Auricular Acupressure for Perimenopausal Insomnia: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Not yet recruiting
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 160
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Insomnia Severe Index
Study Overview
Brief Summary
This clinical trial aims to determine whether auricular Acupressure therapy can improve symptomatic insomnia in perimenopausal women.
Can ear acupressure therapy significantly improve sleep quality in perimenopausal women with insomnia? What medical issues or adverse reactions might participants experience during the treatment? Researchers will compare ear acupressure therapy with traditional treatments in a control group to assess its effectiveness and safety.
Participants will:
Receive auricular acupressure on Monday and Thursday, applying pressure for 3 consecutive days each week. This process will continue for 4 weeks, totaling 8 sessions.
Record assessment points as follows: Baseline (2 weeks before treatment to Week 0), mid-treatment (2 weeks after treatment begins), end of treatment (4 weeks after treatment begins), and follow-up (4 weeks after treatment ends) for primary and secondary outcome indicators. Eight weeks after treatment concludes, only the primary outcome indicator (Insomnia Severity Index) will be recorded.
This trial seeks to evaluate the potential benefits and safety profile of auricular acupressure therapy for managing insomnia in perimenopausal women.
Detailed Description
This is a multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Perimenopausal insomnia patients will be randomly assigned to the ear acupoint pressing group or the sham ear acupoint pressing group in a 1:1 ratio.
2.2 Randomization and Blinding Sequence Generation
- Allocation ratio: 1:1 randomization between groups
- Randomized groups: Genuine auricular acupressure group vs. Sham auricular acupressure group
- Randomization tool: SAS software version 9.3 (SAS Institute Inc.)
- Sequence generation: Performed by an independent statistician with no involvement in trial execution or statistical analysis Allocation Concealment Mechanism
- Sequence storage: Secured in a dedicated randomization sequence management system inaccessible to study personnel
- Implementation: Centralized web-based randomization system assigns participants with equal probability after baseline assessments
- Coordination: Clinical research coordinators initiate randomization requests Blinding Procedures
- Blinded parties: Participants, outcome assessors, and statisticians remain blinded to group assignments
- Treatment isolation: Concurrent treatments for ≥2 participants conducted in separate rooms to prevent cross-communication
- Data confidentiality: Intervention details withheld until final statistical analysis completion
- Blind maintenance: Comprehensive measures implemented to preserve blinding integrity
- Emergency unblinding:
Permitted only for acute medical emergencies requiring urgent clinical management Unblinded participants discontinued from efficacy analysis but retained in safety datasets Alternative therapeutic options provided to affected participants • Ethical disclosure: Participants informed about two distinct intervention arms while maintaining blinding integrity
Training:
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Double (Participant, Investigator)
Masking Description
To maintain blinding integrity throughout the trial duration, all participants, clinical outcome assessors, and data analysts will remain blinded to treatment allocation. In instances requiring concurrent treatment sessions, patients will undergo staggered screening processes and be assigned to separate isolated treatment rooms, thereby eliminating potential inter-participant communication that could inadvertently compromise blinding efficacy.
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 45 Years to 55 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- Female
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Age between 45 and 55 years;
- •Meetingperimenopause defined by the Staging of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW);
- •Patients must satisfy at least one diagnostic criterion for insomnia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5); ④ Nighttime sleep disturbances and associated perimenopausal symptoms persisting for at least 4 weeks; ⑤ No use, or stable long-term use (>2 months) of medications for treating insomnia;
- •No prior auricular acupuncture therapy, good compliance, understanding of the study protocol, and signed informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Does not meet inclusion criteria;
- •Non-natural menopausal transition due to premature ovarian failure, drug intake, or surgeries (e.g., oophorectomy);
- •Currently pregnant or breastfeeding;
- •Insomnia caused by systemic diseases (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease, surgery, etc.);
- •Presence of insomnia symptoms before the perimenopausal period;
- •Infection in the areas near selected acupoints; ⑦ History of alcohol or substance abuse/addiction；
- •Co-existing mental or psychological disorders (e.g., depression, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc.) or suicidal tendencies, in addition to insomnia; ⑨ Receipt of auricular acupuncture therapy within the past 3 months; ⑩ Participation in other clinical trials in the past 3 months;
- •Any known chronic pain disorders that could affect sleep.
Arms & Interventions
Ear Acupoint Pressing Group
Auricular point compression
Intervention: Auricular point compression (Behavioral)
Sham Ear Acupoint Pressing Group
patients in this group do not perform acupoint stimulation as part of their treatment.
Intervention: No pressure on the ear point (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Insomnia Severe Index
Time Frame: Baseline (2 weeks before treatment), pre-treatment (0 days of treatment), mid-treatment (2 weeks after start of treatment), end of treatment (4 weeks after start of treatment), follow-up (4 weeks and 8 weeks after end of treatment）、
The ISI (Insomnia Severity Index) is a widely used self-assessment tool for evaluating the severity of insomnia. Its total score categorizes the severity of insomnia into four levels: no significant clinical insomnia (0-7 points), mild insomnia (8-14 points), moderate clinical insomnia (15-21 points), and severe clinical insomnia (22-28 points). The internal consistency of the ISI is Cronbach's α = 0.76, indicating good reliability. It is highly sensitive to changes after auricular acupuncture therapy, and a decrease in the ISI score of less than 8 points indicates improvement in insomnia symptoms.
Secondary Outcomes
- Pittsburgh sleep quality index(Baseline (2 weeks before treatment), pre-treatment (0 days of treatment), mid-treatment (2 weeks after start of treatment), end of treatment (4 weeks after start of treatment), follow-up (4 weeks after end of treatment)
- Sleep Diary(Baseline (2 weeks before treatment), pre-treatment (0 days of treatment), mid-treatment (2 weeks after start of treatment), end of treatment (4 weeks after start of treatment), follow-up (4 weeks after end of treatment）)
- Kupperman Index(Baseline (2 weeks before treatment), pre-treatment (0 days of treatment), mid-treatment (2 weeks after start of treatment), end of treatment (4 weeks after start of treatment), follow-up (4 weeks after end of treatment）)
- Menopause-specificquality of life(Baseline (2 weeks before treatment), pre-treatment (0 days of treatment), mid-treatment (2 weeks after start of treatment), end of treatment (4 weeks after start of treatment), follow-up (4 weeks and 8 weeks after end of treatment）、)
- Heart Rate Variability(Baseline (2 weeks before treatment), pre-treatment (0 days of treatment), mid-treatment (2 weeks after start of treatment), end of treatment (4 weeks after start of treatment), follow-up (4 weeks and 8 weeks after end of treatment）、)