P02.49
Purpose: Chronic insomnia affects about 1 in 10 adults. Mindfulness training may be an effective approach to treat chronic insomnia, with sleep outcomes comparable to nightly use of prescription sedatives, but more durable and without troublesome side effects. The purpose of this study was to understand mindfulness training as experienced by patients with chronic insomnia, and suggest procedures for optimizing sleep benefits.
Methods: Adults (N=18) who had completed an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program as part of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate MBSR as a treatment for chronic insomnia were invited to participate in focus groups. Participants (N=9) described how their sleep routine, thoughts and emotions were affected by MBSR and utility of mindfulness techniques. Groups were recorded, transcribed and content-analyzed.
Results: Four themes were identified: impact of mindfulness on sleep and motivation to adopt a healthy sleep lifestyle; benefits of mindfulness on life beyond sleep; challenges and successes in adopting mindfulness-based practices; and the importance of group sharing and support. Participants said they were not sleeping more, but sleeping better, waking more refreshed, feeling less distressed and better able to cope with insomnia. Some experienced a call to action, prioritizing meditation practice and following sleep hygiene guidelines. Motivation to sustain behavioral changes was reinforced by feeling better and witnessing improvements in others. The body scan was identified as an effective tool to enable falling asleep faster, and maintaining practice to sustain benefits was important.
Conclusion: First-person accounts are consistent with trial results of positive impacts of MBSR on sleep measured by sleep diary, actigraphy, and self-report sleep scales. Findings indicate that mindfulness training in a group format, combined with sleep hygiene education, is important for effective application of MBSR as a treatment for chronic insomnia. Funded by UMN Academic Health Center Faculty Research Development Grant FRD 06–27.
Contact: Cynthia Gross, gross002@umn.edu
