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

Luan X, Zhang X, Zhou Y · BioMed Research International · 2022 May 13

DOI 10.1155/2022/9484095

Objective

To assess the role and clinical observation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in relieving senile insomnia and conduct a systematic evaluation and meta-analysis.

Conclusions

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

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Insights

Traditional Chinese Medicine may play a significant role in alleviating symptoms of chronic insomnia in elderly patients.

The methodology of this research was based on a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis of a large number of Chinese and English databases including China Knowledge Network, Chongqing CQVIP, Wanfang database, Chinese Biomedical Literature database, PubMed and the Cochrane Library. The consistent inclusion criteria for all the researched articles were that they had to carry a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for treating chronic insomnia, and be current up to December 2021. The results of the meta-analysis, based on 16 selected studies involving 1260 elderly patients suffering from insomnia, revealed that TCM played a potential role in alleviating senile insomnia. Compared to the control group, the experimental group reported significant improvements in several sleep parameters including a reduction in sleep latency, number of awakenings, increased total sleep time, improved sleep efficiency, a lowered Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and a promising effective rate. The insomnia severity index also showed a beneficial downturn for the experimental group, suggesting TCM as an effective treatment option for insomnia in elderly patients.