Abstract
Objective: Yokukansan (YKS), a traditional Japanese herbal prescription, was developed as a remedy for restlessness and agitation. YKS prescription has been approved for patients with insomnia. In most of the herbal medicines, the precise mechanisms that exhibit therapeutic effects on sleep disturbances have not sufficiently elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether YKS may alter sleep architectures in patients with elderly neurotic disorders.
Patients and Methods: We included 10 patients with neurotic disorders who admitted to Department of Neuropsychiatry. The diagnosis of psychiatric disorders was made according to ICD-10. Polysomnography (PSG) at baseline was carried out following the adaptation night. Anxiety symptoms, subjective sleep quality and daytime somnolence were also examined with Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), respectively. After being treated with YKS for 4 weeks, examinations were carried out again. Data obtained after treatment were compared to those obtained at baseline. The local institutional review boards approved this study. All patients gave written consent according to institutional guidelines and the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Results: Participants were 10 patients (4 males and 6 females: mean age 75.3 y.o.) with neurotic disorders (5 cases with somatoform disorders [F45]; 4 cases with other anxiety disorders [F41]; 1 case with reaction to severe stress [F43]). Treatment with YKS resulted in a decreased HAM-A score, a prolonged total sleep time, a shortened sleep latency, an increased sleep efficiency, and a decreased periodic limb movement during sleep. YKS also improved subjective evaluations with PSQI and ESS.
Conclusions: YKS may improve subjective and objective sleep quality as well as anxiety symptoms, and were well tolerated.