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Can Acupressure Relieve Nausea and Improve Sleep?

Pressing the P6 wrist point eased nausea in many trials. Sleep quality also improved, though most studies were small.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Pressing certain body points may ease nausea and improve sleep, but the trials are small: an early, limited benefit. Evidence grade C (Limited). Several meta-analyses of mostly sham-controlled trials; downgraded for risk of bias (no blinding) and inconsistency between reviews.

Key takeaways

  • Acupressure, mostly on the P6 wrist point, reduced nausea and vomiting after surgery in several reviews of trials [1][2].
  • In pregnancy, acupressure lowered nausea scores, but compared with sham pressure it did not clearly reduce the number of women with nausea and vomiting [3][4].
  • Chemotherapy-related nausea eased with P6 pressure in ten trials, although the effect on delayed vomiting was not statistically significant [5].
  • Sleep quality scores were 3.4 points better than sham pressure across seven trials in one review of 32 trials, but another review found no advantage over sham [6][7].
  • Side effects were usually minor, such as skin irritation and bruising [8].

The short version

Acupressure, which means pressing set points on the body with the fingers or a wristband, eases nausea in many trials, including after surgery and during chemotherapy [1][5]. The most-studied point is P6 on the inner wrist [2]. Acupressure may also improve sleep quality, but its advantage over sham pressure is less certain [6][7].

What the studies show

Nausea and vomiting after surgery. Eleven trials of laparoscopic surgery found fewer patients with nausea or vomiting in the first hours and up to 24 hours after surgery, with pooled risk ratios between 0.44 and 0.65 [1]. Six trials of gallbladder removal found less nausea at two and six hours, but no clear effect on vomiting [9]. A 2025 Cochrane network review found that wristband pressure on P6 reduced nausea compared with sham treatment, with low certainty [2].

Chemotherapy-related nausea. Ten trials of P6 pressure found less acute and delayed nausea [5]. An earlier review found less nausea but no effect on vomiting [10]. Self-acupressure reviews found benefit mainly for nausea and vomiting, from small trials, many of them pilots [11].

Nausea in pregnancy. Thirty-three trials with 3,390 women found lower nausea scores with acupressure [3]. Compared with sham pressure, a review of 11 trials found lower symptom scores but no clear reduction in the number of women with nausea and vomiting. The authors called the evidence encouraging, not strong [4].

Sleep quality. A 2018 review of 32 trials found that acupressure improved scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Compared with sham pressure, scores were 3.4 points better across seven trials with 385 people [6]. Trials in older adults and in people with cancer insomnia also reported better sleep, but results varied widely between trials [12][13]. Two other reviews were less positive about sham comparisons: one found no advantage over sham pressure [7], and another found acupressure only marginally better than sham [14]. A 2025 review of cancer patients found no overall difference in sleep quality, but better sleep efficiency and total sleep time [15].

Fatigue and anxiety. In a 2026 trial of 171 ovarian cancer survivors, six weeks of self-acupressure taught by app reduced fatigue more than usual care, but sham self-acupressure did about as well [16]. In 76 women after caesarean delivery, auricular acupressure lowered anxiety scores compared with usual care [17]. In the pregnancy review, anxiety scores did not differ significantly [3].

Pain and constipation. In 272 adults aged 60 and over with chronic low back pain, auricular acupressure lowered pain by 1.73 points more than an education control, and the benefit lasted six months [18]. A 2023 review of 34 trials found more complete bowel movements with ear acupressure for constipation, although the quality of the evidence was low to very low [19].

The nuances

Most trials are small, and participants usually know whether they received real or sham pressure. This matters most for symptoms such as nausea and sleep scores, which depend on how people feel [6]. Results also depend on the point used and the comparison: wristband stimulation and needle acupuncture are different techniques, and reviews often group them together [2].

The effect size varies. The sleep review that found benefit against sham also reported that its results were limited by the lack of blinding [6]. A 2025 review of cancer patients found no overall difference in sleep quality [15].

What this means for you

The reviews describe side effects as minor and uncertain, and no serious complications were reported [2]. Talk to a doctor before using it for severe or persistent nausea, during pregnancy, or instead of medical treatment. The full evidence is on the acupressure topic page. Acupuncture uses needles and is a separate topic: see acupuncture [2].

Go deeper

  • Acupressure — Acupressure, pressing set points on the body or ear, has the most support for easing nausea and vomiting, including after surgery, during chemotherapy and in p…

References

  1. The effects of acupressure on postoperative nausea and vomiting among patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.. Explore (NY), 2023.
  2. Stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point PC6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting: a network meta-analysis.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2025.
  3. Effect of acupressure in nausea and vomiting treatment during pregnancy: A meta-analysis.. Explore (NY), 2024.
  4. Efficacy and safety of acupressure in nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.. Arch Gynecol Obstet, 2024.
  5. Effects of PC6 acupressure on acute and delayed nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy in patients with malignant neoplasm: a meta-analysis.. Support Care Cancer, 2023.
  6. Acupressure effect on sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.. Sleep Med Rev, 2018.
  7. Effectiveness of Acupressure in Promoting Sleep Quality: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.. Holist Nurs Pract, 2016.
  8. Auricular acupressure for insomnia in women with breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.. Medicine (Baltimore), 2025.
  9. The Efficacy of Acupressure for Nausea and Vomiting After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Meta-analysis Study.. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech, 2024.
  10. Effects of acupressure on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting-a systematic review with meta-analyses and trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials.. Int J Nurs Stud, 2017.
  11. Self-Acupressure for Symptom Management in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.. J Pain Symptom Manage, 2023.
  12. The effect of acupressure on sleep quality of older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.. Explore (NY), 2022.
  13. Auricular acupressure for chemotherapy-related insomnia in cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.. Explore (NY), 2025.
  14. Acupressure, reflexology, and auricular acupressure for insomnia: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.. Sleep Med, 2012.
  15. Effect of acupressure and acupuncture on sleep quality in cancer patients with insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.. Explore (NY), 2025.
  16. Self-Acupressure for Fatigue in Patients Surviving Ovarian Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.. JAMA Netw Open, 2026.
  17. Auricular acupressure relieves anxiety and fatigue, and reduces cortisol levels in post-caesarean section women: A single-blind, randomised controlled study.. Int J Nurs Stud, 2016.
  18. Auricular point acupressure for older adults with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.. Pain Med, 2025.
  19. Auricular acupressure for constipation in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Front Physiol, 2023.