How long should a course of acupuncture for chronic insomnia run? In a randomized trial, 6 weeks did better than 4, and 8 weeks added nothing more for sleep.
RESEARCH
Clinical trial · Journal of Affective Disorders · Online Sept 4, 2026 · Dec 15, 2026 issue
The Journal of Affective Disorders published a randomized trial in which 6 weeks of acupuncture improved chronic insomnia more than 4 weeks, and 8 weeks added nothing more for sleep. Researchers assigned 201 adults with chronic insomnia to 4, 6 or 8 weeks of the same acupuncture, three times a week. On the Insomnia Severity Index (0 to 28, lower is better), scores dropped about 7 points with 4 weeks and about 10 points with 6 or 8 weeks. More people in the 6-week group reached remission than in the 4-week group. The 8-week group improved more on anxiety and depression scores than the 4-week group, a result the authors say to read cautiously. Longer courses had lower attendance. Patients and acupuncturists knew which course they were in, and the trial ran at one hospital. The abstract reports results at the end of treatment; the 1- and 3-month follow-up results are in the full paper.
Protocol: manual acupuncture at GV20, Yintang (GV29), Anmian (EX-HN22), HT7, PC6 and SP6, needled to deqi with 30-minute retention and no manipulation during retention; three sessions a week, at least a day apart, for 12, 18 or 24 sessions. Points and technique are from the trial's published protocol (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2023). No serious adverse events were reported.
PRACTICE
Find the CBT-I clinicians near your practice
The study's authors note that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), the first-line treatment in the American College of Physicians' 2016 insomnia guideline, is hard to get because trained therapists are scarce. The Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine keeps a directory of behavioral sleep medicine providers at behavioralsleep.org, including telehealth providers. A short note introducing your practice, with this week's trial attached, gives those clinicians a specific, evidence-based option to mention to their patients.
CEUS
Note: Unless otherwise stated, all courses listed are CAB-approved; many also carry other state or NCBAHM approvals. Listings subject to change. Please verify details, CE hours, and eligibility directly with provider. Links point to provider sites; you may need to navigate to the specific registration page. IN‑PERSON and LAW & ETHICS are highlighted.
THIS WEEK
Nov 3: Creating Effective Point Combinations (also Nov 9) IN‑PERSON
14.0 CEUs • Pacific College of Health and Science, San Diego, CA
Nov 4: Integrative Strategies for Autoimmune Disease: TCM, Photobiomodulation (PBM), and Lifestyle Medicine to Restore Immune Balance
1.0 CEUs • HanLin Center for Integrative Medicine
Nov 4: TCM Treatment Principles and Methods for Alcoholic Liver Disease (also Nov 18)
2.0 CEUs • TCMzone
Nov 4: Treating Shoulder Injury and Pain
3.0 CEUs • Net of Knowledge
Nov 6: Female Sexual Pain from Adolescence to Aging: Diagnosis and Treatment with Integrative TCM & Pelvic Floor Dry Needling
3.0 CEUs • Healthy Seminars
Nov 6: LaHo-Chi Levels I and II IN‑PERSON
27.0 CEUs • LaHo-Chi Institute of Energy Healing, Mount Shasta, CA
Nov 6: Basics of Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture (also Oct 8, 2027) IN‑PERSON
19.5 CEUs • SustainHealth Academy, Los Angeles, CA
Nov 6: EPIC Functional Medicine Conference (Nov 6–8) IN‑PERSON
12.0 CEUs • Biotics Research, Sugar Land, TX
Nov 7: Ashi Acupuncture for Sciatica IN‑PERSON
16.0 CEUs • Eric Schanke, Natomas, CA
Nov 7: The Rise of Modern China, the Return of the Dragon (also Nov 29 and Dec 13)
6.0 CEUs • TCM Online University
Nov 8: Treating Bell's Palsy with Chinese Medicine
2.0 CEUs • Net of Knowledge
Nov 8: Acupuncture Clinical Strategies
4.0 CEUs • HealthCMi
Nov 8: Luo-Collaterals: Advanced Practice, Part 3
4.0 CEUs • Healthy Seminars
Nov 8: Transforming Cravings and Dropping Addictions with Herbs & Essential Oils (also Nov 15)
15.0 CEUs • Snow Lotus
NEXT WEEK
Nov 10: The Mouth-Body Connection: A Missing Root Cause in America’s Chronic Health Crisis
2.0 CEUs • California Naturopathic Doctors Association
Nov 10: Integrating Qi Gong and Tung’s Acupuncture: Dong Qi Method and Mindful Practice
4.0 CEUs • Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine
Nov 10: Why (Not How) Do Herbs Work?
2.0 CEUs • CSOMA
Nov 13: 35+ Years of Clinical Success: Mastering Lumbar, Hip, and Buttock Pain with Confidence
6.0 CEUs • Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine
Nov 13: Red Herrings in Fertility Cases: 10 Diagnostic Mistakes That Delay Results
2.0 CEUs • Healthy Seminars
Nov 14: Alchemical Acupuncture: The Metal Element, Course 4
6.0 CEUs • A New Possibility
Nov 14: Oncology Acupuncture Program: 3rd Live Session
4.0 CEUs • TCM Academy of Integrative Medicine
Nov 14: DAOM November TCM Classics with Elisabeth Rochat IN‑PERSON
20.0 CEUs • Yo San University, Marina del Rey, CA
Nov 14: The Tian Yin-Yang Acupuncture Technique of Zhuang Medicine, Part 2
2.0 CEUs • Treasure of the East
Nov 14: Flavors and the Universe, Part 1
3.5 CEUs • Between Heaven & Earth
Nov 14: Womb & Abdominal Massage: Integrative Women's Health Training for Acupuncture Practitioners IN‑PERSON
6.0 CEUs • Dr. Nathalie Shapiro, Ojai, CA
Nov 15: Oncology Acupuncture Program: 4th Live Session
4.0 CEUs • TCM Academy of Integrative Medicine
Nov 15: Acupuncture Treatment Strategies and Acupoint Selection
4.0 CEUs • HealthCMi
Nov 15: Sperb's Herbs: Jiang Huang (Turmeric), Run Chang Wan (Moisten the Intestines Pill from Master Shen's Book) and Dong Chong Xia Cao (Cordyceps)
3.0 CEUs • Net of Knowledge
Nov 15: Flavors and the Universe, Part 2
3.5 CEUs • Between Heaven & Earth
Nov 15: Shao Yin: The Master Neuroendocrine Axis
2.0 CEUs • Yo San University
Nov 15: Acupuncture for the Aging Brain: Mechanisms in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Vascular Dementia
4.0 CEUs • Healthy Seminars
Nov 15: Rice Grain Moxa (Tonetsukyu) Workshop IN‑PERSON LAW & ETHICS
3.0 CEUs • Tendervine Health Education, Berkeley, CA
Nov 15: Jin Shin Jyutsu Basic Seminar IN‑PERSON
35.0 CEUs • Jin Shin Jyutsu SMB, Boston, MA
Nov 16: Straight to the Point: Ashi Acupuncture for Knee and Leg Pain from 50+ Years of Experience
5.0 CEUs • Lotus Institute of Integrative Medicine
Nov 16: Traumatic Brain Injury and Acupuncture
2.0 CEUs • Healthy Seminars
Nov 16: Reading the Axis: Cases Across the Neuroendocrine System
2.0 CEUs • Yo San University
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FROM THE EDITOR
Kim Neumann, LAc
Kim has worked on behalf of California’s acupuncture profession for 25 years. She ran her own practice in Oakland and San Francisco. Before acupuncture, she worked in marketing, publishing and business operations, and she has taught CEUs on acupuncture marketing.
