While cognitive function has been extensively researched in dementia patients, studies focusing on their sleep disorders remain limited. Evidence suggests acupuncture may improve sleep quality in this population, but robust clinical data are still lacking.
Objective
To evaluate acupuncture's efficacy for sleep disorders in dementia patients via meta-analysis.
Methods
We systematically searched eight databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture for sleep disorders in patients with dementia. Primary outcomes were the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Efficiency Rate; as a secondary outcome, cognitive function was evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane RoB 2.0, and the certainty of evidence was graded via GRADE.
Results
Analysis of 10 RCTs (n = 721) found acupuncture was associated with improved outcomes, showing higher Efficiency Rate (OR = 4.09, 95%CI [2.52,6.64]), reduced PSQI-Total Point (MD = −5.07, 95%CI [−6.47,−3.66]) with enhanced stability when combined with routine drug therapy (RDT), and improved MMSE scores (MD = 5.41, 95%CI [3.12,7.69]) with greater stability when acupuncture was combined with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) related treatments. However, the certainty of evidence was limited due to heterogeneity and methodological constraints (moderate for Efficiency Rate, low for PSQI-Total Point and MMSE).
Conclusions
Acupuncture shows potential for improving sleep disorders and cognitive function in dementia patients, particularly in combination with RDT or TCM-related treatments. However, due to the low quality of included RCTs, further large-scale, rigorous trials are needed.
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