ArticleNature and science of sleep2020
Effect of Acupuncture on Pregnancy-Related Insomnia and Melatonin: A Single-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Article in Nature and science of sleep, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Placebo Effect of Sham Acupuncture for Primary Insomnia: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Journal of sleep research · 2026Pooled it
- Sleep and endocrine effects of acupuncture for insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of nonpharmacological sleep interventions in pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025Pooled it
- The Elephant in the Room: A Systematic Review of the Application and Effects of Psychological Treatments for Pregnant Women with Dual Pathology (Mental Health and Substance-Related Disorders).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in treatment of pregnancy-related symptoms: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2024Pooled it
- Impact of Acupuncture on Sleep and Comorbid Symptoms for Chronic Insomnia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Nature and science of sleep · 2021Trial
- Translating Evidence into Obstetric Care: Developing a Best Practice-Informed Stepped-Care Clinical Algorithm for the Management of Gestational Insomnia.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Article
- Acupuncture-related peripheral stimulation as a candidate neuromodulatory model of insomnia: clinical evidence, sleep-wake circuitry, and translational limits.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Acupuncture in circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders and its potential neurochemical mechanisms.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2024Review
- Electroacupuncture ameliorates cerebrovascular impairment in Alzheimer's disease mice via melatonin signaling.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2023Article
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocol to Establish How Common Clinical Acupoint Stimulation-Related Therapies Should Be Used for Managing Insomnia.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Multi-Scale Permutation Entropy: A Potential Measure for the Impact of Sleep Medication on Brain Dynamics of Patients with Insomnia.Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe aim of the current study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on sleep quality and overnight melatonin secretion, measured as urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, in pregnant women. PATIENTS AND
methodsThis randomized, parallel, single-blinded (participant), controlled trial was conducted on 72 pregnant women with insomnia. Study participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention, 10 sessions of acupuncture treatment over a 3-week period, or control group by block randomization (1:1). Patients in both groups were evaluated at baseline and post-treatment (third week) using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score (as the primary outcome) and urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin.
resultsFifty-five of 72 participants completed the study. There was no statistically significant difference regarding PSQI score and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin level between intervention and control groups at the baseline (
conclusionAcupuncture was shown to significantly improve the sleep quality in pregnant women, possibly through increasing melatonin secretion, and could be recommended as a low-cost and low-risk alternative treatment to pharmacological therapies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.