OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on insomnia and explore its mechanism. METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients were randomly divided into an experiment group and a control group. Sixty patients in the experiment group were treated once a day with acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenmai (BL 62), and Zhaohai (KI 6) and with moxibustion at Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1). Sixty patients in the control group were acupunctured once a day at Shenmen (HT 7), Neiguan (PC 6), and Sanyinjiao (SP 6).The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to compare sleep improvement between the two groups. RESULTS: The total effective rate was 87.7% in the experiment group and 76.3% in the control group. The PSQI scores and the total score were lower after treatment than before treatment in bothgroups. However, the reduction in the experiment group was greater than that in the control group in sleeping quality, time to fall asleep, sleeping disorder, and daytime function (P