Acupuncture May Enhance Sleep Quality in Patients With Parkinson Disease

Acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy improves sleep quality for patients with Parkinson disease (PD), with real acupuncture showing greater efficacy compared to sham acupuncture in a randomized clinical trial.

Current management options for improving sleep in patients with PD are limited, with a focus on optimizing dopaminergic therapy and the use of medications that may have unwanted side effects. Acupuncture has shown therapeutic promise in improving sleep quality and reducing motor symptoms in patients with PD, but more high-quality clinical evidence is needed.

The study design was a single-center, double-blind randomized clinical trial. The study was conducted over one year with participants recruited from the Parkinson Clinic of The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. Randomization blinding procedures were carefully implemented to ensure the integrity of the study. 

“All participants received sleep hygiene guidance from sleep clinic physicians and maintained their initial dosage of anti-Parkinson medication throughout the study as their standard treatment,” noted researchers. 

Real acupuncture procedures with specific acupoint targets were performed 3 times per week for 4 weeks on participants in both control groups. Acupuncture was performed with an auxiliary acupuncture device designed by the researchers. Participants wore an eye mask during their 30-minute sessions to further blind the study. 

“Real acupuncture was administered with single-use, sterilized, stainless steel needles,” said researchers. “Sham acupuncture was administered using specially designed sham stainless steel needles lacking a sharp tip, rendering it difficult to pierce the skin and enter the subcutaneous tissue.” 

The study assessed changes in Parkinson Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) scores at baseline, after 4 weeks of treatment, and at 8 weeks follow-up appointments. Measured outcomes included treatment completion, adverse events, and participant outcome assessment using questionnaires. Statistical analysis was conducted with a sample size of 56, utilizing descriptive analysis baseline characteristics and a linear mixed-effects model to investigate treatment effects.

Out of the 83 participants, 78 patients completed the intervention follow-up. The participants had a mean age of 64.1 years old and were split as 52.6% men and 47.4% women. Five dropped out for medical adjustment or personal reasons. Both real and sham acupuncture groups showed improvement in PDSS scores post-treatment and at 8-week follow-up The real acupuncture group had greater improvement compared to the sham acupuncture group. No severe adverse events occurred with the most common self-reported acupuncture-related issues being tremors, bleeding, infection, and sharp pain. Overall, both groups experienced positive outcomes with acupuncture treatment.

“In this randomized clinical trial, acupuncture improved sleep quality and overall quality of life for individuals with PD. The therapeutic effects persisted for up to 4 weeks, underscoring the potential of acupuncture as a beneficial adjunct in managing sleep-related issues among patients with PD,” said researchers. 

Reference
Yan M, Fan J, Liu X, et al. Acupuncture and sleep quality among patients with parkinson disease: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(6):e2417862. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.17862