Objectives: To assess traditional medicine approaches in the treatment of sleep disorders.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 902 medical records of patients diagnosed with sleep disorders who received at least one traditional medicine or modern medicine treatment at the University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City – Branch 3 and Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024.
Results: A total of 902 medical records were analyzed. Traditional medicine (TM) predominated (96.6%) with no age-group differences. TM preparations were most commonly used (65.3%), followed by decoctions (44.3%) and their combination (13.0%). Non-pharmacological interventions accounted for 24.8% (acupuncture 20.2%, acupressure 11.0%), while TM–modern medicine (MM) integration was limited (2.0%). Use of TM preparations was heterogeneous, with Preparation 1 and 2 most frequent. The calming–sedative group predominated (43.6%) over the heavy-sedative group (3.2%). The most commonly used herbs were Ziziphus jujuba and Polygala tenuifolia, followed by Poria cocos and Poria cum Radix Pini. Network analysis showed that the herbs clustered into two main groups, in which the heart-nourishing and sedative herbs (Poria cocos, Ziziphus jujuba, Polygala tenuifolia, Poria cum Radix Pini) played a central role with high connectivity, while the remaining herbs mainly served supportive roles.
Conclusion: The findings describe treatment patterns for sleep disorders predominantly centered on traditional medicine pharmacotherapy, with TM preparations playing a central role and exhibiting marked heterogeneity in use. Herbal co-prescription patterns converged around a limited set of core components, forming distinct clusters of association. In contrast, non-pharmacological interventions and the integration of TM and MM remained limited in routine practice.