Treating insomnia with meditation plus CBT
Researchers from Stanford University Medical Center in California combined mindfulness meditation with cognitive-behavior therapy for insomnia.
First, the details.
- 30 adults with psychophysiological insomnia, as defined by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Work Group, participated in a 6-week study of mindfulness meditation, sleep restriction, stimulus control, sleep education, and sleep hygiene.
- Sleep diaries and self-reported pre-sleep arousal were assessed weekly.
- Secondary measures of insomnia severity, arousal, mindfulness skills, and daytime functioning were assessed at before and after treatment.
And, the results.
- Overall, there were statistically and clinically significant improvements in several nighttime symptoms of insomnia.
- Statistically significant reductions in pre-sleep arousal, sleep effort, and dysfunctional sleep-related cognitions were also reported.
- There was a significant correlation between the number of meditation sessions and the changes measured.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded “The findings indicate that mindfulness meditation can be combined with cognitive-behavior therapy, and this integrated intervention is associated with reductions in both sleep and sleep-related arousal.
5/29/08 20:46 JR
