Acupuncture for insomnia in pregnancy--a prospective, quasi-randomised, controlled study

da Silva, J. B.

Nakamura, M. U.

Cordeiro, J. A.

Kulay, L. J.

Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society

2005

23(2)

47-51

RCT

Acu + Usual Care Versus Usual Care

Acupuncture

Insomnia

Pregnancy Complications

RCT

Restricted Modalities, Acupuncture Only

Semi-Individualized Acupuncture Protocol

Usual Care Control, Educational

TCM Acupuncture Style

Traditional Diagnosis Based Point Selection

Women's Health

Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorder

Sleep Disorders (40)

Climacteric

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to test the effects of acupuncture on insomnia in a group of pregnant women under real life conditions, and to compare the results with a group of patients undergoing conventional treatment alone (sleep hygiene). METHODS: A total of 30 conventionally treated pregnant women were allocated at random into groups with or without acupuncture. Seventeen patients formed the study group and 13 the control group. The pregnant women scored the severity of insomnia using a Numerical Rating Scale from 0 to 10. Women were followed up for eight weeks and interviewed five times, at two-week intervals. RESULTS: Eight women dropped out, five in the study group and three in the control group. The study group reported a larger reduction on insomnia rating (5.1) than the control group (0.0), a difference which was statistically significant (P = 0.0028). Average insomnia scores decreased by at least 50% over time in nine (75%) patients in the study group and in three (30%) of the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that acupuncture alleviates insomnia during pregnancy and further research is justified

30

Pregnancy Complications

>1/WK

30

8 Weeks