Yoga as a Treatment for Insomnia

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a daily, 8-week treatment for insomnia using yoga, relaxation exercises or sleep hygiene.

Detailed Description
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Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by a chronic difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep which has a relatively high prevalence and a significant socioeconomic cost. There is good evidence that cognitive and/or physiological arousal, associated with sustained sympathetic activation, is one of the underlying causes of insomnia. Relaxation treatments such as progressive relaxation and meditation which address the cognitive and somatic arousal associated with insomnia have been found to be effective. Yoga is a comprehensive discipline which includes physical exercises, postures, breathing techniques, and meditation, for the purpose of improving health and well being. Research studies have documented the effectiveness of yoga in reducing sympathetic activation and cognitive and somatic arousal and in the treatment of specific medical disorders. Although it has been used and recommended for the treatment of insomnia, its effectiveness has not been evaluated in a randomized, controlled study. The aim of this proposal is to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga, relaxation exercises or sleep hygiene in the treatment of chronic psychophysiological insomnia. A subjective measure of sleep onset latency will be derived from daily sleep diaries, and an objective measure will be drawn from polysomnographic recordings. Sleep onset latency will be evaluated before and after a two month treatment period in a total of 48 young men and women who have been carefully screened for psychiatric and medical disorders. Subjects will be assigned to a yoga, relaxation exercise, or sleep hygiene treatment group. We anticipate that yoga practice will prove to be an effective treatment for insomnia which will yield significant improvements in sleep onset latency. We also anticipate that these improvements will be maintained at long-term follow up evaluation.

Official Title
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Yoga as a Treatment for Insomnia

Conditions
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Insomnia

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Yoga, Relaxation Exercises, Sleep Hygiene


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion criteria A primary complaint of sleep-onset insomnia for at least 6 months. Reside in the metropolitan Boston area Exclusion Criteria No current other nonpharmacological treatment for insomnia. Ability or willingness to discontinue use of hypnotic medications. No rotating or night shift work, or transcontinental travel throughout the course of the study protocol. No recent or anticipated major life stressors over the course of the study protocol (e.g. impending divorce or terminal illness of a relative).

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 25 Years
Maximum Age: 59 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: 1<br>Yoga treatment for 8 weeks | Behavioral: Yoga, Relaxation Exercises, Sleep Hygiene<br>* Sleep hygiene and relaxation exercises, with additional yoga<br>|
| No Intervention: 2<br>Sleep hygiene instructions only | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sleep onset latency |  | 8 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Meditation, Insomnia, Yoga, Behavioral treatment