Hypnosis Intervention for Sleep Disturbances in Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Pilot Study.

Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent among individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Further, poor sleep quality is associated with reduced quality of life, increased stress response, memory impairments, and progression to dementia among individuals with MCI. Pharmacological treatments for sleep have mixed efficacy and can lead to dependency. Therefore, alternatives to pharmacological treatments for improving sleep among individuals with MCI are needed. The present study reports on the feasibility of a non-pharmacological self-administered hypnosis intervention focused on sleep quality in adults with MCI. It was hypothesized that the hypnosis intervention program would be feasible and have acceptable levels of adherence to daily hypnosis practice. A two-armed randomized controlled pilot trial was conducted using a sample of 21 adults with MCI. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to listen to either hypnosis audio recordings or sham hypnosis recordings for five weeks. Program feasibility, program adherence, pain intensity, stress, and sleep quality were measured using a daily home practice log, questionnaires, and wrist actigraphy. The results found mid or higher levels of treatment satisfaction, ease of use, and perceived effectiveness at one-week follow-up, with participants in the hypnosis arm reporting greater perceived benefit. Adherence to assigned audio recordings and meetings were likewise within acceptable margins in both groups. No intervention-related adverse events were reported in either treatment condition. Significant improvements in sleep quality, sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness were found for the hypnosis intervention. The results of this study can be used to inform future research on the effects of hypnosis on sleep quality in adults with MCI.

Brief Report: Knowledge of, Interest in, and Willingness to Try Behavioral Interventions in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease.

Purpose/Objective • Behavioral interventions hold enormous promise for managing a variety of motor and nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this, prior studies have suggested that the utilization of these interventions is relatively low. The current study seeks to understand factors that could relate to the utilization of PD behavioral strategies. Specifically, the study evaluates the self-described knowledge of, interest in, and willingness to participate in behavioral interventions in a community-dwelling sample of individuals with PD. Research Method/Design • Forty-five individuals with PD completed a survey that assessed knowledge, interest, and willingness to participate in 5 behavioral interventions: hypnosis, relaxation training, mindfulness/meditation, computerized "brain games," and counseling. In addition, participants self-reported their quality of life across several domains; these domain scores were correlated with overall ratings of interest and willingness to participate in behavioral interventions. Results • Self-reported knowledge of behavioral interventions was low, but interest and willingness to participate was moderate to high across modalities. Statistically significant correlations were noted between perceived knowledge of the techniques and interest (r = 0.29, P = .05) as well as willingness to participate (r = 0.32, P = .03) in these techniques. Interest and willingness were also correlated with self-reported bodily discomfort (r = 0.36, P = .02). Conclusions/Implications • The participants of the current sample were interested and willing to participate in behavioral interventions but had limited knowledge of the potential for these techniques to manage their symptoms. The reported high level of willingness to participate in behavioral interventions suggests that it is feasible to provide behavioral interventions in this population.