# Effectiveness of Homoeopathic Treatments for Sleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review According to the Principles of Evidence-Based Medicine

## TL;DR

This paper reviews evidence for homoeopathy in treating sleep disorders in children and adolescents, finding some modest benefits but calling for more high-quality research.

## Contribution

The first systematic review applying evidence-based medicine criteria to individualised homoeopathy for paediatric sleep disorders.

## Key findings

- Five studies suggest homoeopathy may modestly improve insomnia, bruxism, and enuresis in children.
- No serious adverse effects were reported in the reviewed studies.
- Current evidence is limited and requires larger, higher-quality trials for confirmation.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
For the first time, a critical systematic review based on evidence-based medicine criteria has been presented on the effects of individualised homoeopathy on sleep disorders in children and adolescents.For the following conditions, there are currently four placebo-controlled studies and one observational study with transparently declared treatment regimens available in the English-language specialist literature: bruxism, insomnia, and nocturnal enuresis.

For the first time, a critical systematic review based on evidence-based medicine criteria has been presented on the effects of individualised homoeopathy on sleep disorders in children and adolescents.

For the following conditions, there are currently four placebo-controlled studies and one observational study with transparently declared treatment regimens available in the English-language specialist literature: bruxism, insomnia, and nocturnal enuresis.

What are the implications of the main findings?
The findings highlight areas where evidence-based homoeopathic research exists and where further studies are needed to strengthen clinical understanding.This systematic review may serve as a valuable reference for clinicians and researchers exploring complementary approaches for paediatric sleep disorders.

The findings highlight areas where evidence-based homoeopathic research exists and where further studies are needed to strengthen clinical understanding.

This systematic review may serve as a valuable reference for clinicians and researchers exploring complementary approaches for paediatric sleep disorders.

Background: Sleep disorders are common in childhood and adolescence and can negatively affect cognitive development, mood regulation, behaviour, and quality of life. Parents frequently seek complementary therapies such as homoeopathy, yet the scientific evidence for homoeopathic treatments in paediatric sleep disorders remains uncertain. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of homoeopathic interventions for sleep disorders in children and adolescents according to evidence-based medicine principles. Objectives: To systematically review and evaluate the effectiveness of homoeopathic treatments for sleep disorders in children and adolescents, following evidence-based principles. We aimed to summarise current clinical evidence from 2015–2025 on whether homoeopathy improves paediatric insomnia and other sleep-related disorders and to assess the quality of that evidence. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and allied databases were searched for RCTs and observational studies involving participants <18 years with sleep disorders (insomnia, bruxism, and enuresis) treated with homoeopathy. English-language studies were screened manually, and bias was assessed qualitatively. Results: Five studies (four RCTs, one observational; 451 participants) met inclusion criteria: Two RCTs reported complex homoeopathic remedies showing some improvement over glycine or placebo for insomnia symptoms. A crossover RCT reported nearly significant bruxism improvement with Melissa officinalis 12C versus placebo (Visual Analogic Scale 0–10; ΔVAS −2.36 vs. −1.72, p = 0.05) and significant VAS improvement in comparison to Phytolacca (p = 0.018). A double-blind RCT in enuretic children showed individualised homoeopathy reduced weekly bedwetting episodes (median −2.4 nights, p < 0.04). One observational study also noted symptom improvement of nocturnal enuresis. No serious adverse effects were reported. Bias risk varied: one open-label trial showed high risk; others were adequately blinded. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests preliminary signals that homoeopathy may have modest benefits for paediatric insomnia, bruxism, and enuresis, with an acceptable safety profile. However, the number and quality of studies are limited, and findings should be interpreted cautiously. Larger, high-quality trials are needed to clarify the potential role of homoeopathic interventions in paediatric sleep disorders. Current epistemological advances in study planning and medical student training should be taken into account: critical and intersectional (or better still, transdisciplinary) thinking with retrospective examination of heuristic initial theses, gender aspects, life course health, context variables and criteria for individualised, patient-related precision medicine.