Electroacupuncture versus Sham Acupuncture for Perimenopausal Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective: To evaluate the short- and long-term effects of acupuncture on perimenopausal insomnia (PMI) and quality of life. Patients and Methods: We designed a semi-standardized, patient-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial. A total of 84 patients were recruited, all of whom met the criteria for diagnosis of PMI. Either acupuncture therapy or a noninvasive placebo acupuncture therapy designed to treat insomnia was implemented 18 times over the course of 8 weeks (3 times per week for 4 weeks, twice per week for 2 weeks, once per week for 2 weeks). The primary outcome was the change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores from baseline to the end of treatment, week 8. Secondary outcomes included climacteric symptoms and quality of life measured by the Menopause Quality of Life (Men-QoL), Insomnia Severity Index (IR), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), sleep parameters recorded in the actigraphy and adverse events. The PSQI and Men-QoL were assessed at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12 and 20. Other assessments were performed at week 0 and week 8. Results: The participants were randomly assigned to either acupuncture (n=42) or sham acupuncture (n=42) groups. The mean difference from baseline of PSQI score at the end of treatment between real acupuncture and sham acupuncture group was -2.38 (95% CI, -3.46 to -1.30; P<0.001). The acupuncture group was associated with significantly lower scores than the sham acupuncture group at week 12 and during the 20-week follow-up visits (all P <0.001). Acupuncture was also associated with significantly higher quality of life in vasomotor and other physical dimensions (all P <0.001). At the end of treatment, researchers found a significantly higher total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE) and lower number of average awakenings (AA) (P =0.007 0.023 and 0.011, respectively) in the acupuncture group than in the sham acupuncture group. No severe adverse events were reported. Conclusion: The findings suggest that acupuncture may be a safe and effective treatment for PMI and improving quality of sleep in patients with menopause and could have a long-lasting effect.