Evaluation of the effectiveness of acupuncture combined with reflexology for the treatment of non-organic insomnia

Abstract

Objectives: 1. To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture combined with reflexology in the treatment of non-organic insomnia through sleep duration, sleep onset latency, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). 2. To monitor common adverse effects observed in clinical practice. Method: A randomized, controlled, open-label clinical trial was conducted. Results: Significant improvements were observed in all sleep-related parameters before and after treatment. Mean sleep duration increased markedly after intervention, reaching 6.29 ± 1.26 hours/day after 21 days. The proportions of patients achieving sleep durations of more than 7 hours/day and 6–7 hours/day were 20% and 28.6%, respectively. Sleep onset latency was significantly shorter than at baseline. Prior to intervention, most patients required more than 60 minutes to fall asleep; after 21 days, 43% of patients achieved sleep onset within 15 minutes, and 46% within 16–30 minutes. Sleep quality, assessed by the PSQI, improved significantly. The mean PSQI score decreased from 14.43 ± 2.7 before treatment to 5.49 ± 2.4 after 21 days. The proportion of patients achieving good sleep quality according to the PSQI after treatment was 77.1%. All observed changes were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: Acupuncture combined with reflexology provides comprehensive improvements in sleep duration, sleep onset latency, and sleep quality. Reported adverse effects included post-needling bleeding and pain or swelling at acupuncture points; no serious adverse events were observed, indicating that the intervention is safe for clinical practice.