The Effects of Acupuncture on Insomnia Among Midlife Women

Aims: To explore the effects of acupuncture on the improvement of insomnia, fatigue, depression and menopausal symptoms among midlife women.

This research is a study with a randomized clinical trial. Participants were 40-60 years old with a sleep disturbance which persists more than one month. Twenty participants were randomly assigned into the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received acupuncture treatment (Taichong, Shenmen, Neiguan points) twice a week, total three weeks, plus sleep hygiene guidance; the control group received subcutaneous acupuncture (non-therapeutic acupuncture points) twice a week, total three weeks and given sleep Health guidance. All participants received pre-test and post-test, including sleep multiple physiological examination (PSG), Pittsburgh sleep quality table, Epworth sleepiness scale, hospital anxiety depression scale, menopausal symptom questionnaire, sleep disturbance comprehensive scale, and wore Actiwatch for three days. Data analysis was performed using SPSS.

This study is designed according to the Impaired Sleep Model, and is a single-blind randomized clinical trial.

The experimental group received acupuncture treatment (Taichong, Shenmen, Neiguan points) twice a week, total three weeks, plus sleep hygiene guidance

The control group received subcutaneous acupuncture (non-therapeutic acupuncture points) twice a week, total three weeks and given sleep Health guidance.

The scale is suitable for the evaluation of sleep quality in patients with sleep disorders and mental disorders, as well as for the evaluation of sleep quality in general people.

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a self-assessment questionnaire that has been found to be a reliable instrument for detecting states of anxiety and depression in the setting of hospital outpatient clinic.

The ESS is a self-administered questionnaire with 8 questions. Respondents are asked to rate, on a 4-point scale (0-3), their usual chances of dozing off or falling asleep while engaged in eight different activities.

The SOS consists of 8 items relating to the intensity, duration, frequency, and impact of SDB symptoms - specifi cally snoring.

The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was developed by WHO for physical activity surveillance in countries. It collects information on physical activity participation in three settings (or domains) as well as sedentary behaviour, comprising 16 questions (P1-P16)

TST was determined as the number of minutes asleep in bed after "lights off," considering only nighttime sleep.

Sleep latency, or sleep onset latency, is the time it takes a person to fall asleep after turning the lights out.

REM sleep is the stage in which most people vividly dream. These periods of sleep typically start around 90 minutes after someone falls asleep.

Sleep efficiency (SE), commonly defined as the ratio of total sleep time (TST) to time in bed (TIB), plays a central role in insomnia research and practice. The significance of SE is understandable because it captures a core problem for those suffering from insomnia-spending too much time in bed trying to sleep.

A normal level of oxygen is usually 95% or higher. Some people with chronic lung disease or sleep apnea can have normal levels around 90%.

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is characterized by periods of profound cardiac autonomic activation evident in heart rate surges in humans and canines.

Inclusion Criteria: Women aged 40-60 years Complaints of insomnia symptoms in the past month that lasted for at least one week, such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up easily in the middle of the night, unable to fall asleep after waking up, still not getting enough sleep after waking up in the morning The score of sleep disorder on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale was more than 5 points Exclusion Criteria: History of psychiatric disorders History of sleep apnea or nocturnal myoclonus Center or neurodegenerative disease Cancer Melatonin or sleeping pills use in the past month