Acupressure Points: A Beginner's Map

Short answer: Acupressure points are spots on the body, mapped in traditional Chinese medicine, that you press with a finger or thumb. [S01] The eight most useful for beginners are P6 (inner wrist) for nausea, LI4 (back of the hand) for headaches and pain, Yin Tang (between the eyebrows) for stress, HT7 (wrist crease) and Anmian (behind the ear) for sleep, GB20 (base of the skull) for tension headaches, ST36 (below the knee) for nausea and SP6 (above the inner ankle) for period pain. [S01] [S02] [S03] [S04] Press firmly in small circles for 2 to 3 minutes. [S01] Skip LI4 and SP6 if you're pregnant. [S02] [S04]

Acupressure is one of the easiest holistic practices to try on your own: no tools, no cost, and you can do it at a desk or in bed. It's based on the same points used in acupuncture, but with pressure instead of needles. [S01] This map shows where the common points are, how to press them, what the research says and when to skip them.

How to press an acupressure point

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), which teaches acupressure to patients, gives the same basic method for each point: [S01] [S02]

1. Get comfortable, sitting or lying down. [S03]
2. Find the point using the landmarks below.
3. Press down with your thumb or index finger and move it in small circles, clockwise or counterclockwise.
4. Keep going for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Repeat on the other side of the body.

Pressure should be firm but not painful. Some aching or tenderness is normal; pain means you're pressing too hard. [S01] If your thumb tires, you can use your index finger [S01] or even a pencil eraser. [S02] You can repeat a few times a day while symptoms last. [S01]

The beginner's map: 8 points

P6: the nausea point

Turn your palm toward you with fingers pointing up. Lay the first three fingers of your other hand across your wrist, just below the crease. Your thumb goes just below your index finger, between the two tendons in the middle of your forearm. [S01] This is the point used in acupressure wristbands.

LI4: the headache point

With the back of your hand facing you, place your other thumb in the web between your thumb and index finger. If you have trouble finding it, squeeze your thumb and index finger together and press the highest point of the muscle bulge. [S02] MSK is clear: don't use this point if you're pregnant, because pressing it can make you go into labor. [S02]

Yin Tang: the calming point

Place your thumb at the center point between your eyebrows and press in slow circles. [S03] It's an easy one to pair with slow breathing; our guide to breathwork for beginners has five simple patterns.

HT7 and Anmian: the sleep points

HT7 sits in a small hollow right on the wrist crease, toward the pinky side. [S04] Anmian is behind your ear: find GB20 at the base of your skull, then find the soft hollow behind your earlobe, and Anmian is halfway between them. [S04] The manual warns against firm pressure at Anmian, so press it gently. [S04]

GB20: the tension point

Place your fingers on the back of your neck just below the skull, then slide them outward over the thick neck muscles until they drop into a hollow on each side. [S04] Press both sides at once with your thumbs while resting your head back in your hands.

ST36 and SP6: the leg points

For ST36, measure four finger widths down from the bottom of your kneecap, then move one finger width out from the shinbone. [S04] For SP6, find the highest point of your inner ankle bone and measure four finger widths up. [S04] SP6 is one of the points to avoid during pregnancy. [S04]

What the research shows

Acupressure research is growing, but much of it is small, and finding a convincing fake (sham) version of pressing a point is hard. Here's where the evidence is strongest.

Nausea after surgery

A 2025 Cochrane review, the most rigorous type of summary, pooled 77 trials with 9,847 participants. Noninvasive stimulation of the P6 wrist point, which includes acupressure and wristbands, lowered the risk of nausea after surgery by about a third and vomiting by about 40% compared with sham. [S05] The reviewers rated their confidence in those results as low. [S05]

Period pain

A 2025 systematic review of 23 randomized trials found acupressure reduced menstrual pain more than placebo acupressure and, in some trials, more than oral pain medicine. [S06] Side effects were mild, but the evidence was judged low quality. [S06]

Labor pain

A 2025 review of 37 studies found acupressure reduced labor pain compared with touch, sham or no treatment, with SP6 and LI4 both helping. [S07] The certainty was moderate to low, and the authors flagged possible publication bias. [S07] This is exactly why those points are used at term and avoided earlier in pregnancy. [S04]

Fatigue and sleep in cancer survivors

In a 2016 randomized trial of 288 breast cancer survivors with persistent fatigue, women who did six weeks of daily self-acupressure were about twice as likely to reach normal fatigue levels as those on usual care (66% and 61% with the two acupressure styles, versus 31%). [S08] Only the "relaxing" point set also improved sleep and quality of life. [S08] A 2025 review of 22 trials in people with cancer found better sleep quality right after acupressure programs, with a smaller effect four weeks later. [S09]

Who should skip acupressure, or which points

Acupressure is safe for most people, but a university nursing manual lists situations to avoid or approach carefully: [S04]

• Don't press on: broken, irritated or blistered skin; bruises; new scars; or areas with IV lines, tubes or devices. [S04] MSK adds peeling skin, open wounds, rashes, and skin that's red, swollen, warm or has pus. [S01]
• Use caution with: low platelets, a high INR (slow blood clotting, for example on blood thinners) or a clotting disorder. [S04] In the fatigue trial, one participant withdrew because of bruising at the points. [S08]
• Pregnancy: LI4, SP6, GB21, BL60, BL67 and points on the abdomen or over the sacrum have historically been avoided before 37 weeks. [S04] The manual advises getting guidance from a licensed acupuncturist and checking with your obstetric provider; its own nursing protocol skips acupressure entirely before 37 weeks. [S04]

The same manual says acupressure isn't a substitute for medical care. [S04] Use it alongside treatment, not instead of it, especially for new, severe or lasting symptoms.

Building a simple routine

You don't need all eight points. Pick one or two for what you want help with, such as P6 before a car trip or Yin Tang and HT7 at bedtime, and practice them for a week. Acupressure fits well with other gentle, hands-on practices: if you're curious about energy work, see what to expect at a first Reiki session, and for the science of calming your body, read nervous system regulation, explained.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pressure point for nausea?

P6, also called Neiguan or Inner Gate, on the inside of your forearm. Measure three finger widths down from your wrist crease and press between the two tendons there. A 2025 Cochrane review found wrist-point stimulation reduced nausea and vomiting after surgery, though confidence in the evidence was low.

What pressure point relieves headaches?

LI4, in the web between your thumb and index finger on the back of your hand, is the one most often taught. Don't use it if you're pregnant. GB20, in the hollows at the base of the skull, is another point taught for headaches and neck tension.

How long should you hold an acupressure point?

Memorial Sloan Kettering's instructions say to press firmly and move your thumb in small circles for 2 to 3 minutes, then repeat on the other side. You can do this a few times a day.

Which acupressure points should you avoid during pregnancy?

LI4 and SP6 are the best-known ones. A university acupressure manual also lists GB21, BL60, BL67 and points on the abdomen and over the sacrum as historically avoided before 37 weeks. Talk to your obstetric provider first.

Does acupressure actually work?

For a few uses it has reasonable support. Reviews show benefits for nausea after surgery, period pain, labor pain and sleep in people with cancer, but most of the evidence is rated low or moderate quality, and it works best as a complement to care, not a replacement.