1.Acupuncture treatment results for insomnia
Wuyihan ; Enkhtuya V ; Nomin-Erdene U ; Enkhdulguun A ; Nansalmaa M
Mongolian Journal of Health Sciences 2025;88(4):75-81
Background:
Insomnia is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders in the United States, affecting up to half of pri
mary care patients and often necessitating psycho-behavioral interventions. Acupuncture, a key component of traditional
Chinese and Mongolian medicine, has been increasingly studied as a treatment for insomnia in recent years.
Aim:
Evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture for insomnia
Materials and Methods:
The study was conducted using a randomized controlled clinical trial design. 148 participants,
aged 18-65 years, with a diagnosis of Nonorganic Insomnia (F51.0) according to the ICD-10, and Pittsburgh Sleep Qual
ity Index (PSQI) >7, were divided into the transverse acupuncture, conventional acupuncture, and the control group. The
results were analyzed using a Cardiopulmonary Coupling - CPC machine before and after treatment in the 3 groups to as
sess 1. Total sleep (hours), 2. Deep sleep (hours), 3. Light sleep (hours), 4. REM (hours), 5. Wake time (minutes), 6. Time
to first fall asleep (minutes), 7. Sleep rate (%), 8. Number of apneas, and sleep quality was assessed using the Insomnia
Severity Index (ISI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires. The research approval was reviewed and
granted by the Research Ethics Review Committee of the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences on January
19, 2024 (Approval No. 24/19/01).
Results:
The mean age of participants was 51.5±10.8 years, with 79.7% (n=118) being female and 20.3% (n=30) male.
In the transverse acupuncture group, post-treatment results demonstrated a 53.8% increase in total sleep time, a 102.8%
increase in deep sleep time, a 19.8% increase in light sleep time, a 36.1% increase in REM sleep time, and a 22.1% im
provement in sleep normalization rate. The mean differences between pre- and post-treatment scores were statistically
significant based on a one-sample t-test. In contrast, no statistically significant improvements were observed in the control
group, except for sleep quality.
Conclusion
Both transverse acupuncture and conventional acupuncture significantly improved sleep quality indicators
following treatment.