Self-acupressure for Insomnia in Perimenopausal Women
Key facts
- Who runs it
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Where
- Hong Kong1 site in 1 countryChoose a country to see its sites
- Trial code
- Status
- Completed
- People taking part
- 40 people enrolled
- Started
- 2 Jul 2024
- Ended
- 31 Jan 2025
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Self-Administered Acupressure Group
- Sleep Hygiene Education group
- Record updated
- 24 September 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 35 years to 64 years
- Sex
- Women only
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 3 criteriaShow less
Other criteria
- The inclusion criteria were as follows: (i) Chinese Hong Kong residents who were able to read Chinese; (ii) age 35 to 64 years; (iii) peri-menopausal women, defined as menstrual cycle irregularity (a change of 7 days or more in the menstrual cycle) or amenorrhea for no longer than 60 consecutive days, according to the recommendations from the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop; and (iv) with a current clinical DSM-5 diagnosis of insomnia disorder according to the Brief Insomnia Questionnaire. The criteria included having difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, or early morning awakening with clinically significant consequences for daily life for at least 3 months. (v) An Insomnia Severity Index total score of at least 10 indicated that insomnia was present at the clinical level and (vi) Able to understand Chinese and Cantonese or Mandarin; (vii) willing to give informed consent and comply with the trial protocol
- For (iv) and (v), both the Brief Insomnia Questionnaire and Insomnia Severity Index were included as inclusion criteria. This is because the two scales have different purposes. Specifically, Brief Insomnia Questionnaire is used to confirm the participants fulfil the diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 insomnia disorder, while the Insomnia Severity Index is used to assess the severity of the insomnia symptoms and related daytime impairments
- The exclusion criteria are: (i) pregnancy; (ii) at significant suicide risk according to the rating by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale item on suicide (score ≥3); (iii) no comorbid sleep disorders primarily requiring other treatments, such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy; (iv) change in the dose of their psychotropic drugs within 12 weeks prior to baseline, which would possibly indicate instability in their psychiatric condition; and (v) taking any antibiotics in 3 months before the baseline or any food containing probiotics, such as yogurt, in 7 days before the baseline
This trial has no sites in United States.
It has sites in one country. Choose a country to see its sites.
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Insomnia is a common complaint in peri-menopausal women. Acupressure might be a potential way to treat insomnia. Although acupressure can be self-administered, it is uncertain that whether the effects of self-administered acupressure are comparable to that of the practitioner-administered acupressure, due to the variability in patients' capability of mastering the acupressure technique and self-compliance. Previous studies seemingly suggested that self-administered acupressure may improve sleep quality, their conclusion on the efficacy of self-administered acupressure for insomnia was limited due to the lack of standardized subjective and objective sleep assessments and unclear diagnostic method of insomnia. To fill out this research gap, the proposed study will explore the effectiveness of self-acupressure for improving sleep in perimenopasual women using an RCT approach.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Self-acupressure groupTreatment being tested
Subjects will attend two weekly 120-minute of self-administered acupressure training according to the group allocation in a classroom at the School Nursing, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The subjects will be trained to perform self-administered acupressure by an acupuncturist. To enhance interaction and ensure the quality of teaching, each class will be conducted in a small group of 5 to 7 subjects. Participants in this group will learn the self-acupressure technique and passed fidelity check. The treatment protocol included 6 acupoints, namely, Baihui (GV20) and bilateral Fenchi (GB20), Neiguan (PC6), Shenmen (HT7), Shenxu (BL23) and Yongquan (KI1) (Table 1). Subjects were given an acupressure log to record their practice at home, and they were phoned twice a week to remind their practice during the 4-week treatment period.
Treatment: Self-Administered Acupressure Group
- Sleep Hygiene Education groupExisting treatment, for comparison
The participants in this group will receive education on sleep hygiene. The treatment duration, frequency, and telephone follow-up schedule for the SHE group will be the same as the self-administered acupressure group (2 sessions, 2 hours each). Sleep hygiene education is often used as a comparison group in randomized controlled trials of self-help and psychological interventions for insomnia. The SHE group will provide subjects with the same amount of contact hours with the healthcare professional (instructor) in order to control the non-specific effects of practitioner-patient interaction in the self-administered acupressure group.
Data and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Self-acupressure for Insomnia in Perimenopausal Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
- Record updated
- 24 September 2026