Clinical trial NCT01648062: Sleep Self-Regulation Using Mental Imagery
Official title: Using Mental Imagery to Deliver Self-Regulation Techniques That Target Sleep Initiation Behaviors and Pre-Sleep Arousal
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Sleep Deprivation
Insomnia
Keywords: Sleep
self-regulation
Implementation intentions
intervention
mental simulation
Lead sponsor: University of Auckland, New Zealand
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2012-07-24
Enrollment: 104
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: FACTORIAL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This randomised controlled trial assessed the efficacy of four mental imagery techniques for improving sleep and its related behaviour: (1) imagery focused on reducing arousal levels; (2) imagery incorporating implementation intentions (a strategy designed to link specified behaviour with the anticipated context) for sleep-related behaviour; (3) a combination of imagery using arousal reduction and implementation intention strategies; or (4) a condition where participants were asked to imagine their typical post work activities.

Detailed description: Sleep deprivation is a significant health issue in the modern workplace. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of techniques involving mental imagery promoting relaxation (arousal reduction; AR) and simulation of the appropriate sleep behavior in the likely environments (implementation intentions; II) in a population of daytime employees

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* ability to read and write in English;
* full-time employment;
* work shifts during daytime hours (i.e., participants were excluded if they worked night shifts either through the organization or through a secondary job) in a position that provided daily access to email;
* a score of five or greater on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI) which indicates at least moderate difficulties in two or more areas (e.g., sleep quality and daytime dysfunction);

Exclusion Criteria:

* An identifiable biological cause of current sleep deprivation (e.g., sleep apnoea, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, or pregnancy)
* An identified psychological disorder
* Caring for a child under the age of 5 or have a reason outside of work that caused them to regularly lack sleep.
* Incomplete data (over 50% of daily data missing or missing final follow-up assessment

Primary outcomes:
measure: Sleep Quality
timeFrame: Baseline and at 3 weeks. Data will also be presented for every day for the duration of the 3 week period so change can be reported.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Negative Sleep Habits
timeFrame: Baseline and Final follow-up (at 21-days)
measure: Sleep Efficacy
timeFrame: Baseline and final follow-up (at 21 days)
measure: Pre-Sleep Arousal
timeFrame: Baseline and final follow-up (Day 21)
measure: Imagery Adherence
timeFrame: Post-session, Daily, Final follow-up (21 days)
measure: Action Planning
timeFrame: Baseline, Final follow-up (Day 21)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Auckland
country: New Zealand
facility: 10 Private Businesses in the Region
Study officials:
affiliation: Monash University (Sunway Campus, Malaysia)
name: Marisa H Loft, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: University of California, Merced
name: Linda D Cameron, PhD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References: