The Effect of Auricular Acupressure on Sleep in Older Adults with Sleep Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of auricular acupressure on sleep in older adults with sleep disorders. Methods: This was a randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled study. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Fitbit Charge HRTM helped assess subjective sleep quality and objective sleep quantity, respectively. In addition, melatonin levels were measured. The participants aged over 65 years were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n=26) and sham control group (n=25). PSQI, sleep quantity, and melatonin were measured before and 6 weeks after the experiment. In the experimental group, 4 (shenmen, heart, anterior lobe, occiput) and 4 (helix 1,2,3,4) areas were pressed 4 times a day for 6 weeks. Results: The difference of PSQI scores (t=-1.19, p=.239) and melatonin levels (Z=0.53, p=.598) between the experimental and sham control groups were not statistically significant. Light sleep time (F=4.71, p=.017), deep sleep time (F=15.11, p<.001), and rapid eye movement time (F=12.07, p<.001) of the experimental group showed a significant decline over time compared with the sham control group. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that auricular therapy is an effective intervention to improve the quantity of sleep in older adults with sleep disorders. Therefore, it is important to develop strategies to encourage pressure therapy to improve older adults' quality and quantity of sleep.

Effects of Non-Pharmacological Sleep Interventions in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Degree of sleep was assessed using the Oviedo Sleep Questionnaire [ 43 ] (n = 1) and sleep journals (n = 1). A total of 14 studies reported that non-pharmacological sleep interventions were effective in older adults [ 14 , 15 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ]. One study reported that the effectiveness of the intervention was not confirmed [ 42 ].…”

“…Two studies that applied auricular acupressure presented the mean/SD for deep sleep duration [ 14 , 15 ] and melatonin concentrations [ 15 ] in addition to sleep quality; these measurements were also included in the meta-analysis. We analyzed 13 outcome measures.…”

“… Risk of bias graph. Green represents low risk, yellow represents some concerns, and red represents high risk [ 14 , 15 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 49 ]. …”

“… Forest plot showing the effects of non-pharmacological interventions. SD, standard deviation; SMD, standard mean difference [ 14 , 15 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 49 ]. …”

“…Non-pharmacological interventions are particularly attractive to the general population because these interventions are perceived as not causing adverse effects [ 11 ]. Interventions such as exercise [ 12 ], aromatherapy [ 13 ], auricular acupressure [ 14 , 15 ], cognitive behavioral therapy [ 16 , 17 ], meditation [ 18 , 19 ], and stimulation therapy [ 20 ] have been validated and well utilized. However, sleep problems remain a substantial health issue and a highly prevalent health problem with unclear guidelines as to effective management [ 21 ].…”