Studies evaluating acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia were eligible for inclusion. Interventions in the included studies used either body or scalp acupuncture, auricular acupressure or transcutaneous electrical stimulation and magnetic pearls to stimulate auricular acupoints. Duration and frequency of treatment varied across studies. The age of included participants ranged from 15 to 91 years. Most participants were female. Duration of insomnia ranged from two days to 20 years. Where reported, participants in the included studies were also being treated for neurosis, anxiety, neurasthenia, cerebral trauma or HIV, or they were elderly nursing home residents, pregnant women or were on haemodialysis. Outcomes in the included studies were total sleep hours and sleep quality assessed by a range of measures including self-report, a standardised questionnaire or the use of an actigraph.
The authors did not state how papers were selected for the review.