Effects of Auricular Acupressure on Glycemic Markers, Stress, and Sleep in Older Adult Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Hyejin Lee, Bomi Kim, Hyojung Park
PMID 40586734WHAT IT FOUND
Auricular acupressure in older adults with type 2 diabetes lowered fasting glucose and long-term blood sugar, but did not improve self-reported stress or sleep quality; some Fitbit sleep measures improved.
Key findings
01Blood glucose decreased over time in both groups, and the pattern of change over time differed between groups.
02HbA1c fell from 6.78 to 6.66 in the acupressure group among participants taking oral diabetes medication or insulin, while albumin and fructosamine did not differ between groups.
03Self-reported stress and sleep quality did not differ between groups, while some heart-rate and Fitbit sleep measures did.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and came from one city, so it may not represent older adults with type 2 diabetes elsewhere. Five of 56 recruited participants were not analysed. The study did not control individual lifestyle and habits that affect diabetes, stress, and sleep. The trial was single-blind, and the paper does not describe how outcome assessors were blinded. The sample size was calculated for heart-rate variability, not for diabetes or sleep outcomes. The paper does not name one primary outcome, so several outcomes were tested at once. The control group used ear points that the authors discuss as possibly affecting pain and autonomic results, so the placebo comparison may not have been inert. Some reported values are inconsistent, including the control group's post-intervention PSQI score and the REM sleep significance statement.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that auricular acupressure alone improves diabetes control, stress, or sleep. Participants were taking oral diabetes medication or insulin, and self-reported stress and sleep quality did not differ between groups.