OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy on insomnia between Fang 's scalp acupuncture combined with conventional acupuncture and the simple conventional acupuncture. METHODS: A total of 66 patients with insomnia were randomly divided into an observation group (33 cases, 1 case dropped off) and a control group (33 cases, 2 cases dropped off). In the control group, the routine acupuncture therapy was applied to Shenmen (HT 7), Baihui (GV 20), Zhaohai (KI 6) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. Based on the treatment as the control group, Fang's scalp acupuncture therapy was supplemented at fuxiang tou, fuzang shangjiao, fuzang zhongjiao, siwei, etc. At these scalp points, the needles were inserted perpendicularly with flying needling technique and manipulated with trembling one. In either group, the treatment was given once daily, continuously for 2 weeks. Before and after treatment, separately, the score of Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and the score of Chinese perceived stress scale (CPSS) were observed, as well as the parameters monitored by polysomnography, i.g. total sleep time (TST), sleep onset latency (SOL), wakefulness after the sleep onset (WASO), sleep efficiency (SE), the percentages of the time of rapid eye movement sleep phase (REM) and non-rapid eye movement sleep phase 1, 2, 3 and 4 in TST (REM%, N1%, N2%, N3%). The efficacy was compared between two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of each factor and the total scores of PSQI, as well as CPSS scores were all lower than those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01, P<0.05); except the score for sleep quality, the score of each factor and the total score of PSQI, as well as CPSS score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). After treatment, TST, SE%, REM% and N3% were increased and SOL, WASO, N1% were decreased as compared with before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01, P<0.05), and N2% in the observation group was decreased (P<0.01); SE%, REM% and N3% in the observation group were higher than the control group (P<0.05) and N1% and N2% were lower than the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 93.8% (30/32) in the observation group, higher than 87.1% (27/31) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Fang 's scalp acupuncture, on the base of routine acupuncture, obviously improves the sleep quality and perceived stress and adjusts the sleep structure in the patients with insomnia.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Humans ; Scalp ; Sleep ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/therapy* ; Stress, Psychological/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome