Li Lianbo, Xia Mingyue, Chen Xinyu, Wang Fengxiao, Li Jie, Zhao Na, Liu Zhen, Chen Yunfei
Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, People's Republic of China.
Nat Sci Sleep. 2025 Aug 7;17:1789-1803. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S521578. eCollection 2025.
Chronic Insomnia Disorder (CID) significantly impairs both sleep quality and daytime functioning. However, current treatments have limited efficacy in improving daytime function and are often associated with side effects. This highlights the urgent need for effective and safe therapeutic approaches that can target both nocturnal and daytime symptoms.
To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture in improving sleep quality and daytime functioning in patients with chronic insomnia, and to optimize its treatment protocol.
This study was a single-blind, randomised, controlled trial. The treatment group received acupuncture at HT7, BL15, LR3 and BL18, while the control group was treated at GV20, EX-HN22, BL62 and KI6. Each group underwent 10 sessions administered three times per week. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) served as the primary evaluation index for sleep efficacy, while the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and polysomnography (PSG) were secondary indexes for sleep quality. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were used to evaluate daytime functional impairment.
Totally 76 patients were included in this study and randomly assigned to the treatment group (n=38) and the control group (n=38). Both groups showed significant improvements in sleep quality and daytime functioning. The treatment group exhibited a mean ISI reduction of 7.58 points versus 5.71 points in the control group; however, this difference was not statistically significant. PSG data revealed similar improvements in total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and REM sleep percentage across groups. Notably, the treatment group demonstrated significantly greater reductions in BAI and BDI scores (p<0.05), while improvements in FSS and ESS scores were comparable.
Acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment to improve sleep as well as daytime functioning for chronic insomnia. The protocol using HT7, BL15, LR3 and BL18 may offer added benefits for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms.
This study was registered with the China Clinical Trial Registry (CCTR), registration ID: ChiCTR2200066102.
慢性失眠障碍（CID）严重损害睡眠质量和日间功能。然而，目前的治疗方法在改善日间功能方面疗效有限，且常伴有副作用。这凸显了迫切需要有效且安全的治疗方法，既能针对夜间症状，又能针对日间症状。
评估针刺改善慢性失眠患者睡眠质量和日间功能的临床疗效及安全性，并优化其治疗方案。
本研究为单盲、随机、对照试验。治疗组针刺神门穴（HT7）、心俞穴（BL15）、太冲穴（LR3）和肝俞穴（BL18），而对照组针刺百会穴（GV20）、印堂穴（EX-HN22）、申脉穴（BL62）和照海穴（KI6）。每组每周治疗3次，共进行10次治疗。失眠严重程度指数（ISI）作为睡眠疗效的主要评估指标，而匹兹堡睡眠质量指数（PSQI）和多导睡眠图（PSG）作为睡眠质量的次要指标。采用贝克焦虑量表（BAI）、贝克抑郁量表（BDI）、疲劳严重程度量表（FSS）和爱泼沃斯思睡量表（ESS）评估日间功能损害。
本研究共纳入76例患者，随机分为治疗组（n = 38）和对照组（n = 38）。两组患者的睡眠质量和日间功能均有显著改善。治疗组ISI平均降低7.58分，对照组降低5.71分；然而，这一差异无统计学意义。PSG数据显示，两组患者的总睡眠时间、睡眠效率和快速眼动睡眠百分比均有相似改善。值得注意的是，治疗组的BAI和BDI评分显著降低（p < 0.05），而FSS和ESS评分的改善相当。
针刺是改善慢性失眠患者睡眠及日间功能的一种有效且安全的治疗方法。采用神门穴（HT7）、心俞穴（BL15）、太冲穴（LR3）和肝俞穴（BL18）的治疗方案可能在减轻焦虑和抑郁症状方面具有额外益处。
本研究已在中国临床试验注册中心（CCTR）注册，注册号：ChiCTR2200066102。
