Acu-TENS to Improve the Sleep Quality in People with Stroke

Post-stroke sleep disorder and motor/cognitive dysfunction are common complications that affect the quality of life of older patients. The proposed study investigates the effects of an acupuncture-like method applied to six bilateral acupoints on sleep quality, motor function and cognition in older adults with chronic stroke. The study will be a single-blind (i.e., only patients will be blinded about the research purpose) randomized controlled trial (i.e., patients receiving the treatment is chosen at random) with a pre-mid-post follow-up design and involve two parallel groups of post-stroke survivors (aged > 55 years) diagnosed with insomnia. Participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 radio to two independent groups, i.e., a treatment group or placebo group, namely a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation placed on acupoints (Acu-TENS) or a placebo group. The Acu-TENS group will receive a 6-week treatment that includes a 30-minute Acu-TENS + sleep hygiene program (SHP) twice a week. The placebo group will receive sham Acu-TENS (i.e., devices with the electrical circuit disconnected) + SHP with the same frequency as the Acu-TENS group. The selected acupoints will be bilateral Hegu (LI4), Quchi (LI11), Neiguan (PC6), Shenmen (HT7) on the arm and Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Zusanli (ST36) on the lower limb. The study's primary outcomes will be sleep quality measured by the device of ActiGraph and the self-report survey. The secondary outcomes will be motor function, measured by physical performance tests, cognition, measured by computer battery, and quality of life, measured by the self-report survey. All outcomes will be measured at the baseline assessment (before the treatment), mid-term assessment (after the three weeks treatment), post-treatment assessment (after the six-week treatment), and follow-up assessment (two weeks after the treatment ended). It is hypothesized that the Acu-TENS + SHP treatment will better alleviate insomnia, improve cognition and motor function in participants than the sham Acu-TENS + SHP treatment.