Effectiveness of Acupuncture, Mind and Body Practices, and Natural Products for Insomnia: an overview of systematic reviews

OBJECTIVES: This overview summarizes the evidence for the effectiveness and safety of complementary therapies for insomnia through systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs). METHODS: A comprehensive literature search on SRs and MAs for complementary therapies for insomnia was conducted using six databases. RESULTS: This overview included 30 SRs/MAs. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) analysis of insomnia included 383 randomized controlled trials and 31,748 participants. Twenty-four SRs/MAs (80%) out of 30 SRs/MAs reported a positive result, and six SRs/MAs reported a partially positive result. The most frequently used form of acupuncture reported a positive effect in 89.5% (17/19) of SRs/MAs and a superior effect to western medicine, sham/placebo, and no treatment. The lack of protocol registration and the excluded studies list resulted in generally poor methodological and reporting quality in SRs/MAs with AMSTAR 2. CONCLUSION: This overview confirmed that complementary therapies positively affected the PSQI scores in patients with insomnia. However, better-designed primary studies are needed to strengthen the relevant evidence in the future. A more stringent assessment of multiple systematic reviews 2 must be followed when performing SR and MA.