 minutes later I’d got so into my current read that I’d forgotten about the whole spike situation completely. 10-15 minutes daily is the recommended dose for beginners, working up to half a hour sessions for the more advanced.

Luckily I don’t suffer to much with my back (I have no idea how I get away with that, while being hunched over my laptop for way too long per day) and I don’t have too much of a problem getting to sleep, so it was more the whole energy level side of things that I was placing my bets on. And I would say that after almost daily sessions on the mat for three weeks I do feel perked up. I find the 10 minutes of time out a welcome addition to my day and I try and make sure that it’s a no-tech zone so I can really relax. Headspace cleared, endorphins released, I’m one happy bunny.

It’s also a great party piece. If I had a penny for every time someone has laid themselves down on my mat since I got it. Well….I’d have 11p.

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