The effectiveness of auricular acupressure on sleep quality and stress levels in patients with stress-induced insomnia
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Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of auricular acupressure on sleep quality and stress levels among patients with stress-induced insomnia. A quasi-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was employed. Thirty participants received auricular acupressure treatment four times within a two-week period. The instruments used included the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), stress test–5 (ST-5), and Suanprung stress test–20 (SPST-20). Data were analyzed using t-test and paired t-test. The results showed that the mean PSQI score significantly decreased after the intervention compared with baseline (p<0.05). In addition, the mean stress scores measured by ST-5 and SPST-20 demonstrated a statistically significant decreasing trend after the intervention (p<0.05). These findings suggest a positive trend of auricular acupressure in improving sleep quality and reducing stress levels among patients with stress-related insomnia. However, due to the one-group study design, the findings should be considered preliminary evidence, and causal relationships or definitive effectiveness cannot be firmly established. Further studies with control groups and larger sample sizes are recommended.
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