Xin yixue (Dec 2022)
Clinical study of Bian-shi therapy to mitigate insomnia symptoms in young and middle-aged patients with chronic insomnia by regulating neurotransmitters
Abstract
Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Bian-shi therapy in improving sleep quality in young and middle-aged patients with chronic insomnia. Methods 40 young and middle-aged patients with chronic insomnia were randomly divided into the western medicine group （n = 20） and Bian-shi group （n = 20）. In the western medicine group， patients were orally treated with zopiclone （7.5 mg， oral administration before bedtime）， and those in the Bian-shi group were treated with placebo and Bian-shi therapy （once a week， 40 min a time， 4 times in total）. The changes of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI）， and serum melatonin， acetylcholine and norepinephrine before and after 30 d treatment were analyzed and compared between two groups. Results After 30 d treatment， PSQI scores were significantly lower compared with those before treatment in two groups （both P < 0.05）. In the Bian-shi group， PSQI scores were more significantly decreased than those in the western medicine group （all P < 0.05）. After 30 d treatment， serum levels of melatonin and acetylcholine were significantly higher， whereas norepinephrine levels were significantly lower than those before treatment in two groups （all P < 0.05）. In the Bian-shi group， serum levels of melatonin and acetylcholine were significantly higher， whereas norepinephrine levels were significantly lower compared with those in the western medicine group （all P < 0.05）. Conclusions Bian-shi therapy can effectively improve the sleep quality of young and middle-aged patients with chronic insomnia， which yields higher clinical efficacy than that of zopiclone tablets. Multiple neurotransmitters may be involved in the mechanism of Bian-shi therapy to mitigate chronic insomnia symptoms.
Keywords
