Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Sleep Disorders: From Bench to Bedside

Book excerpt: Sleep disorders encompass a range of conditions that can significantly impact overall health, safety, and quality of life. Symptoms of sleep disorders include excessive daytime sleepiness, irregular breathing or movements during sleep, disrupted sleep, and difficulty falling asleep. If these conditions are not promptly and effectively treated, patients often experience various physical and mental complications, such as psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, leading to a decreased overall quality of life. Complementary and alternative therapy (CAT) presents a potential approach for the prevention and treatment of sleep disorders. It encompasses a range of management practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise, mindfulness, meditation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, yoga, herbal medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, Gua Sha, moxibustion, Qigong, Tai Chi, acupoint catgut embedding, acupotomy, nutritional supplements, and vitamin supplements. However, the adoption of CAT for sleep disorders in clinical practice faces numerous challenges due to a limited understanding of their mechanisms and clinical effects.