Acupuncture is being rigorously tested as a potential treatment for the intertwined sleep and chest-pain burdens affecting women during menopause transition.
This single-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assigns perimenopausal women with both insomnia and stable angina to either acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Participants receive thirty-minute treatment sessions three times weekly for twelve weeks and are followed for a further twelve weeks. Researchers assess sleep quality, quality of life, use of sleep medication, angina symptoms, blood markers related to inflammation and heart injury, depression, anxiety, and adverse events at repeated time points.
The study is designed to determine whether acupuncture improves sleep while also benefiting angina-related symptoms, wellbeing, emotional health, and biological indicators relevant to cardiovascular risk. Comparing acupuncture with a convincing sham procedure and systematically documenting side effects aims to distinguish treatment-specific benefits from placebo effects and establish its safety profile.
