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Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Author Spotlight: Utilizing Traditional Chinese Acupuncture of the Ear to Improve Sleep Disorders
Published on: August 18, 2023
The Effect of Auricular Acupressure on Sleep Disturbance Among Patients With Leukemia: A Feasibility Study
Xiao-Rong Liu1, Nicole Rana, Ng-Shin Wong
1Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow, China (Drs Liu and Rana and Ms Wong); School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia (Dr Rana and Ms Wong); Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota (Dr James); School of Nursing, Changzhou University, Changzhou, China (Ms Lu and Mr Xu); and Faculty of Health and Welfare, Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Pori, Finland (Ms Lu).
Abstract:
Auricular acupressure (AA) is widely used in East Asia and Europe to manage patients with sleep disturbance. This feasibility study was performed to demonstrate the potential of AA for sleep disturbance in patients with leukemia. Thirty-two patients with leukemia with poor sleep quality received AA 3 times a day for a total of 4 weeks. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality at baseline, at a 2-week intervention, and after a 4-week intervention. Compared with baseline scores, PSQI scores and the use of sleep medicine were significantly improved at week 2 and week 4 (P < .05). As a potential safety therapy, AA could be an alternative or complementary intervention to improve sleep quality for patients with leukemia with sleep disturbance.
