Acupuncture for Insomnia & Sleep Disorders

2026, Jan 30

Clinical evaluation of Suanzaoren decoction for sleep disturbance and cancer-related fatigue in patients with lung cancer receiving chemotherapy: A retrospective study

Medicine

Patients who received SZRD had significantly lower PSQI scores and reduced fatigue levels compared to the control group, with some improvements in objective sleep parameters observed as well.

Yang H, Zhou L, Huang Y, Yang T Full Article

2026, Jan

Suanzaoren decoction improving chronic insomnia with little effects on functional connectivity within the sensorimotor network

Brain Research

CID patients exhibited abnormal SMN-related intrinsic function and associated biological correlates, with aberrant SMN activity being a distinctive neuroimaging feature of CID. Estazolam affected SMN activity, while SZRD had little influence on SMN-related alterations.

Yao P, Guo Z, Han Y, Yan H, Lin W, Han Z, Liu M, Chen M, Li J, Guo X, Cui LB, Guo W, Lv D Full Article

2026, May

Altered Effective Connectivity of Precuneus Subregions and Associated Gene Profiles in Chronic Insomnia Disorder Patients Before and After Treatment

Brain and Behavior

The bidirectional effective connectivity between the precuneus and regions in the sensory-motor and visual networks in chronic insomnia disorder patients reflect hyperarousal states and compensatory responses, with traditional Chinese medicine tending to alleviate hyperarousal and benzodiazepines inducing adaptive regulation.

Guo Z, Zhang L, Han Y, Yan H, Yao P, Lv D, Yuan Y, Zhao J, Chen L, Guo W Full Article

2026, Nov

Altered default mode network homogeneity in chronic insomnia disorder: modulation by modified suanzaoren decoction and estazolam, and machine learning classification

Brain Research

CID patients showed abnormal NH in DMN nodes compared to healthy controls, with treatment leading to increased NH in certain regions, and a unique effect of MSZRD on a prefrontal regulatory hub.

Wei S, Zhang L, Chen X, Han Y, Lv D, Yao P, Chen L, Yuan Y, Zhao J, Ou Y, Guo Z, Guo W Full Article

2026, Jul 07

Combining electroacupuncture and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for psychiatric disorders in women victims of domestic violence: An assessor‐blinded, randomised controlled trial

General Psychiatry

The EA + TEAS group had significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms, PTSD, perceived stress, insomnia, and improvements in quality of life compared to the care as usual (CAU) group, with higher rates of clinical response and remission at the endpoint.

Yang S, Mok WC, Cheung DST, Tiwari A, Cheng CPW, Chen H, Qin Z, Chan MY, Hu X, Yu KC, Chan PY, Li W, Liu SN, Gu MQ, Yang X, Lee D, Sin SH, Zhang ZJ Full Article

2025, May 18

Altered cerebral functional activity and its associated genetic profiles underlying chronic insomnia disorder before and after treatment

The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry

Patients with chronic insomnia disorder showed altered functional activity in specific brain regions, with pharmacotherapy leading to changes in activity levels in the left middle occipital gyrus; altered neural activity in default mode, frontoparietal, and visual networks may play a role in pathogenesis and treatment mechanisms of chronic insomnia disorder.

Zhang L, Guo Z, Han Y, Yan H, Lv D, Yao P, Zhao J, Chen L, Guo W Full Article

2025, Aug

Prediction of treatment efficacy in the suanzaoren decoction and estazolam for chronic insomnia disorder, along with brain function and cognitive changes before and after treatment, and potential gene expression profiles

Asian Journal of Psychiatry

The study found that both suanzaoren decoction and estazolam improved sleep duration and efficiency in patients with chronic insomnia disorder. Suanzaoren decoction showed decreased ReHo values in certain brain regions, while estazolam did not produce significant changes. Machine learning models successfully predicted changes in sleep quality scores, and genes associated with the imaging results were identified.

Li T, Han Y, Yan H, Lv D, Yao P, Chen L, Yuan Y, Zhao J, Guo W, Guo Z, Lang B Full Article

2025, Jul 24

Clinical efficacy of modified suanzaoren decoction compared to esazolam tablets in the treatment of chronic insomnia disorder

Frontiers in Psychiatry

Yao P, Guo X, Guo Z, Lin W, Liu M, Chen M, Li J, Cui LB, Lv D Full Article

2023, Oct 06

Modified Suanzaoren decoction in treating post-stroke cognitive impairment with comorbid insomnia symptoms: A clinical trial

Medicine

Modified Suanzaoren decoction was found to be more effective than zolpidem in improving cognitive function, depression state, and reducing cortisol levels in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment and comorbid insomnia symptoms.

Zhu M, Pan G, Luo F, Sui S, Zhang Y Full Article

2023, Mar

Acupuncture as an Adjunct Treatment to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia

Sleep Medicine Clinics

The study concludes that there is growing evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating insomnia and comorbid conditions, and further research is needed to explore its potential as an adjunct to CBT-I.

Kutana S, Mao JJ, Garland SN Full Article

2023, Feb 06

Acupuncture for comorbid depression and insomnia in perimenopause: A feasibility patient-assessor-blinded, randomized, and sham-controlled clinical trial

Frontiers in Public Health

Acupuncture is safe and can contribute to clinically relevant improvements in comorbid PMD and PMI, with satisfactory short-and medium-term effects. Whether the anti-depressive benefit of acupuncture is specific or non-specific remains to be determined. No evidence was found for any longer-term benefit of acupuncture compared to sham at 16 weeks. Further research is required to elucidate mechanisms underlying the short to medium term effects of acupuncture.

Zhao FY, Zheng Z, Fu QQ, Conduit R, Xu H, Wang HR, Huang YL, Jiang T, Zhang WJ, Kennedy GA Full Article

2023, Feb 16

Acupuncture and moxibustion in patients with cancer-related insomnia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Frontiers in Psychiatry

Acupuncture and moxibustion are effective and relatively safe in treating CRI. However, the methodological quality of the included studies was generally poor, and further high-quality RCTs are needed to strengthen the evidence base.

Ou Y, Lin D, Ni X, Li S, Wu K, Yuan L, Rong J, Feng C, Liu J, Yu Y, Wang X, Wang L, Tang Z, Zhao L Full Article

2022, Apr 15

The Role of Acupuncture in the Management of Insomnia as a Major or Residual Symptom Among Patients With Active or Previous Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Frontiers in Psychiatry

There is a low to moderate level of evidence supporting acupuncture as a safe and effective remedy alternative to or adjuvant to conventional pharmacotherapy (antidepressant and/or hypnotic) in improving insomnia and other depression symptoms among patients with active depression. Furthermore, the patients' complaint of disrupted sleep continuity is most likely to benefit from acupuncture. The benefit of acupuncture on residual insomnia associated with previous or partially remitted depression is limited. Future acupuncture studies need to consider applying optimal dosage and addressing deficiencies in trial quality.

Zhao FY, Kennedy GA, Spencer SJ, Conduit R, Zhang WJ, Fu QQ, Zheng Z Full Article

2022, May

Comparative effectiveness of multiple acupuncture therapies for primary insomnia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized trial

Sleep Medicine

With moderate to low certainty of evidence, multiple acupuncture therapies showed impressive insomnia improvement, especially acupoints catgut embedding (ACE), auricular acupressure or auricular acupuncture plus manual acupuncture (AP + MA), and electroacupuncture plus acupoint application (EA + APA).

Lu Y, Zhu H, Wang Q, Tian C, Lai H, Hou L, Liu Y, Gao Y, Liu M, Yang F, Ni X, Lin L, Niu J, Tian J, Ge L Full Article

2022, May 13

The Role and Clinical Observation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Relieving Senile Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BioMed Research International

Our current study has indicated that TCM may play a central role in relieving senile insomnia and may be effective when treating insomnia.

Luan X, Zhang X, Zhou Y Full Article

2022, Sept 30

Effectiveness of Acupuncture, Mind and Body Practices, and Natural Products for Insomnia: an overview of systematic reviews

Journal of Pharmacopuncture

This overview confirmed that complementary therapies positively affected the PSQI scores in patients with insomnia. However, better-designed primary studies are needed to strengthen the relevant evidence in the future. A more stringent assessment of multiple systematic reviews 2 must be followed when performing SR and MA.

Yeo JJ, Lee JW, Kim KS, Hyun MK Full Article

2022, Oct 28

The efficacy of acupuncture with Lingguibafa acupoint selection in the treatment of insomnia: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis

Medicine

Acupuncture with Lingguibafa acupoint selection (LAS) is significantly associated with improvements in several sleep parameters, primarily evident on the PSQI score.

Ji H, Zhang K, Lu Y, Kong X, Ma X Full Article

2022, Sept 27

Effectiveness of Taijiquan in treating insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies

Frontiers in Psychiatry

The results of the study showed that Taijiquan significantly improved sleep quality in healthy adults and patients with chronic diseases, which suggests that Taijiquan may be considered as an alternative behavioral therapy in the treatment of insomnia. In the future, more high-quality, well-controlled randomized trials are needed to better inform clinical decisions.

Han D, Cheng J, Qu J, Wen X, Liu X, Chen Y, Wen Y, Liu Z, Liu H, Huang Y Full Article

2022, Oct 11

Observation on the Clinical Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Non-Drug Therapy in the Treatment of Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Based on Computer Artificial Intelligence System

Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience

TCM non-drug therapy (acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, and auricular point pressing beans) can significantly improve the PSQI score of patients after treatment and improve the degree of anxiety and depression of patients, with significant effect, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Zhuang J, Wu J, Fan L, Liang C Full Article

2022, Nov

Acupuncture for cancer-related conditions: An overview of systematic reviews

Phytomedicine

Evidence from SRs showed that acupuncture is beneficial to cancer survivors with cancer-related pain, fatigue, insomnia, improved quality of life, nausea and vomiting, bone marrow suppression, menopausal symptoms, arthralgia, and dysphagia, and may also be potential for lymphoedema, gastrointestinal function, and xerostomia.

Zhang X, Hou W, Pu F, Wang X, Wang Y, Yang M, Cheng K, Wang Y, Robinson N, Liu J Full Article

2022, Jan 14

Can acupuncture improve sleep quality and anxiety among women during perimenopause?

Medicine

This study will provide new evidence on the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, and depression in perimenopausal women, and provide additional options for clinicians and patients to improve insomnia and anxiety.

Ping Y, Liang C, Fan X, Zhang L, Ying D, Wang Z Full Article

2021, Jan

Network Pharmacology‐Based and Molecular Docking‐Based Analysis of Suanzaoren Decoction for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease with Sleep Disorder

BioMed Research International

Liu Y, Yu L, Zhang J, Xie D, Zhang X, Yu J Full Article

2021, Jun

Lavender essential oil on postmenopausal women with insomnia: Double-blind randomized trial

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

The study found that although there were no significant differences between the groups, participants who inhaled Lavandula angustifolia essential oil showed improved overall sleep pattern, quality, and sleep efficiency, as well as decreased sleep onset latency, depression levels, hot flashes, and postmenopausal symptoms.

dos Reis Lucena L, dos Santos-Junior JG, Tufik S, Hachul H Full Article

2021, Aug 13

Acupuncture Reduced the Risk for Insomnia in Stroke Patients: A Propensity-Score Matched Cohort Study

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

Acupuncture treatment reduced the risk of insomnia in stroke patients. Future research be conducted with increased sample sizes and further elaboration on the specific acupuncture protocols that were used.

Qiu X, Han NS, Yao JX, Yu FR, Lin YY, Zhuang X Full Article

2021, Apr 26

Comparative Utility of Acupuncture and Western Medication in the Management of Perimenopausal Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

A low to moderate level of evidence supports that acupuncture could be a safe alternative to or adjuvant to hypnotic drugs in improving sleep quality and quantity and other menopause-related symptoms among women with perimenopausal insomnia (PMI). This finding suggests that acupuncture may be a useful addition to treatment for PMI.

Zhao, F.-Y., Fu, Q.-Q., Kennedy, G. A., Conduit, R., Wu, W.-Z., Zhang, W.-J., & Zheng, Z. Full Article

2021, May 24

Efficacy and Safety of Scalp Acupuncture for Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Scalp acupuncture is effective and safe in the treatment of insomnia, which is worthy of clinical application. However, due to the limited number of included literature, the methodology of some studies is slightly low and the quality of literature is slightly poor. In the future, we need to design rigorous, large sample, multiple center randomized controlled study to further verify the conclusion of this study.

Fu-gui Liu, Ai-hua Tan, Chao-qun Peng, Yun-xia Tan, Ming-chao Yao Full Article

2020, Jan

Efficacy and Safety of Jiawei Suanzaoren Decoction Combined with Lorazepam for Chronic Insomnia: A Parallel‐Group Randomized Controlled Trial

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Song MF, Chen LQ, Shao QY, Hu LL, Liu WJ, Zhang YH Full Article

2020, Jan

Comparative Effectiveness of Cheonwangbosimdan (Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan) Versus Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Cancer Patients: A Randomized, Controlled, Open-Label, Parallel-Group, Pilot Trial

Integrative Cancer Therapies

There is no difference between treatment and control groups, but both groups showed tendency to alleviate cancer insomnia symptoms. However, treatment group score was highly lowered than control group score. The study can contribute to more attentive care for insomnia in cancer patients.

Moon SY, Jerng UM, Kwon OJ, Jung SY, Lee JY, Yoon SW, Shin WC, Byun JI, Lee JH Full Article

2020, Nov 1

The effects of acupuncture versus sham/placebo acupuncture for insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

Based on the outcomes included in this study, the efficacy of acupuncture was superior to that of placebo acupuncture in treating insomnia. Types of acupuncture therapy and placebo may underestimate the efficacy of acupuncture in different ways.

Zhang J, He Y, Huang X, Liu Y, Yu H Full Article

2020, May 13

Effect of Acupuncture on Pregnancy-Related Insomnia and Melatonin: A Single-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Nature and Science of Sleep

Acupuncture was shown to significantly improve the sleep quality in pregnant women, possibly through increasing melatonin secretion, and could be recommended as a low-cost and low-risk alternative treatment to pharmacological therapies.

Foroughinia S, Hessami K, Asadi N, Foroughinia L, Hadianfard M, Hajihosseini A, Pirasteh N, Vossoughi M, Vafaei H, Faraji A, Kasraeian M, Doroudchi M, Rafiee Monjezi M, Roozmeh S, Bazrafshan K. Full Article

2020, Dec 02

Advances in Clinical Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Currently, there are many methods for treating CFS with TCM, showing its advantages. On one hand, treatments according to syndrome differentiation are diverse and involve herbal decoctions and proprietary Chinese medicines. External treatments include moxibustion, acupuncture, tuina, cupping, and other treatments. Combination therapies include two or more external treatments combined and internal and external treatments combined, which are often better than monotherapies and can remedy deficiencies. However, the clinical manifestations of CFS are different. Although fatigue is the main manifestation, there are individual differences in the appearance of insomnia or muscle pain in some patients. Treatments according to syndrome differentiation can provide patients with individualized treatments. On the other hand, TCM often has the advantages of simplicity, effectiveness, convenience, and a lower cost.

Zhang X, Wang M, Zhou S Full Article

2020, Dec 10

Efficacy and Safety of Electroacupuncture for Insomnia Disorder: A Multicenter, Randomized, Assessor-Blinded, Controlled Trial

Nature and Science of Sleep

Ten sessions of electroacupuncture can improve the sleep quality of patients with insomnia without serious adverse effects. Thus, it can be recommended as an effective, safe, and well-tolerated intervention.

Lee B, Kim BK, Kim HJ, Jung IC, Kim AR, Park HJ, Kwon OJ, Lee JH, Kim JH. Full Article

2020, Jan

Placebo effect of acupuncture on insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Annals of Palliative Medicine

Compared to the sham groups, acupuncture significantly decreased the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score. In addition, a significant difference was detected in the change of Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores between acupuncture and sham acupuncture. The authors concluded that acupuncture treatment of insomnia is efficacious, not because of its placebo effect.

Liu C, Xi H, Wu W, Wang X, Qin S, Zhao Y, Zheng S, Wan Q, Xu L. Full Article

2019, Sept

Acupuncture using pattern-identification for the treatment of insomnia disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Integrative Medicine Research Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine

Acupuncture using pattern identification led to significantly improved total effectiveness rate compared to medication. With regard to PSQI, as compared to the control group, acupuncture using pattern identification was similar to medication. However, this study has limitations of high risk of bias, not using a standardized pattern-diagnosis-treatment and not comparing with standarized acupuncture without pattern identification.

Kim SH, Jeong JH, Lim JH, Kim BK Full Article

2019, Jun 24

Acupuncture for Chronic Pain-Related Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Acupuncture therapy is an effective and safe treatment for CPRI, and this treatment can be recommended for the management of patients with CPRI. Due to the low quality and small sample size of the included studies, more rigorously designed RCTs with high quality and large sample size are recommended in future.

Fushui Liu, Jianyu You, Qi Li, Ting Fang, Mei Chen, Nana Tang, Xiaojun Yan Full Article

2018, Feb 23

Acupuncture for adults with overactive bladder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Medicine

The combined results showed that electroacupuncture (EA) may be more effective than sham electroacupuncture (sham EA) in improving the 24-hour nocturia episodes and EA may enhance tolterodine for relieving voiding symptoms and enhancing patients’ quality of life. Acupuncture might have effect in decreasing the number of micturition episodes, incontinence episodes, and nocturia episodes.

Zhao Y, Zhou J, Mo Q, Wang Y, Yu J, Liu Z. Full Article

2017, Jun 19

Complementary and alternative therapies for restless legs syndrome: An evidence-based systematic review

Sleep Medicine Reviews

The severity of primary RLS symptoms can be significantly ameliorated by exercise training, transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation, pneumatic compression devices, light therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and acupuncture.

Xu XM, Liu Y, Jia SY, Dong MX, Cao D, Wei YD. Full Article

2017, Aug 30

The effect of acupuncture treatment for insomnia in chronic hemodialysis patients

Journal of Physics Conference Series

Acupuncture treatment effectively improved the quality of sleep and the quality of life for these chronic hemodialysis patients.

J A Widjaja, C Simadibrata, A Srilestari, M B H Marbun Full Article

2016, Jul 19

Acupuncture for insomnia after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

This clinical article showed high efficacy of acupuncture in treating insomnia post-stroke. Patients mainly experienced hyperactivities of sympathetic nervous system which resulted in disturb sleep patterns. Acupuncture reduced other post-stroke insomnia symptoms such as anxiety, depression and side effects from antipsychotic drugs. It was effective improving overall quality of sleep and lifestyle.

Lee SH, Lim SM Full Article

2016, Jun

A systematic review of acupuncture for sleep quality in people with insomnia

Complementary Therapies in Medicine

Acupuncture compared to sham/placebo and pharmacotherapy showed statistically significant results. However, the evidence is limited by bias in the included studies and heterogeneity. Well-designed studies are needed to confirm the results identified in this review.

Shergis JL, Ni X, Jackson ML, Zhang AL, Guo X, Li Y, Lu C, Xue CC Full Article

2016, Jan 16

Acupuncture for Managing Cancer-Related Insomnia: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials

Integrative Cancer Therapies

There is a low level of evidence that acupuncture may be superior to sham acupuncture, drugs or hormones therapy.

Choi TY, Kim JI, Lim HJ, Lee MS. Full Article

2015, Dec

Updated clinical evidence of Chinese herbal medicine for insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Sleep Medicine

Overall, oral CHM used as a monotherapy or as an adjunct to conventional therapies appears safe, and it may improve subjective sleep in people with insomnia. However, the typical effect of CHM for insomnia cannot be determined due to heterogeneity. Further study focusing on individual CHM formula for insomnia is needed. The development of a comparable placebo is also needed to improve the successful blinding in RCTs.

Xiaojia Ni, Johannah Linda Shergis, Xinfeng Guo, Anthony Lin Zhang, Yan Li, Chuanjian Lu, Charlie Changli Xue Full Article

2013, Jan

Acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia

International Review of Neurobiology

A number of studies have demonstrated that acupuncture may modulate a wide range of neuroendocrinological factors following stimulation of acupoints. Evidence has suggested that the clinical efficacy of acupuncture in treatment of insomnia is potentially mediated by a variety of neurotransmitters including norepinephrine, melatonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and β-endorphin.

Kaicun Zhao Full Article

2012, Dec

Chinese herbal medicine for insomnia: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Sleep Medicine Reviews

Due to the poor methodological quality of the studies and the small number of trials included in meta-analyses, the current evidence is insufficient to support the efficacy of CHM for insomnia. The frequency of adverse events associated with CHM was similar to that of placebo, but lower than with Western medication.

Wing-Fai Yeung, Ka-Fai Chung, Maggie Man-Ki Poon, Fiona Yan-Yee Ho, Shi-Ping Zhang, Zhang-Jin Zhang, Eric Tat-Chi Zie, Vivian Taam Wong Full Article

2009, Nov

Acupuncture for Treatment of Insomnia: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Society for Acupuncture Research

Acupuncture appears to be effective in treatment of insomnia. Meta-analyses showed a beneficial effect of acupuncture compared with no treatment and real acupressure compared with sham acupressure on total scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Acupuncture was superior to medications regarding the number of patients with total sleep duration increased for >3 hours. Acupuncture plus medications showed better effect than medications alone on total sleep duration. Similarly, acupuncture plus herbs was significantly better than herbs alone on increase of sleep rates. There were no serious adverse effects with related to acupuncture treatment in the included trials.

Cao H, Pan X, Li H, Liu J. Full Article