Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Tailored to Patients With Cardiovascular Disease: A Pre-Post Study.

Objective: There is little research assessing the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), even less on the effects of CBT-I on CVD risk factors such as anxiety and depression, and to our knowledge, only limited studies of the efficacy of CBT-I protocols with cardiac disease-specific modifications. The objective of this study is to evaluate a group-based CBT-I intervention tailored to patients with CVD on sleep quality, duration, and mental health. Participants: A sample of 47 participants (25 men) diagnosed with primary insomnia were included in this study. Methods: This study used a pre-post design comparing outcomes before and after a group intervention. Clinicians in a cardiac center referred CVD patients with self-reported sleep disturbance to the intervention group. Following screening and confirmation of insomnia disorder, participants completed a six-week CBT-I group-based intervention tailored for patients with CVD. Participants completed sleep diaries and questionnaires, including the Insomnia Severity Index, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory, pre- and postintervention. Results: Participants' sleep outcomes (sleep duration, maintenance, efficiency, latency, and quality) were significantly improved and patients reported significantly fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia following the CBT-I intervention (p values < .05). Conclusions: After participating in a CBT-I group intervention tailored for cardiac patients, patients reported improved sleep and significantly lower levels of anxiety and depression. Randomized trials of this intervention are warranted.

Effectiveness of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) in a Primary Care Setting.

Objective/Background: Primary care is where many patients with insomnia first ask for professional help. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended treatment for chronic insomnia. Although CBT-I's efficacy is well established, its effectiveness in real-life primary care has seldom been investigated. We examined the effectiveness of CBT-I as routinely delivered in a Canadian primary care setting. Participants: The patients were 70 women and 11 men (mean age = 57.0 years, SD = 12.3); 83% had medical comorbidity. Methods: For the first 81 patients who took the six-session group program we compared initial and postprogram sleep diaries, sleep medication use, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and visits to the family physician. Results: Sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and ISI scores improved significantly (p < .001). Mood ratings also improved (p < .001). Use of sleep medication decreased (p < .001). Effect sizes were medium to large. Eighty-eight percent of patients no longer had clinically significant insomnia (ISI score ≤ 14) by the last session; 61% showed at least "moderate" improvement (ISI score reduction > 7). Wait-list data from 42 patients showed minimal sleep and mood improvements with the passage of time. Number of visits to the family physician six months postprogram decreased, although not significantly (p = .108). Conclusions: The CBT-I program was associated with improvement on all sleep and mood measures. Effect sizes were similar to, or larger than, those found in randomized controlled trials, demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of CBT-I in an interdisciplinary primary care setting.

National strategy on the integration of sleep and circadian rhythms into public health research and policies: Report from the Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network.

Scientists in sleep and circadian rhythms, public health experts, healthcare providers, partners, and stakeholders convened in 2020 for a 2-day meeting organized by the Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network to develop a national strategy for integrating sleep and circadian rhythms into public health and policies in Canada. The objective of this paper is to present the national strategy that emerged from this meeting of 60 participants from across Canada. The meeting focused on 4 key target priorities: (1) atypical working schedules, (2) sleep and circadian rhythms of children and adolescents, (3) insomnia, and (4) impact of sleep apnea on health. Following constructive discussions, it was decided that the following 4 strategic objectives should be prioritized to accelerate the integration of sleep and circadian rhythms into public health policies in Canada: (1) increase public health sleep and circadian rhythm research, (2) increase public health education and knowledge mobilization on sleep, (3) inform and support public health sleep interventions and policies, and (4) promote sleep health training. Participants recommended that research and public health efforts address needs along the continuum of sleep health. The committee noted that strategies and interventions could differ across contexts, settings, sectors, and jurisdictions. The national strategy also identified high-priority research questions in public health and recommended mechanisms to build research capacity, providing a path forward for the integration of sleep and circadian rhythms into public health research and policies.