A Comparison On The Clinical Impacts Of Hypnotic Suggestion And Guqin Music In The Treatment Of Patients Of Primary Insomnia

1. Background:Insomnia is a common type of sleep disorder. Its tendency of gradual increase in recent years is causing negative impact on the quality of life. Of all kinds of sleep disorder, Primary Insomnia is one of the most common. At present, Primary Insomnia can be treated by TCM non-drug method, psychological method, Acupuncture, or medication. Westerm Drug medication is efficient in treating insomnia but most sleep-inducement drugs cause undesirable resistance and dependency. Long-term use of such drugs produces side effects, affecting not only the hematopoietic function, hepatic and renal function, cardiovascular function, but also the nervous system function, and to a certain extent, the cognitive function. This thesis seeked to give a contrastive study of non-drug approaches i.e.TCM Psychology and Music Therapy. It paved way for new possibilities of using non-drug treatment on basic treatment for Primary Insomnia.2. Research objectives:Patients suffering from Primary Insomnia were given treatments using Hypnotic Suggestion and Guqin Music. Observations and analysis were made about patients’ progress before and after treatment. To ensure objectiveness, the collection of data was done in a random manner. It is hoped that this approach can verify the clinical effects of non-drug treatment on basic treatment of Primary Insomnia.3. Research Method:3.1Using Hypnotic Suggestion and Guqin Music:Patients of Primary Insomnia were recruited at Yee Yan TCM Healthcare Centre in Hong Kong.120volunteers were selected at random. Clinical data were collected, recorded and established as database.3.2Adoption of medical statistics methodology:Using SAS statistics software Sample test, Rank Test, X2test, observe different clinical effects on Primary Insomnia by treatments of Guqin music, Hypnotic suggestion, or Hypnotic suggestion combined with Guqin music therapy. Based on a system of random statistical cross-referencing,120patients with Primary Insomnia syndromes were selected for study. Application SAS9.2statistical software PROCLAN procedure statements were used to divide the120patients into groups randomly for different treatments (30in Control Group,30in Hypnotic Suggestion Group,31in Hypnotic Suggestion combined with Guqin Group,29in Guqin Group). Related data were recorded and a "Group item number" was assigned to match with the order of patients receiving treatment.3.3Adoption of assessment method in Sleep MedicineAthens insomnia scale and SCL-90were used to measure progress once in weeks0,2,4,8. Data of EEG, HRV were recorded once in weeks0,4th,8th, for comparisons of pre-and post-treatment efficacy.4. Research Results4.1. Improvements of non-drug treatment for insomnia scaleWhen "Total Scores" on the Athens Insomnia scale were compared, a significant decline in the Hypnotic Suggestion Group, Guqin Music Group, combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music Group was indicated than the Control Group. This proved that the three non-drug therapies can significantly improve insomnia symptoms. Overall, The combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music Group was the best group comparing with the other groups.4.2Improvements of non-drug treatments in the self-reporting Inventory (SCL-90)When "Self-reporting Inventory" was compared in the4th weeks, the Hypnotic Suggestion Group, Guqin Music Group and combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music Group all indicated a bigger decline on the average value of "Terror" and "Others" than that of the Control Group. In the4th and8th weeks, the Hypnotic Suggestion Group, Guqin Music Group and combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music Group all indicated a bigger decline on the average value of "Obsessive-compulsive","Terror" and "Others" than that of the Control Group.4.3Improvement of non-drug treatments in EEGWhen EEG measurements were compared in the4th and8th weeks, the Hypnotic Suggestion Group, Guqin Music Group and combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music Group showed significant difference in Alpha and Theta waves from that of the Control Group. This result illustrated that significant increase of Alpha and Theta wave may be one of mechanism underlying effects of the three therapies.4.4Improvement of non-drug treatments in HRVWhen measurements of the HRV index were taken in the4th week, the Hypnotic Suggestion Group, Guqin Music Group and combination ofHypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music Group showed significant decrease in Percentage Very Low Frequency (VLFper), Percentage Low Frequency (LFper), Low frequency/High frequency (LF/HF) and heart rate (HR) than that of the Control Group. However, Percentage High Frequency (HFper) significantly increased in the three therapy groups. This result proved that these three non-drug therapies can significantly improve some of the HRV index.4.5Group Comparison of treatment effects in the3groups using therapeutic methodsWhen Athens insomnia scale (AIS), Self-reporting Inventory (SCL-90), EEG and HRV index were compared between the3groups using therapeutic methods, i.e. the Hypnotic Suggestion Group, Guqin Music Group and combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music Group, data from Pre and Post intervention showed statistical differences. These results indicated that each of the three therapies offered effective treatment for primary insomnia.5. Research ConclusionsHypnotic Suggestion, Guqin Music and combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music can improve primary insomnia symptoms and relieve associated "Obsessive-compulsive","Terror" and "Othef"symptoms. Moreover, some of the HRV indexes and Alpha and Theta wave in EEG were improved in the three therapies groups. Significant effect was observed applying TCM psychology(TIP Psychological treatment) and Guqin Music Therapy for primary insomnia. Meanwhile, the effect in combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music group was the best one. Guqin Music can make Insomnia patients’body and mind into a state of harmonious, quiet and relaxation, which can effectively promote the harmony of body and mind, so as to improve the insomnia symptom. At the same time, Guqin Music can caused a kind of unique of the low frequency heart rate variability, to further promote the harmony of body and mind, and relieve the psychological disorders as well as other symptoms; The purpose of language is to change patients implicit cognition, so combination of Hypnotic Suggestion with Guqin Music group is changed in the emotion and cognition at the same time. Therefore, to combine Guqin Music with TCM psychological health therapy, can promote the application of music therapy on mental rehabilitation, be widely used in clinical treatment and health care, and ease reliance on sleeping pills, so as to improve the rehabilitation effect of patients with insomnia, provide new idea and method for non-drug treatments of primary insomnia.