Efficacy of cranial electrotherapy stimulation on mood and sense of well‐being in people with subclinical insomnia

Abstract

SummaryCranial electrotherapy stimulation is a non‐invasive brain stimulation method characterised by using a microcurrent. The objective of the study was to investigate whether a novel device with a stable supplement of electronic stimulation would improve sleep and the accompanying mood symptoms in people with subclinical insomnia. People who had insomnia symptoms without meeting the criteria for chronic insomnia disorder were recruited and randomly assigned to an active or a sham device group. They were required to use the provided device for 30 min each time, twice a day for 2 weeks. Outcome measures included questionnaires for sleep, depression, anxiety, and quality of life, 4 day actigraphy, and 64‐channel electroencephalography. Fifty‐nine participants (male 35.6%) with a mean age of 41.1 ± 12.0 years were randomised. Improvement of depression (p = 0.032) and physical well‐being (p = 0.041) were significant in the active device group compared with the sham device group. Anxiety was also improved in the active device group, although the improvement was not statistically significant (p = 0.090). Regarding sleep, both groups showed a significant improvement in subjective rating, showing no significant group difference. The change in electroencephalography after the 2 week intervention was significantly different between the two groups, especially for occipital delta (p = 0.008) and beta power (p = 0.012), and temporo‐parieto‐occipital theta (p = 0.022). In conclusion, cranial electrotherapy stimulation can serve as an adjunctive therapy to ameliorate psychological symptoms and to alter brain activity. The effects of the device in a clinical population and an optimal set of parameters of stimulation should be further investigated.