Synergic Effects of Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation with Sleep Hygiene in Patients with Chronic Insomnia

Objectives To investigate the therapeutic effect of cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) with sleep hygiene in patients with chronic insomnia. Methods This study was designed as a prospective, double-blinded, and randomized controlled trial. Twenty-seven patients with chronic insomnia were recruited and randomly allocated to two groups; cranial microcurrent therapy (MC) group and sham group. All patients received sleep hygiene education. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were measured at baseline (pre-treatment), and 2 weeks and 4 weeks of treatment. Results In MC group, the PSQI and ISI showed a tendency to decrease consistently until 4 weeks of treatment. In sham group, PSQI and ISI initially decreased during the first 2 weeks, but it increased after 2 weeks of treatment. Conclusions This study showed that combination treatment of CES and sleep hygiene is more effective in treating chronic insomnia than sleep hygiene only as demonstrated by improvement and maintenance of sleep score for 1 month.