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Elder GJ, Santhi N, Robson AR, Alfonso-Miller P, Spiegelhalder K, Ellis JG. An online behavioral self-help intervention rapidly improves acute insomnia severity and subjective mood during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a stratified randomized controlled trial. Sleep 2024; 47:zsae059. [PMID: 38430544 PMCID: PMC11168762 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/04/2024] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Stressful life events, such as the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, can cause acute insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy for acute insomnia is effective but is both time and resource-intensive. This study investigated if an online behavioral self-help intervention, which has been successfully used alongside sleep restriction for acute insomnia, reduced insomnia severity and improved mood in acute insomnia. This study also assessed good sleepers to explore if a "sleep vaccination" approach was feasible. METHODS In this online stratified randomized controlled trial, 344 participants (103 good sleepers and 241 participants with DSM-5 acute insomnia) were randomized to receive the intervention/no intervention (good sleepers) or intervention/intervention after 28 days (poor sleepers). Insomnia severity was assessed using the ISI (primary outcome), and anxiety and depression using the GAD-7/PHQ-9 (secondary outcomes) at baseline, 1 week, 1 month, and 3-month follow-up. RESULTS In people with acute insomnia, relative to baseline, there were significant reductions in ISI (dz = 1.17), GAD-7 (dz = 0.70), and PHQ-9 (dz = 0.60) scores at 1-week follow-up. ISI, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 scores were significantly lower at all follow-up time points, relative to baseline. Subjective diary-derived sleep continuity was unaffected. No beneficial effects on sleep or mood were observed in good sleepers. CONCLUSIONS An online behavioral self-help intervention rapidly reduces acute insomnia severity (within 1 week), and benefits mood in people with acute insomnia. These beneficial effects are maintained up to 3 months later. Although the use of the intervention is feasible in good sleepers, their subjective sleep was unaffected. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION Testing an early online intervention for the treatment of disturbed sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic; prospectively registered at ISRCTN on 8 April 2020 (identifier: ISRCTN43900695).
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg J Elder
- Northumbria Sleep Research, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Nayantara Santhi
- Northumbria Sleep Research, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Amelia R Robson
- Northumbria Sleep Research, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | | | - Kai Spiegelhalder
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jason G Ellis
- Northumbria Sleep Research, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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Boyle JT, Morales KH, Muench A, Ellis J, Vargas I, Grandner MA, Posner D, Perlis ML. The natural history of insomnia: evaluating illness severity from acute to chronic insomnia; is the first the worst? Sleep 2024; 47:zsae034. [PMID: 38310641 PMCID: PMC11009029 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES The 3P and 4P models represent illness severity over the course of insomnia disorder. The 3P model suggests that illness severity is worst during acute onset. The 4P model suggests that illness severity crescendos with chronicity. The present analysis from an archival dataset assesses illness severity with new onset illness (i.e. from good sleep [GS] to acute insomnia [AI] to chronic insomnia [CI]). Illness severity is quantified in terms of total wake time (TWT). METHODS GSs (N = 934) were followed up to 1 year with digital sleep diaries, and classified as GS, AI, or CI. Data for CIs were anchored to the first of 14 days with insomnia so that day-to-day TWT was represented prior to and following AI onset. A similar graphic (+/-acute onset) was constructed for number of days per week with insomnia. GS data were temporally matched to CI data. Segmented linear mixed regression models were applied to examine the change in slopes in the AI-to-CI period compared to GS-to-AI period. RESULTS Twenty-three individuals transitioned to AI and then CI. Average TWT rose during the first 2 weeks of AI onset (b = 1.8, SE = 0.57, p = 0.001) and was then stable for 3 months (b = -0.02, SE = 0.04, p = 0.53). Average number of affected days was stable from AI to CI (b = 0.0005, SE = 0.002, p = 0.81). That is, while there was week-to-week variability in the number of days affected, no linear trend was evident. CONCLUSIONS In our sample of CIs, primarily with middle insomnia, the average severity and number of affected days were worst with the onset of AI (worst is first) and stable thereafter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia T Boyle
- New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Knashawn H Morales
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alexandria Muench
- Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Chronobiology and Sleep Institute Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jason Ellis
- Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Ivan Vargas
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Michael A Grandner
- Sleep & Health Research Program, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Donn Posner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Sleepwell Consultants, Newtonville, MA, USA
| | - Michael L Perlis
- Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Chronobiology and Sleep Institute Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Reffi AN, Kalmbach DA, Cheng P, Drake CL. The sleep response to stress: how sleep reactivity can help us prevent insomnia and promote resilience to trauma. J Sleep Res 2023; 32:e13892. [PMID: 37020247 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Sleep reactivity is a predisposition to sleep disturbance during environmental perturbations, pharmacological challenges, or stressful life events. Consequently, individuals with highly reactive sleep systems are prone to insomnia disorder after a stressor, engendering risk of psychopathology and potentially impeding recovery from traumatic stress. Thus, there is tremendous value in ameliorating sleep reactivity to foster a sleep system that is robust to stress exposure, ultimately preventing insomnia and its downstream consequences. We reviewed prospective evidence for sleep reactivity as a predisposition to insomnia since our last review on the topic in 2017. We also reviewed studies investigating pre-trauma sleep reactivity as a predictor of adverse post-traumatic sequelae, and clinical trials that reported the effect of behavioural treatments for insomnia on mitigating sleep reactivity. Most studies measured sleep reactivity via self-report using the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST), demonstrating high scores on this scale reliably indicate a sleep system with a lower capacity to tolerate stress. Nascent evidence suggests elevated sleep reactivity prior to trauma increases the risk of negative posttraumatic outcomes, namely acute stress disorder, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Lastly, sleep reactivity appears most responsive to behavioural insomnia interventions when delivered early during the acute phase of insomnia. Overall, the literature strongly supports sleep reactivity as a premorbid vulnerability to incident acute insomnia disorder when faced with an array of biopsychosocial stressors. The FIRST identifies individuals at risk of insomnia a priori, thereby guiding early interventions toward this vulnerable population to prevent insomnia and promote resilience to adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony N Reffi
- Thomas Roth Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - David A Kalmbach
- Thomas Roth Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Philip Cheng
- Thomas Roth Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Christopher L Drake
- Thomas Roth Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, Michigan, USA
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Wang J, Zhao H, Shi K, Wang M. Treatment of insomnia based on the mechanism of pathophysiology by acupuncture combined with herbal medicine: A review. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e33213. [PMID: 36930068 PMCID: PMC10019201 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000033213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Insomnia is a sleep disorder which severely affects patients mood, quality of life and social functioning, serves as a trigger or risk factor to a variety of diseases such as depression, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes, and even increases the risk of suicide, and has become an increasingly widespread concern worldwide. Considerable research on insomnia has been conducted in modern medicine in recent years and encouraging results have been achieved in the fields of genetics and neurobiology. Unfortunately, however, the pathogenesis of insomnia remains elusive to modern medicine, and pharmacological treatment of insomnia has been regarded as conventional. However, in the course of treatment, pharmacological treatment itself is increasingly being questioned due to potential dependence and drug resistance and is now being replaced by cognitive behavior therapy as the first-line treatment. As an important component of complementary and alternative medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, especially non-pharmacological treatment methods such as acupuncture, is gaining increasing attention worldwide. In this article, we discuss the combination of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and medicine to treat insomnia based on neurobiology in the context of modern medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wang
- Department of Pain, Datong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanxi Province, Datong, China
| | - Haishen Zhao
- Department of Rehabilitation, Luchaogang Community Health Service Center, Pudong New District, Shanghai, China
| | - Kejun Shi
- Department of Rehabilitation, Luchaogang Community Health Service Center, Pudong New District, Shanghai, China
| | - Manya Wang
- Department of Rehabilitation, Luchaogang Community Health Service Center, Pudong New District, Shanghai, China
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Elder GJ, Altena E, Palagini L, Ellis JG. Stress and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: How can the COVID-19 pandemic inform our understanding and treatment of acute insomnia? J Sleep Res 2023:e13842. [PMID: 36748346 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Stress and sleep are very closely linked, and stressful life events can trigger acute insomnia. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is highly likely to represent one such stressful life event. Indeed, a wide range of cross-sectional studies demonstrate that the pandemic is associated with poor sleep and sleep disturbances. Given the high economic and health burden of insomnia disorder, strategies that can prevent and treat acute insomnia, and also prevent the transition from acute insomnia to insomnia disorder, are necessary. This narrative review outlines why the COVID-19 pandemic is a stressful life event, and why activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, as a biological marker of psychological stress, is likely to result in acute insomnia. Further, this review outlines how sleep disturbances might arise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and why simultaneous hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis measurement can inform the pathogenesis of acute insomnia. In particular, we focus on the cortisol awakening response as a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, as cortisol is the end-product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. From a research perspective, future opportunities include identifying individuals, or particular occupational or societal groups (e.g. frontline health staff), who are at high risk of developing acute insomnia, and intervening. From an acute insomnia treatment perspective, priorities include testing large-scale online behavioural interventions; examining if reducing the impact of stress is effective and, finally, assessing whether "sleep vaccination" can maintain good sleep health by preventing the occurrence of acute insomnia, by preventing the transition from acute insomnia to insomnia disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg J Elder
- Northumbria Sleep Research, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ellemarije Altena
- Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine-UMR 5287 CNRS, Team Neuroimaging and Human Cognition, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Laura Palagini
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Psychiatric Section University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Psychiatric Section, University of Pisa, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana (AOUP), Pisa, Italy
| | - Jason G Ellis
- Northumbria Sleep Research, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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Testing an early online intervention for the treatment of disturbed sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic in self-reported good and poor sleepers (Sleep COVID-19): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials 2021; 22:913. [PMID: 34895327 PMCID: PMC8665855 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05888-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Theoretical models of insomnia suggest that stressful life events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can cause acute insomnia (short-term disruptions to sleep). Early interventions may prevent short-term sleep problems from progressing to insomnia disorder. Although cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is effective in treating insomnia disorder, this can be time and resource-intensive. Further, online interventions can be used to deliver treatment to a large number of individuals. The objective of this study is to investigate if an online behavioural intervention, in the form of a leaflet, which has been successfully used alongside CBT-I for acute insomnia, can reduce symptoms of acute insomnia in poor sleepers. Methods A total of 124 self-reported good and poor sleepers will be enrolled in an online stratified randomised controlled trial. After baseline assessments (T1), participants will complete a 1-week pre-intervention sleep monitoring period (T2) where they will complete daily sleep-diaries. Poor sleepers (n = 62) will be randomly allocated to an invention or wait-list group, where they will receive the intervention (T3), or will do so after a 28-day delay. Good sleepers (n = 62) will be randomly assigned to an intervention or no intervention group. All participants will complete a 1-week post intervention sleep monitoring period using daily sleep diaries (T4). Participants will be followed up at 1 week (T5), 1 month (T6) and 3 months (T7) post intervention. The primary outcome measure will be insomnia severity, measured using the Insomnia Severity Index. Secondary outcome measures will include subjective mood and subjective sleep continuity, measured using sleep diaries. Data will be analysed using an intention-to-treat approach. Discussion It is expected that this online intervention will reduce symptoms of acute insomnia in self-reported short-term poor sleepers, and will also prevent the transition to poor sleep in good sleepers. We expect that this will demonstrate the feasibility of online interventions for the treatment and prevention of acute insomnia. Specific advantages of online approaches include the low cost, ease of administration and increased availability of treatment, relative to face-to-face therapy. Trial registration ISRCTN43900695 (Prospectively registered 8th of April 2020).
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Riemann D. Sleep, bruxism, sleep-related breathing disorders, insomnia, sleep, neurology and much more. J Sleep Res 2021; 30:e13467. [PMID: 34523200 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Riemann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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