Acupuncture benefits sleep and reduces insomnia.
This is the conclusion of a randomised- controlled trial in which acupuncture was compared to sham acupuncture and estalozam, a benzodiazepine medication.
True acupuncture produced significantly superior patient outcomes for insomnia patients, including improvements in sleep quality and total sleep time.
A two-month follow-up to the treatment regime demonstrates that acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture and estalozam for the improvement of sleep quality. True acupuncture also produced superior results for sleep efficiency and daytime functioning.
Acupuncture improved daytime functioning including fatigue reduction, reduced sleepiness, increased alertness and concentration and reduced mood disturbances.
The researchers adhered to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) manual acupuncture techniques and attribute the positive patient outcomes to following traditional treatment protocol guidelines.
Reporting on TCM theory concerning healthy sleep, the researchers note that sleep is regarded as a cycle. There is an energetic daytime functioning of individuals and a restful nocturnal sleep portion of the cycle. If the cycle is broken, there may be low spiritedness in the daytime and hyperarousal states in the nighttime. The function of acupuncture is to restore the normal cycle.
Acupuncture not only restored nighttime sleep but also improved daytime energetics. In contrast, patients in the estazolam medication group experienced adverse effects. This included daytime sleepiness that typically ceased by midday. The researchers note, “The trial implied that verum acupuncture was superior in improving sleep quality and daytime functioning of primary insomnia compared with estazolam and sham acupuncture.” The researchers also note that true acupuncture increased total sleep time and “improved sleep quality (SQ) and vitality (VT), decreased daytime dysfunction (DD) and sleepiness (ESS score).”
References:
Guo, Jing, Lin-Peng Wang, Cun-Zhi Liu, Jie Zhang, Gui-Ling Wang, Jing-Hong Yi, Jin-Lian Cheng, and R. Musil. “Efficacy of acupuncture for primary insomnia: a randomized controlled clinical trial.” Deutsche Zeitschrift für Akupunktur 57, no. 4 (2014): 31-32.
Kou, Ji-you, Yan Wei, Xin Tong, and Long Yang. “Effect of combined acupuncture and Shen Zao An Shen Tang on sleep quality of insomnia patients due to deficiency of the heart and spleen.” Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science 12, no. 2 (2014): 96-100.
Wen, Xiuyun, Qian Wu, Jingshu Du, and Wenbin Fu. “Effect of compatibility of Lie Que (LU7) and Zhao Hai (KI6) on insomnia caused by depression: a randomized controlled trial.” Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Engineering 145 (2014): 227.
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