Acupuncture plus bloodletting therapy for insomnia in blood stasis constitution: a clinical study

Abstract

To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus bloodletting therapy in treating insomnia in people with blood stasis constitution. Seventy-two patients were randomized into a treatment group and a control group by using the random number table, 36 cases each. The treatment group received acupuncture plus bloodletting therapy, while the control group was intervened by oral administration of estazolam. One-week treatment was taken as a course, for 3 successive courses in total. A follow-up study was conducted 3 months later. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was evaluated before and after the intervention, as well as in the follow-up. The clinical efficacies were also compared. The total effective rate was 88.9% in the treatment group versus 83.3% in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). After the intervention, the PSQI scores dropped significantly in both groups (both P<0.05); the between-group difference in PSQI score was statistically significant (P<0.05). The follow-up study showed that the between-group difference in the global score of PSQI was statistically significant (P<0.05). Acupuncture plus bloodletting therapy can produce a more significant efficacy than oral administration of estazolam in treating insomnia in people with blood stasis constitution.