Effects of combined acupuncture and medication on hyperarousal state and serum copeptin in patients with chronic insomnia

Objective To observe the effect of combined acupuncture and medication on hyperarousal state and serum copeptin (CPT) in patients with chronic insomnia (CI), and to explore its possible mechanism of action. Methods A total of 70 CI patients meeting the inclusion criteria were divided into an observation group and a control group by the random number table method, with 35 cases in each group. The control group was given estazolam tablets before bedtime, 1 mg/time, once a day. The observation group was treated with additional Yi Nao An Shen acupuncture therapy (acupuncture for benefiting the brain and tranquillization) on the basis of the medication treatment, 4 times a week. After 4 weeks of treatment, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) score, insomnia severity index (ISI) score, pre-sleep arousal scale (PSAS) score, hyperarousal scale (HAS) score, and the change in serum CPT level were compared between the two groups. Results During the study, there were 2 dropout cases in the observation group and 1 dropout case in the control group. After treatment, the PSQI, ISI, PSAS, and HAS scores and the serum CPT level in both groups decreased compared with the same group before treatment, and the intra-group differences were statistically significant ( P