Sleep Discrepancy in Patients With Comorbid Fibromyalgia and Insomnia: Demographic, Behavioral, and Clinical Correlates

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Individuals with primary insomnia often have poorer self-reported sleep than objectively measured sleep, a phenomenon termed negative sleep discrepancy. Recent studies suggest that this phenomenon might differ depending on comorbidities. This study examined sleep discrepancy, its night-to-night variability, and its correlates in comorbid insomnia and fibromyalgia.

METHODS

Sleep diaries and actigraphy data were obtained from 223 adults with fibromyalgia and insomnia (age = 51.53 [standard deviation = 11.90] years; 93% women) for 14 days. Sleep discrepancy was calculated by subtracting diary from actigraphy estimates of sleep onset latency (SOL-D), wake after sleep onset (WASO-D), and total sleep time (TST-D) for each night. Night-to-night variability in sleep discrepancy was calculated by taking the within-individual standard deviations over 14 days. Participants completed measures of mood, pain, fatigue, sleep/pain medications, nap duration, and caffeine consumption.

RESULTS

Average sleep discrepancies across 14 days were small for all sleep parameters (< 10 minutes). There was no consistent positive or negative discrepancy. However, sleep discrepancy for any single night was large, with average absolute discrepancies greater than 30 minutes for all sleep parameters. Greater morning pain was associated with larger previous-night WASO-D, although diary and actigraphy estimates of WASO remained fairly concordant. Taking prescribed pain medications, primarily opioids, was associated with greater night-to-night variability in WASO-D and TST-D.

CONCLUSIONS

Unlike patients with primary insomnia, patients with comorbid fibromyalgia do not exhibit consistent negative sleep discrepancy; however, there are both substantial positive and negative discrepancies in all sleep parameters at the daily level. Future research is needed to investigate the clinical significance and implications of high night-to-night variability of sleep discrepancy, and the role of prescribed opioid medications in sleep perception.

Chronic Pain, Sleep, and Cognition in Older Adults With Insomnia: A Daily Multilevel Analysis

STUDY OBJECTIVES

The goal of this study was to examine daily associations between sleep and cognition in older adults suffering from insomnia, with or without a history of chronic pain.

METHODS

Sixty older adults with insomnia and a history of chronic pain (HxCP; n = 33, mean age = 69.5 years, standard deviation = 7.8) or no history of chronic pain (NCP; n = 27, mean age = 69.7 years, standard deviation = 7.9) completed 14 days of diaries and actigraphy, measuring sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), sleep efficiency (SE), and sleep quality. Participants completed daily cognitive measures of processing speed (ie, symbol digit modalities test, SDMT), reasoning (ie, letter series), and verbal memory (ie, word list delayed recall). For HxCP and NCP, associations between sleep parameters, daily pain, depressive symptoms (ie, Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition scores), and daily cognition, controlling for age, and global cognition were examined through multilevel modeling.

RESULTS

For HxCP, greater self-reported WASO was associated with worse next-day SDMT performance, whereas greater actigraphic WASO was associated with better next-day SDMT performance. Greater depression was associated with worse daily letter series performance. Greater self-reported WASO and SE were associated with better next-day delayed recall. For NCP, greater self-reported WASO and depression were associated with better daily SDMT performance, whereas worse daily pain was associated with worse SDMT and delayed recall performance.

CONCLUSIONS

In older adults with HxCP, improving sleep may benefit lower level cognition, whereas reducing depression may affect higher level cognition. Discrepancies in sleep parameters promote assessment of objective and subjective sleep outcomes when investigating effects of insomnia on cognition.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Title: Intraindividual Variability in Sleep and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults (REST), Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT02967185, URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02967185.

Gray Matter Changes Following Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Patients With Comorbid Fibromyalgia and Insomnia: A Pilot Study

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Insomnia frequently co-occurs with fibromyalgia, which is associated with gray matter atrophy. We examined the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and pain (CBT-P) on cortical thickness.

METHODS

Patients with fibromyalgia and insomnia underwent MRI before and after random assignment to CBT-I (n = 14), CBT-P (n = 16), or waitlist control (WLC; n = 7).

RESULTS

Repeated-measures analyses of variance revealed significant interactions for two regions (left lateral orbitofrontal cortex, left rostral middle frontal, Ps < .05) and trends for four regions (right medial orbitofrontal cortex, right posterior cingulate, left caudal middle frontal, left transverse temporal; Ps < .10). Cortical thickness increased in all regions for CBT-I and decreased in five regions for CBT-P and WLC. Hierarchical regressions revealed that for the CBT-I group, reductions in wake after sleep onset were associated with an increase in cortical thickness.

CONCLUSIONS

Our pilot study presents novel evidence suggesting that CBT-I may slow or reverse cortical gray matter atrophy in patients with fibromyalgia and insomnia.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT02001077, Title: Sleep and Pain Interventions in Fibromyalgia (SPIN), URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02001077.

Discrepancies in sleep diary and actigraphy assessments in adults with fibromyalgia: Associations with opioid dose and age

Sleep diary and actigraphy assessments of insomnia symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) are often discrepant. We examined whether opioid dose and age interact in predicting magnitude or direction of discrepancies. Participants (N = 199, M = 51.5 years, SD = 11.7) with FM and insomnia completed 14 days of diaries and actigraphy. Multiple regressions determined whether average opioid dose and its interaction with age predicted magnitude or direction of diary/actigraphy discrepancies in sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO) and sleep efficiency (SE), controlling for sex, use of sleep medication, evening pain and total sleep time. Higher opioid dose predicted greater magnitude of discrepancy in SOL and SE. Opioid dose interacted with age to predict direction but not magnitude of discrepancy in SOL and SE. Specifically, higher opioid use was associated with better subjective (shorter SOL, higher SE) than objective reports of sleep among younger adults, and longer subjective than objectively measured SOL among older adults. Opioid dose did not predict magnitude or direction of WASO discrepancies. In FM, a higher opioid dose increases diary/actigraphy SOL and SE discrepancies, and direction of discrepancies may depend on age. We speculate that increased opioid use combined with age-related factors, such as slow wave sleep disruption, increased awakenings and/or cognitive decline, may impact perceived sleep.

Use of Actigraphy for the Evaluation of Sleep Disorders and Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and GRADE Assessment

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this systematic review is to provide supporting evidence for a clinical practice guideline on the use of actigraphy.

METHODS

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine commissioned a task force of experts in sleep medicine. A systematic review was conducted to identify studies that compared the use of actigraphy, sleep logs, and/or polysomnography. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the clinical significance of using actigraphy as an objective measure of sleep and circadian parameters. Finally, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) process was used to assess the evidence for making recommendations.

RESULTS

The literature search resulted in 81 studies that met inclusion criteria; all 81 studies provided data suitable for statistical analyses. These data demonstrate that actigraphy provides consistent objective data that is often unique from patient-reported sleep logs for some sleep parameters in adult and pediatric patients with suspected or diagnosed insomnia, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, sleep-disordered breathing, central disorders of hypersomnolence, and adults with insufficient sleep syndrome. These data also demonstrate that actigraphy is not a reliable measure of periodic limb movements in adult and pediatric patients. The task force provided a detailed summary of the evidence along with the quality of evidence, the balance of benefits and harms, patient values and preferences, and resource use considerations.

Use of Actigraphy for the Evaluation of Sleep Disorders and Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this guideline is to establish clinical practice recommendations for the use of actigraphy in adult and pediatric patients with suspected or diagnosed sleep disorders or circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders.

METHODS

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) commissioned a task force of experts in sleep medicine to develop recommendations and assigned strengths based on a systematic review of the literature and an assessment of the evidence using the GRADE process. The task force provided a summary of the relevant literature and the quality of evidence, the balance of benefits and harms, patient values and preferences, and resource use considerations that support the recommendations. The AASM Board of Directors approved the final recommendations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are intended as a guide for clinicians using actigraphy in evaluating patients with sleep disorders and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, and only apply to the use of FDA-approved devices. Each recommendation statement is assigned a strength ("Strong" or "Conditional"). A "Strong" recommendation (ie, "We recommend…") is one that clinicians should follow under most circumstances. A "Conditional" recommendation (ie, "We suggest…") reflects a lower degree of certainty regarding the outcome and appropriateness of the patient-care strategy for all patients. The ultimate judgment regarding any specific care must be made by the treating clinician and the patient, taking into consideration the individual circumstances of the patient, available treatment options, and resources. We suggest that clinicians use actigraphy to estimate sleep parameters in adult patients with insomnia disorder. (Conditional). We suggest that clinicians use actigraphy in the assessment of pediatric patients with insomnia disorder. (Conditional). We suggest that clinicians use actigraphy in the assessment of adult patients with circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder. (Conditional). We suggest that clinicians use actigraphy in the assessment of pediatric patients with circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder. (Conditional). We suggest that clinicians use actigraphy integrated with home sleep apnea test devices to estimate total sleep time during recording (in the absence of alternative objective measurements of total sleep time) in adult patients suspected of sleep-disordered breathing. (Conditional). We suggest that clinicians use actigraphy to monitor total sleep time prior to testing with the Multiple Sleep Latency Test in adult and pediatric patients with suspected central disorders of hypersomnolence. (Conditional). We suggest that clinicians use actigraphy to estimate total sleep time in adult patients with suspected insufficient sleep syndrome. (Conditional). We recommend that clinicians not use actigraphy in place of electromyography for the diagnosis of periodic limb movement disorder in adult and pediatric patients. (Strong).

Efficacy of brief behavioral treatment for insomnia in older adults: examination of sleep, mood, and cognitive outcomes

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a brief behavioral intervention for insomnia (BBTi) on sleep parameters, mood, and cognitive functioning in older adults.

METHODS

Older adults (aged 65 years or more) underwent four weekly sessions of BBTi or self-monitoring control (SMC). Participants completed 14 days of sleep diaries and actigraphy measuring sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), and sleep quality ratings at baseline, post-treatment, and three month follow-up. Participants also completed mood scales (Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]; Beck Depression Inventory-II; and State Trait Anxiety Inventory) and neuropsychological testing (measuring global cognition, language, memory, attention and processing speed, and executive function) at the three timepoints.

RESULTS

Significant condition (BBTi vs. SMC) x time (baseline vs. post-treatment vs. follow-up) interactions revealed that BBTi improved relative to baseline in sleep diary-reported SOL, WASO, SE, and sleep quality, and these improvements were maintained at follow-up. SMC showed no change in these measures. A main effect of time showed that actigraphy-measured WASO improved from baseline for both BBTi and SMC at post-treatment. A main effect of time revealed that both BBTi and SMC patients endorsed fewer GDS symptoms relative to baseline at post-treatment and follow-up. We observed no change in performance on neuropsychological measures.

CONCLUSIONS

A four-week BBTi is an efficacious intervention for reducing insomnia symptoms in older adults. BBTi does not selectively improve mood or cognitive functioning. Future work should examine effects of BBTi on physiological measures of sleep architecture and day-to-day cognition.

CLINICAL TRIAL IDENTIFER

NCT02967185.

Dynamic daily associations between insomnia symptoms and alcohol use in adults with chronic pain

Individuals with chronic pain are at risk for sleep disruption and heavy alcohol use, yet the daily associations between these behaviours are not well characterized. This study aimed to determine the extent to which alcohol use affects insomnia symptoms and vice versa in adults reporting symptoms of chronic pain. Participants were 73 individuals (93% women) reporting alcohol use in addition to symptoms of insomnia and chronic pain. They completed daily diaries assessing insomnia symptoms and alcohol use for 14 days. Multilevel modelling was used to evaluate the bidirectional associations between alcohol use and insomnia symptoms at the daily level. Consistent with laboratory-based research, alcohol use was associated with decreased sleep-onset latency the same night but increased sleep-onset latency 2 nights later. Specifically, for every alcoholic drink consumed, time to sleep onset decreased by 5.0 min in the same night but increased by 4.3 min 2 nights later. Alcohol use was not significantly associated with subsequent wake after sleep onset or total sleep time, and insomnia symptoms were not significantly associated with subsequent alcohol use. To our knowledge, these data provide the first evidence that alcohol use negatively affects insomnia symptoms up to 2 days post-consumption in patients reporting symptoms of insomnia and chronic pain. Findings suggest that one drink will have minimal impact on sleep, but heavier drinking (e.g. four-five drinks) may have a clinically significant impact (16-25-min increase in sleep-onset latency). Future studies may assess alcohol use as a point of intervention within this population.

Sleep and Pain in Mid- to Late-Life: An Exploration of Day-to-Day Pain Inconsistency

OBJECTIVES

This study examined how different quantifications of pain (average vs. day-to-day inconsistency) are related to sleep in older adults beyond known predictors.

METHODS

Baseline measures from the Active Adult Mentoring Project were used for secondary analyses. Participants included 82 adults in mid- to late-life. Depression was assessed with the BDI-II. Pain intensity was assessed over seven days on a 11-point Likert-scale, while sleep efficiency (SE), total sleep time (TST), and total wake time (TWT) were assessed using a self-report diary.

RESULTS

Regression analyses revealed that pain inconsistency was associated with both SE and TWT and accounted for significant variance over age, gender, and depression. In contrast, average pain was not associated with SE, TST, or TWT.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that pain inconsistency may be a more meaningful predictor of sleep disturbance than average pain level, suggesting that one's ability to regulate pain may be related to one's ability to engage in optimal sleep in mid- to late-life.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Pain inconsistency appears to contribute more to sleep disturbance than average pain. Pain inconsistency in late-life warrants greater attention and may be an area of clinical intervention through activity-pacing or coping skills training.

Night-to-Night Sleep Variability in Older Adults With Chronic Insomnia: Mediators and Moderators in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Brief Behavioral Therapy (BBT-I)

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Sleep variability is a clinically significant variable in understanding and treating insomnia in older adults. The current study examined changes in sleep variability in the course of brief behavioral therapy for insomnia (BBT-I) in older adults who had chronic insomnia. Additionally, the current study examined the mediating mechanisms underlying reductions of sleep variability and the moderating effects of baseline sleep variability on treatment responsiveness.

METHODS

Sixty-two elderly participants were randomly assigned to either BBT-I or self-monitoring and attention control (SMAC). Sleep was assessed by sleep diaries and actigraphy from baseline to posttreatment and at 3-month follow-up. Mixed models were used to examine changes in sleep variability (within-person standard deviations of weekly sleep parameters) and the hypothesized mediation and moderation effects.

RESULTS

Variabilities in sleep diary-assessed sleep onset latency (SOL) and actigraphy-assessed total sleep time (TST) significantly decreased in BBT-I compared to SMAC (Pseudo R² = .12, .27; P = .018, .008). These effects were mediated by reductions in bedtime and wake time variability and time in bed. Significant time × group × baseline sleep variability interactions on sleep outcomes indicated that participants who had higher baseline sleep variability were more responsive to BBT-I; their actigraphy-assessed TST, SOL, and sleep efficiency improved to a greater degree (Pseudo R² = .15 to .66; P < .001 to .044).

CONCLUSIONS

BBT-I is effective in reducing sleep variability in older adults who have chronic insomnia. Increased consistency in bedtime and wake time and decreased time in bed mediate reductions of sleep variability. Baseline sleep variability may serve as a marker of high treatment responsiveness to BBT-I.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT02967185.

Sleep Problems, Anxiety, and Global Self-Rated Health Among Hospice Family Caregivers

BACKGROUND

Although research has linked sleep problems, anxiety, and poor health outcomes among patients' family members in nonhospice settings, little is known about these often interrelated issues among hospice family caregivers.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to examine the relationships between sleep problems, anxiety, and global self-rated health among hospice family caregivers. Methods, Setting, and Patients: We conducted a secondary analysis of quantitative data from 395 family caregivers of hospice patients in the Midwest and Southeastern United States.

RESULTS

Nearly one-third of the hospice family caregivers who participated in this study experienced clinically noteworthy levels of sleep problems and/or anxiety. Caregivers' symptoms of anxiety and sleep problems were strongly correlated. Caregivers who reported more frequent sleep problems and higher levels of anxiety reported poorer overall health.

CONCLUSION

Hospice providers, who are charged with attending to the needs of both patients and their family caregivers, may improve their practice by regularly assessing for sleep problems and anxiety among family caregivers and providing appropriate interventions or referrals.

Measuring Treatment Outcomes in Comorbid Insomnia and Fibromyalgia: Concordance of Subjective and Objective Assessments

STUDY OBJECTIVES

In insomnia, actigraphy tends to underestimate wake time compared to diaries and PSG. When chronic pain co-occurs with insomnia, sleep may be more fragmented, including more movement and arousals. However, individuals may not be consciously aware of these arousals. We examined the baseline concordance of diaries, actigraphy, and PSG as well as the ability of each assessment method to detect changes in sleep following cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).

METHODS

Adults with insomnia and fibromyalgia (n = 113) were randomized to CBT-I, CBT for pain, or waitlist control. At baseline and posttreatment, participants completed one night of PSG and two weeks of diaries/actigraphy.

RESULTS

At baseline, objective measures estimated lower SOL, higher TST, and higher SE than diaries (ps < 0.05). Compared to PSG, actigraphic estimates were higher for SOL and lower for WASO (ps < 0.05). Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted for the CBT-I group (n = 15), and significant method by time interactions indicated that the assessment methods differed in their sensitivity to detect treatment-related changes. PSG values did not change significantly for any sleep parameters. However, diaries showed improvements in SOL, WASO, and SE, and actigraphy also detected the WASO and SE improvements (ps < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Actigraphy was generally more concordant with PSG than with diaries, which are the recommended assessment for diagnosing insomnia. However, actigraphy showed greater sensitivity to treatment-related changes than PSG; PSG failed to detect any improvements, but actigraphy demonstrated changes in WASO and SE, which were also found with diaries. In comorbid insomnia/fibromyalgia, actigraphy may therefore have utility in measuring treatment outcomes.

Low-to-Moderate Alcohol Consumption is Associated With Hippocampal Volume in Fibromyalgia and Insomnia

Fibromyalgia and chronic insomnia are frequently comorbid conditions with heightened sensitivity to painful stimuli, potentially subserved by the hippocampus. Recent evidence suggests moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced fibromyalgia symptom severity. We examined the relationship among alcohol use, hippocampal morphology, fibromyalgia, and insomnia symptom severity in 41 fibromyalgia patients (19 with insomnia). A 14-day diary of sleep, pain, and alcohol consumption was followed by structural MRI. Analyses indicated greater bilateral hippocampal volume, lower clinical pain intensity, and better sleep quality in moderate drinkers versus abstainers. Underlying mechanisms may include gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) receptor agonism, n-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonism, and psychosocial factors. Further study of the relationship between alcohol use and fibromyalgia and insomnia symptom severity is warranted.

Daily Social Contact in Relation to Sleep: The Role of Age

OBJECTIVES

To examine how social contact during daily activities differs by age and relates to sleep outcomes.

METHODS

Fifty younger (M = 19.9 years, SD = 2.76) and 48 older (M = 67.6 years, SD = 6.63), community-dwelling adults completed the Social Rhythm Metric-17 and daily sleep diary online for 14 days.

RESULTS

Younger adults completed a greater proportion of activities with active others than older adults. Age significantly interacted with the proportion of activities completed alone, β = -.77, p = .04. Alone activities negatively predicted total sleep time in older, not younger adults.

DISCUSSION

Social contact, or lack thereof, is important for sleep, particularly for older adults who may be more prone to aloneness due to life course events.

Influence of asthma status on sleep variability in overweight/obese youth

OBJECTIVE

Pediatric asthma and overweight/obesity (OV/OB) frequently co-occur and youth with both conditions exhibit poor sleep/bedtime habits. This study assessed differences in week-to-weekend bedtime/wake time variability among OV/OB youth with/without comorbid asthma, and tested whether variability predicted weekday sleep.

METHODS

OV/OB youth (n = 142; 28% comorbid asthma; 7-12 years) wore an Accelerometer for 5 days (2 weekend days), providing estimates of week-to-weekend bedtime/wake-time variability, weekday Total Sleep Time (TST), weekday time in bed (TIB), and weekday wake after sleep onset (WASO).

RESULTS

There were no demographic differences between groups beyond lower family income for the OV/OB+asthma group. The OV/OB+asthma group exhibited later weekday (mean OV/OB+asthma = 10:39 pm, mean OV/OB only = 10:30pm) and weekend (mean OV/OB+asthma = 11:41 pm, mean OV/OB only = 11:17pm) bedtimes, earlier weekday waketimes (mean OV/OB+asthma = 6:40 am, mean OV/OB only = 6:51 am), and similar weekend waketimes (mean OV/OB+asthma = 7:54 pm, mean OV/OB only = 7:52 pm. Univariate MANOVA follow-ups indicated a main effect of asthma group for week-to-weekend bedtime and waketime variability, with the OV/OB+asthma group evidencing approximately 30 minutes greater bedtime (OV/OB+asthma mean = 90 minutes) and waketime (OV/OB+asthma mean = 108 minutes) variability. Within the OV/OB+asthma group, greater waketime variability predicted fewer minutes of weekday TIB and WASO. Within the OV/OB only group, wake time variability predicted fewer minutes of weekday TIB.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that asthma status confers risk for more week-to-weekend variability among currently OV/OB youth, and that greater variability shortens the weekday sleep period. Further research on reasons for greater week-to-weekend sleep variability in asthma is needed.