The Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Depression-Related Insomnia: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background There is a bidirectional relationship between depression and insomnia. Depression-related insomnia is common and remains a challenging medical condition. Although acupuncture might be a potential treatment option and increasing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have emerged, currently available evidence regarding the effect and safety of acupuncture on depression-related insomnia remains inconclusive. Thus, this protocol aims to systematically synthesize the evidence about the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for depression-related insomnia. Methods and Analysis Eligible RCTs will be searched in nine representative databases and pooled in meta-analyses using RevMan 5.3. The methodological quality of included studies will be rated by Cochrane’s risk of bias 2.0 tool. The quality of evidence will be appraised using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias will also be conducted. Discussion This protocol outlines the planned scope and methodology for an upcoming systematic review meta-analysis, which will critically synthesize the evidence about the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on depression-related insomnia. Findings will shed light on fulfilling evidence gaps and influence evidence-based treatment decisions for clinicians in the treatment of depression-related insomnia.

The evaluation of the clinical effect of primary insomnia treated with the manual acupuncture therapy: a study protocol for a parallel, randomized controlled trial

“…According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the etiology of PI is closely related to mental disorder, negative emotions such as anxiety and depression [17,18]. The manual acupuncture can regulate brain function and adjust mood.…”

The Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Tinnitus-Associated Insomnia: A Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…We use comparable studies 26 , 27 to identify the outcomes of interest in our protocol. Accordingly, at least one of the following outcome measures must be present in original trials that will be screened for eligibility.…”

“…[23][24][25] In addition, tinnitus-associated insomnia is very common in clinical practice, so it is likely to include sufficient quantity of qualified trials for conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis that targets the evidence synthesis of acupuncture in tinnitus-associated insomnia. Second, there are some relevant published RCTs 5 or systematic reviews/meta-analyses 26,27 that focus on the effect of a specified therapy in insomnia associated with other diseases (eg, tinnitus, depression), so we can refer to such studies to guide the methodology and implementation procedures (eg, eligibility criteria for the included trials, outcome measures of interest) for our present study protocol.…”

Exploring the transformative impact of traditional Chinese medicine on depression: Insights from animal models

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