Electroacupuncture is effective for insomnia treatment in adults with depression

Reference

Yin X, Li W, Liang T, et al. Effect of electroacupuncture on insomnia in patients with depression. A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open 2022;5(7):e2220563.

Synopsis

These investigators identified adults, aged 18 to 70 years, who met standard international criteria for both depression and insomnia/poor quality of sleep. Eligible participants (N = 270) randomly received (concealed) assignment to 1 of 3 treatment groups: (1) electroacupuncture (EA) for 30 minutes 3 times per week for 8 consecutive weeks; (2) sham acupuncture (SA; a pricking sensation without insertion) on the same schedule as EA; or (3) the standard advice on exercising regularly, eating healthfully, and managing stress. Study participants in the EA and SA groups wore eye masks during their treatment sessions and served as their own judicial assessors of subsequent sleep quality and quality of life. Complete follow-up occurred for 91.5% of participants at 32 weeks. Using intention-to-treat analysis, patients in the EA group reported significantly lower insomnia severity scores than the SA and control groups during the 8-week treatment and the 24-week follow-up periods (-4.7; 95% CI -5.4 to -3.9 and -5.0; -5.8 to -4.1, respectively). Similarly, patients in the EA group reported significantly lower depression scores using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (-5.5; -6.8 to -4.3, with lower scores indicating improving depressive symptoms) than the SA group (-5.8; -6.8 to - 4.7) and the control group (-8.8; -10.1 to -7.4). Patients in the EA group also reported significantly improved self-rated anxiety scores compared with the SA and control groups. No significant group differences occurred with adverse events. Approximately 62% of patients in the SA group guessed incorrectly about their group assignment after study completion.