Title:Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the Treatment of Insomnia: An Overview of Scientific Evidence from 2008 to 2018
Volume: 18
Issue: 4
Author(s): Bingli Cheng, Yanfei Liu, Jinfan Tian, Rui Gao*Yue Liu*
Affiliation:
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology of Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100091,China
- Cardiovascular Diseases Center, Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100091,China
Keywords:
Insomnia, complementary and alternative medicine, non-pharmacological therapies, cardiovascular disease, sleep
disorder, medication.
Abstract: Insomnia is a widespread sleep disorder in the general population, and it is a risk factor for
impaired function, the development of other medical and mental disorders, and causes an increase in
health care costs. In view of the health hazards of insomnia and the shortcomings of western medicine,
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) should be considered in the management of insomnia.
The present overview reports the potential role of herbal medicine and non-pharmacological therapies
in the treatment of insomnia and summarizes the scientific evidence reported from 2008 to 2018.
PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for studies published from 2008 to 2018. 17 randomized
controlled trials and 22 non-pharmacological therapies were included in this review, and the
results showed that CAM had certain advantages in the treatment of insomnia. The safety of CAM for
insomnia was acceptable. Meanwhile, based on pre-clinical trial, the possible mechanisms of CAM for
insomnia were modulation of circadian rhythm, GABA receptor activation, antagonisms of 5-HT receptors,
inhibition of glutamate-mediated pathways, and attenuation of inflammation. CAM for insomnia
has made some progress, but high quality evidence-based medical evidence is still needed to provide
guidance for clinical application.