Abstract:Objective To explore the clinical application and effect of midnight-noon ebb-flow (Ziwu Liuzhu) acupoint-opening method in the treatment of sleep disorders. Methods Sixty patients with sleep disorders treated from January 2013 to December 2015,were randomly divided into observation group and control group(n=30,each).The routine treatment with zopiclone tablets was given in control group,and acupuncture and moxibustion with MNEF opening acupoint method was performed in observation group.The internationally recognized Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate the sleep quality of patients,including the time of falling asleep,the times of awakening at night and the time of sleep.The levels of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH),adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and thyroid stimulating hormone releasing hormone (TRH) were detected before and after treatment in both groups. Results The total effective rate in observation group was slightly higher than that in control group,but the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05).After treatment,PSQI score significantly decreased in both groups (all P<0.05) and was statistically lower in observation group than that in control group (all P<0.05);the time of falling asleep and the times of awakening at night significantly decreased,and the time of sleep increased in two groups (all P<0.05）;compared with control group,the time of falling asleep and the times of awakening at night were significantly shortened,and the time of sleep was extended in observation group(all P<0.05).After treatment,the levels of CRH,ACTH and TRH significantly decreased in both groups (all P<0.05) and were statistically lower in observation group than those in control group (all P<0.05). ConclusionMidnight-noon ebb-flow acupoint-opening method can improve the therapeutic effect in treating sleep disorders and the quality of sleep.