Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture in treating perimenopausal insomnia. Methods: Seventy eligible subjects were randomized into two groups, 38 subjects in the treatment group were intervened by electroacupuncture, 30 min each session; 32 subjects in the control group were intervened by Alprazolam, 0.4 mg each time before sleep. Athens insomnia scale (AIS) was adopted to evaluate sleep quality. Results: The therapeutic efficacy in the treatment group was significantly better than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Electroacupuncture can produce a content therapeutic efficacy in treating perimenopausal insomnia. © 2013 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.