A targeted acupuncture protocol may uniquely reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms in chronic insomnia while improving sleep and daytime functioning.
This single-blind randomised controlled trial assigned adults with chronic insomnia to either a targeted acupuncture protocol using points selected for sleep and emotional symptoms or a comparison acupuncture protocol. Participants received ten treatment sessions delivered three times weekly. Sleep severity and quality were assessed using insomnia and sleep questionnaires alongside overnight sleep monitoring, while anxiety, depression, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness questionnaires assessed daytime functioning.
Both acupuncture protocols improved insomnia symptoms, sleep quality, sleep-monitoring measures, and daytime functioning. Sleep improvements were broadly similar between groups, but the targeted protocol produced greater reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms, suggesting that point selection may particularly influence emotional difficulties accompanying chronic insomnia.
