Postoperative sleep disturbances (PSD) has recently been a hot issue, affected by various factors. Many patients have different degrees of PSD after surgery, which seriously affects the prognosis, increases patients' financial burden. This review summarizes the effects and mechanisms of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on PSD. The theme focuses on the effects of TEAS on the stress response, immune‑inflammatory response, postoperative pain, and sleep‑wake cycle. TEAS regulates the mechanism of PSD and provides a theoretical basis for clinical treatment of PSD to accelerate the recovery of patients.