Acupuncture for insomnia with short sleep duration: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Sleep Medicine
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Insomnia with short sleep duration significantly impacts patient health.
• Medication therapy is often more effective but carries risks of side effects.
• Acupuncture's efficacy for this specific insomnia phenotype requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating insomnia characterized by short sleep duration.
• To compare acupuncture's effects against placebo in patients with and without short sleep duration.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, single-center, single-blinded, placebo-controlled trial involving 152 participants.
• Participants categorized into normal and short sleep duration groups, then randomized to acupuncture or placebo.
• Primary outcomes include Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Insomnia Severity Index; secondary outcomes assess sleep, anxiety, depression, and fatigue.

Main Results:

• Data collection includes baseline, post-treatment, and 1-week/1-month follow-up assessments.
• Adverse effects monitored using the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale.
• Trial registration number: ChiCTR1900023473.

Conclusions:

• The study aims to provide evidence on acupuncture's therapeutic potential for insomnia with short sleep duration.
• Findings will inform clinical practice regarding non-pharmacological insomnia treatments.
• Ethical approval obtained, and results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.