Mind-body interventions for the treatment of insomnia: a review

Abstract

Objective: As insomnia is highly prevalent, and side effects of medication are well-known, mind-body interventions are increasingly being sought. The objective of this study is to present a narrative review regarding the effects of mind-body interventions for the treatment of insomnia. Method: A PubMed search was conducted including only randomized, controlled trials in which the main objective was to treat insomnia. Discussion: Twelve studies were selected. In three of the studies, objective parameters (polysomnography) were analyzed. Mind-body interventions were able to improve sleep efficiency and total sleep time. Most can ameliorate sleep quality; some can reduce the use of hypnotic drugs in those who are dependent on these drugs. Conclusion: According to the studies we selected, self-reported sleep was improved by all mind-body treatments, among them yoga, relaxation, Tai Chi Chih and music. Cognitive behavioral therapy seems to be the most effective mind-body intervention. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the only intervention that showed better results than medication. However, considering that only five of the twelve studies chosen reached a score of 3 in the Jadad scale, new studies with a higher methodological quality have to be conducted especially in mind-body interventions that belong to the complementary or alternative medicine field.

Sleep Hygiene and Recovery Strategies in Elite Soccer Players

“…Create a low-light and cool (18-19°C) sleep environment, avoid all electronic stimulants (i.e., television, mobile phones, computers) in the hour prior to sleep [123,125] Eliminate the bedroom clock [61] Explore the use of brainwave entrainment and meditation [9,69] Use acute dawn-simulation therapy during the last 30 min prior to waking (especially for late chronotypes) [46] Have a regular bedtime/wake time and avoid sleeping too late in the morning off days [21,34] Nap briefly (i.e., 5-30 min) and appropriately (close to the early afternoon and not during the morning or evening) [37,38,40] Engage in active daytime behaviors (e.g., light exercise) and bright morning light exposure during off days [42,43] …”

“…Consequently, meditation that is associated with relaxation and reduced stress [68] may be helpful for players with difficulty switching off the mind when attempting sleep [69,70]. However, the applicability of meditation to elite soccer players is currently questionable and has yet to be shown.…”

“…However, the applicability of meditation to elite soccer players is currently questionable and has yet to be shown. The large variety of techniques used [69] and/or the individual skill of the meditator [71] are potential biases to take into account in further research.…”

Treatment of Insomnia with Comorbid Mental Illness

“…CAMs are increasingly becoming part of mainstream medicine as more research on their effectiveness is published. [54][55][56][57][58][59][60] CAMs are more commonly used by those with psychiatric disorders especially patients with anxiety, depression and insomnia. [61][62][63] CAMs have shown to improve sleep in 4.5% of insomnia patients translating to 1.6 million U.S. citizens.…”

Efectos de la práctica del tai chi chuan sobre la calidad del sueño

“…En las revisiones genéricas sobre los efectos del TCC en la salud (Field, 2010;Kuramoto, 2006;Li et al, 2011) y en las que incluyen los efectos del TCC sobre el sueño pero dentro de los términos medicina complementaria y alternativa (Cherniack, 2006;Sarris & Byrne, 2011), terapias mente y cuerpo (Innes, Selfe & Vishnu, 2010;Kemper et al, 2011;Kozasa et al, 2010), meditación en movimiento (Rogers, Keller & Larkey, 2010), terapias energéticas (Cuellar, Rogers & Hisghman, 2007) o sueño en general (Stein & Pu, 2011;Valenzuela, Rodenstein & Fernández, 2010), el problema se trata también de forma tangencial y resumida, realizando simples descripciones sobre los estudios localizados y se analiza, en la mayor parte de los casos, un número muy reducido de estudios. Sin embargo, pueden destacarse las revisiones de Kemper et al (2011) y Rogers, Keller y Larkey (2010, en las que se aborda esta problemática desde una perspectiva innovadora.…”