The therapeutic effect of Taijiquan combined with acupoint pressing on the treatment of anxiety insomnia in college students: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION: Sleep health is an important part of health and has become a common concern of society. For anxiety insomnia, the commonly used clinical therapies have limitations. Alternative and complementary therapy is gradually rising and showing remarkable effect in clinical practice. This is the first study to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Taijiquan combined with acupoint pressing in the treatment of anxiety insomnia in college students and to compare the difference in intervention before and after sleep, to choose the best treatment time. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a multicenter, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. A total of 126 eligible subjects who have passed the psychological evaluation and met inclusion criteria by completing a psychometric scale will be randomly divided into treatment group A (treat before sleep), treatment group B (treat after sleep) and control group C (waiting list group) in a ratio of 1:1:1. All the three groups will receive regular psychological counseling during the trial, and the treatment groups will practice 24-style Taijiquan and do meridian acupuncture at Baihui (DU20), Shenting (DU24), Yintang (EX-HN3), Shenmen (HT7) and Sanyinjiao (SP6). This RCT includes a 2-week baseline period, a 12-week intervention period, and a 12-week follow-up period. The main results will be measured by changes in the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA). The secondary results will be measured by the generalized anxiety scale (GAD-7) and insomnia severity index (ISI). The safety of the intervention will be evaluated at each assessment. The statistical analysis of data will be carried out by SPSSV.26.0 software. DISCUSSION: We expect this trial to explore the effectiveness of Taijiquan combined with acupoint pressing in the treatment of anxiety insomnia in college students and choose the best treatment time by comparison. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [ChiCTR2200057003].