Auricular acupressure helps with postpartum insomnia

(HealthDay)—Auricular acupressure is an effective alternative complementary therapy for postpartum women with insomnia, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Yi-Li Ko, R.N., Ed.D., from the Fu Jen Catholic University in New Taipei City, Taiwan, and colleagues evaluated the effects of auricular acupressure therapy on 30 women with postpartum insomnia. Women were treated with auricular acupressure therapy on one auricular point (Shenmen point pressing) four times a day for 14 days.

The researchers found that the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total scores of the women decreased pre- to post-test by 36 percent. Significant improvements were seen in the subscales of sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, and sleep disturbance.

"Hormone changes and frequent breastfeeding were identified as characteristics that may exacerbate poor sleep quality of postpartum women, for whom the auricular acupressure intervention may effectively improve sleep quality," the authors write.