Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Auricular Acupuncture as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Combined with Sleep Disorders
Published on: August 18, 2023
Acupuncture for insomnia? An overview of systematic reviews
Edzard Ernst1, Myeong Soo Lee, Tae-Young Choi
1Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. edzard.ernst@pms.ac.uk
Background:
Several systematic reviews of acupuncture as a treatment of insomnia have recently emerged. Their results are far from uniform.
Aim:
To summarize and critically evaluate these reviews with a view of defining the reasons for their discrepant conclusions and providing an overall verdict about the therapeutic value of acupuncture for insomnia.
Methods:
Thirteen electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Amed, CINHAL, Health Technology Assessments, DARE, Cochrane, six Korean/Chinese databases) were searched for relevant articles and data from the included reviews were extracted according to pre-defined criteria. Their methodological quality was assessed using the 'Overview Quality Assessment Questionnaire'.
Results:
Ten systematic reviews of acupuncture for insomnia were published between 2003 and 2010. They differed in numerous respects. Several reviews draw strongly positive conclusions. Owing to these several caveats, the best evidence is, however, not clearly positive.
Conclusion:
The evidence for acupuncture as a treatment of insomnia is plagued by important limitations, e.g. the poor quality of most primary studies and some systematic reviews. Those that are sensitive to such limitations, fail to arrive at a positive verdict about the effectiveness of acupuncture.
Related Concept Videos
Management of Insomnia
Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview
Sedative-hypnotics are categorized into barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs), and non-benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. These drugs work by suppressing central nervous system activity, and this suppression is dose-dependent. Older sedative medications, like barbiturates, follow a linear curve in...
Insomnia
Multiple factors contribute...
Anxiolytic Drugs: Overview
Primary Types of Anxiolytic Drugs
1. Benzodiazepines:
Benzodiazepines bind to the GABA-A receptor in the brain, enhancing GABA's interaction. This action reduces neurotransmission, effectively blocking anxiety-associated limbic circuitry.
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...

