Insomnia is characterized by complaints of difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or non-restorative sleep which last for at least one month and which cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning. Estimates of insomnia in women with breast cancer range from approximately 20% to 70%, with reports of poor sleep lasting for years after completion of the cancer treatment. Insomnia in breast cancer patients is often associated with depression, anxiety, fatigue, and low quality of life. This study aimed at understanding whether an individual cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia (CBT-I) would result in improvements in sleep as well as improvements in fatigue, depression, anxiety and quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer survivors. Fourteen breast cancer survivors (age M= 61, SD=11.6, range = 45- 85) were randomly assigned to either 6 weeks of CBT-I followed by 6 weeks of follow up, or 6 weeks of treatment as usual (TAU) followed by 6 weeks of CBT-I. The hypotheses tested were that subjective and objective measures of sleep would improve during CBT-I compared to during TAU, that the QOL, fatigue, depression and anxiety would improve during CBT-I compared to during TAU, and that the effects of CBT-I on sleep and other symptoms would be maintained at 6 weeks. The results revealed that the participants assigned to receiving the CBT-I in the first six weeks had improved self-rated insomnia after treatment compared to the participants assigned to TAU (Insomnia severity index. Post-CBT-I: M=12.20, SD=6.57, range=2-19; Post-TAU: M=20.71, SD=3.99, range=16-26, p=0.03). The pooled analyses of pre and post CBT-I treatment for all 14 participants revealed significant improvements in self-rated insomnia and sleep quality as well as improvements in objective measures of sleep. The analyses of the group that received CBT-I followed by 6 weeks of follow-up revealed that the sleep benefits gained during treatment were maintained at follow-up. In addition, QOL significantly improved at follow-up. No significant effects were found for psychological or fatigue variables. The results are comparable to the sleep findings in previous studies that looked at group CBT-I therapies in breast cancer survivors, but differ in the effects found in psychological, fatigue and QOL measures. These results show that individual CBT-I is efficacious in improving sleep in breast cancer survivors. Further studies with greater sample size will help better understand the relationship between treating insomnia and psychological, fatigue and QOL variables in breast cancer survivors

Objectives

The aims of the study were to determine whether mild, occult sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) moderates the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) in older adults and to explore whether CBTI reduces the number of patients eligible for positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy.

Methods

Data were analyzed for 134 adults 60 years or older with insomnia and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of less than 15 who were randomized to a larger study of CBTI versus a sleep education control. Sleep outcomes (sleep onset latency, total wake time, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) were compared between CBTI and control at 6 months using repeated-measures analysis of variance adjusted for baseline values. AHI of 5 or greater versus less than 5 was included as an interaction term to evaluate changes in sleep outcomes. The number of participants at baseline and 6 months with mild SDB for whom insomnia was their only other indication for PAP was also compared between CBTI and control.

Results

AHI status (AHI ≥ 5 [75.5% of participants] versus AHI < 5) did not moderate improvements in sleep associated with CBTI (all p values ≥ .12). Nine (45.0%) of 20 participants with mild SDB for whom insomnia was their only other indication for PAP therapy at baseline no longer had another indication for PAP at 6 months, with no significant difference between CBTI and control.

Conclusions

CBTI improves sleep in older veterans with insomnia and untreated mild SDB. Larger trials are needed to assess whether CBTI reduces the number of patients with mild SDB eligible for PAP.

Purpose

Estimates of insomnia in breast cancer patients are high, with reports of poor sleep lasting years after completion of cancer treatment. This randomized controlled crossover pilot study looked at the effects of individual cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (IND-CBT-I) on sleep in breast cancer survivors.

Patients and methods

Twenty-one participants were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (six weekly IND-CBT-I sessions followed by six weeks of follow up) or a delayed treatment control group (no treatment for six weeks followed by six weekly IND-CBT-I sessions). Of these, 14 participants completed the pilot study (six in the treatment group and eight in the delayed treatment control group).

Results

Self-rated insomnia was significantly improved in the treatment group compared to the waiting period in the delayed treatment control group. The pooled pre-post-IND-CBT-I analyses revealed improvements in self-rated insomnia, sleep quality, and objective measures of sleep.

Conclusions

These preliminary results suggest that IND-CBT-I is appropriate for improving sleep in breast cancer survivors. Individual therapy in a clinic or private practice may be a more practical option for this population as it is more easily accessed and readily available in an outpatient setting.

We examined whether baseline self-reported physical activity is associated with the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in older veterans. Community-dwelling veterans aged 60 years and older with insomnia received CBT-I in a randomized controlled trial. Participants who received active treatment were divided into low and high physical activity based on self-report. Sleep outcomes were measured by sleep diary, questionnaire and wrist actigraphy; collected at baseline, post-treatment, 6-month and 12-month follow-up. Mixed-effects models compared differences between physical activity groups in change in sleep outcome from baseline to each follow-up, and equivalence tests examined if physical activity groups were clinically equal. There were no significant differences in sleep outcomes between physical activity groups. Equivalence tests suggested possible equality in physical activity groups for five of seven sleep outcomes. Efficacy of CBT-I in older veterans was not associated with self-reported physical activity at baseline. Older adults with insomnia who report low levels of physical activity can benefit from CBT-I.

This study examined the longitudinal relation between health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) and subjective and objective sleep quality in 166 women with newly diagnosed Stage-1 through Stage-3 breast cancer, who were scheduled to receive ≥ 4 cycles of adjuvant/neoadjuvant chemotherapy. HR-QOL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form, Physical Component Scale (PCS), and Mental Component Scale (MCS) scores; subjective sleep was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; and objective sleep was measured with actigraphy. Data were collected before starting chemotherapy and during the last week of Cycle 4 of chemotherapy. Patients reported poor HR-QOL and poor sleep quality before and during chemotherapy. Short sleep time and long naps were recorded at both time points. The MCS score was related to reports of poor sleep, but not to recorded sleep; worse PCS scores were associated with reports of poor sleep and less recorded naptime, suggesting sleep plays an important role in cancer patients' HR-QOL.

Objectives

To test a new cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) program designed for use by nonclinicians.

Design

Randomized controlled trial.

Setting

Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

Participants

Community-dwelling veterans aged 60 and older who met diagnostic criteria for insomnia of 3 months duration or longer (N = 159).

Intervention

Nonclinician "sleep coaches" delivered a five-session manual-based CBT-I program including stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene, and cognitive therapy (individually or in small groups), with weekly telephone behavioral sleep medicine supervision. Controls received five sessions of general sleep education.

Measurements

Primary outcomes, including self-reported (7-day sleep diary) sleep onset latency (SOL-D), wake after sleep onset (WASO-D), total wake time (TWT-D), and sleep efficiency (SE-D); Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); and objective sleep efficiency (7-day wrist actigraphy, SE-A) were measured at baseline, at the posttreatment assessment, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Additional measures included the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)), and quality of life (Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-form Survey version 2 (SF-12v2)).

Results

Intervention subjects had greater improvement than controls between the baseline and posttreatment assessments, the baseline and 6-month assessments, and the baseline and 12-month assessments in SOL-D (-23.4, -15.8, and -17.3 minutes, respectively), TWT-D (-68.4, -37.0, and -30.9 minutes, respectively), SE-D (10.5%, 6.7%, and 5.4%, respectively), PSQI (-3.4, -2.4, and -2.1 in total score, respectively), and ISI (-4.5, -3.9, and -2.8 in total score, respectively) (all P < .05). There were no significant differences in SE-A, PHQ-9, or SF-12v2.

Conclusion

Manual-based CBT-I delivered by nonclinician sleep coaches improves sleep in older adults with chronic insomnia.

Study objectives

To estimate the prevalence of insomnia disorder among older veterans and to study relationships among age and self-rated health, with insomnia disorder, self-reported sleep duration and sleep efficiency.

Methods

A cross-sectional postal survey of community-dwelling older veterans (older than 60 years) seen at one VA Healthcare System in the prior 18 months was performed, which was constructed to align with the general diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder (International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Second Edition [ICSD-2]). The survey also queried self-reported sleep duration, bedtime, and wake time, which were used to calculate sleep efficiency. The survey also asked about race/ethnicity and self-rated health (using the general health item from the Short Form-36).

Results

A completed survey was returned by 4,717 individuals (51.9% response rate; mean age 74.1 years). Of those, 2,249 (47.7%) met ICSD-2 diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder. In logistic regression analyses, insomnia disorder was more likely among younger age categories (odds ratios [OR] 1.4-2.5) and in those with worse self-rated health (OR 2.1-14.4). Both total nocturnal sleep time and time in bed increased with older age (all P < .001), whereas sleep efficiency did not differ. Worse self-rated health was associated with shorter total nocturnal sleep time, more time in bed, and lower (worse) sleep efficiency.

Conclusions

Results of the postal survey suggest that almost half of community-dwelling older veterans have insomnia disorder, which was more common in young-old and among those with worse self-rated health. Additional work is needed to address the high burden of insomnia among older adults, including those with poor health.

Subjective and objective estimates of sleep are often discordant among individuals with insomnia who typically under-report sleep time and over-report wake time at night. This study examined the impact and durability of cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia on improving the accuracy of sleep and wake perceptions in older adults, and tested whether changes in sleep quality were related to changes in the accuracy of sleep/wake perceptions. One-hundred and fifty-nine older veterans (97% male, mean age 72.2 years) who met diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder were randomized to: (1) cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (n = 106); or (2) attention control (n = 53). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, 6-months and 12-months follow-up. Sleep measures included objective (via wrist actigraphy) and subjective (via self-report diary) total sleep time and total wake time, along with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score. Discrepancy was computed as the difference between objective and subjective estimates of wake and sleep. Minutes of discrepancy were compared between groups across time, as were the relationships between Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores and subsequent changes in discrepancy. Compared with controls, participants randomized to cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia became more accurate (i.e. minutes discrepancy was reduced) in their perceptions of sleep/wake at post-treatment, 6-months and 12-months follow-up (p < .05). Improved Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores at each study assessment preceded and predicted reduced discrepancy at the next study assessment (p < .05). Cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia reduces sleep/wake discrepancy among older adults with insomnia. The reductions may be driven by improvements in sleep quality. Improving sleep quality appears to be a viable path to improving sleep perception and may contribute to the underlying effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia.

Objectives

To examine relationships between cognitive expectancies about sleep and hypnotics and use of medications commonly used for insomnia (hypnotics).

Methods

We analyzed baseline data from older veterans who met diagnostic criteria for insomnia and were enrolled in a trial comparing CBTI delivered by a supervised, sleep educator to an attention control condition (N = 159; 97% male, mean age 72 years). We classified individuals as hypnotic users (N = 23) vs. non-users (N = 135) based upon medication diaries. Associations between hypnotic status and Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep-16 (DBAS) total score (0-10, higher = worse) and two DBAS medication item scores (Item 1: "…better off taking a sleeping pill rather than having a poor night's sleep;" Item 2: "Medication… probably the only solution to sleeplessness"; 0-10, higher = worse) were examined in logistic regression models.

Results

Higher scores on the DBAS medication items (both odds ratios = 1.3; p-values < .001) were significantly associated with hypnotic use. DBAS-16 total score was not associated with hypnotic use.

Conclusion

Cognitive expectancy (dysfunctional beliefs) about hypnotics was associated with hypnotic use in older adults with chronic insomnia disorder.

Clinical implications

Strategies that specifically target dysfunctional beliefs about hypnotics are needed and may impact hypnotic use in older adults.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) for comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has had mixed results. We integrated CBTI with a positive airway pressure (PAP) adherence program and tested effects on sleep and PAP use. 125 veterans (mean age 63.2, 96% men, 39% non-Hispanic white, 26% black/African American, 18% Hispanic/Latino) with comorbid insomnia and newly-diagnosed OSA (apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 15) were randomized to 5-weekly sessions integrating CBTI with a PAP adherence program provided by a "sleep coach" (with behavioral sleep medicine supervision), or 5-weekly sleep education control sessions. Participants and assessment staff were blinded to group assignment. Outcomes (baseline, 3 and 6 months) included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), 7-day sleep diary (sleep onset latency [SOL-D], wake after sleep onset [WASO-D], sleep efficiency [SE-D]), 7-day actigraphy (SE-A), and objective PAP use (hours/night and nights ≥ 4 h). Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire-10 (FOSQ-10) were also collected. Compared to controls, intervention participants showed greater improvement (baseline to 3 and 6 months, respectively) in PSQI (-3.2 and -1.7), SOL-D (-16.2 and -15.5 minutes), SE-D (10.5% and 8.5%), SE-A (4.4% and 2.6%) and more 90-day PAP use (1.3 and 0.9 more hours/night, 17.4 and 11.3 more nights PAP ≥ 4 h). 90-day PAP use at 3 months was 3.2 and 1.9 h/night in intervention versus controls. Intervention participants also had greater improvements in ISI, ESS, and FOSQ-10 (all p < 0.05). An intervention integrating CBTI with a PAP adherence program delivered by a supervised sleep coach improved sleep and PAP use in adults with comorbid insomnia and OSA. ClinicalTrials.govStudy name: Novel Treatment of Comorbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnea in Older VeteransURL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=NCT02027558&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=Registration: NCT02027558.