Colleen E. Carney

The Consensus Sleep Diary: Standardizing Prospective Sleep Self-Monitoring

STUDY OBJECTIVES To present an expert consensus, standardized, patient-informed sleep diary. METHODS AND RESULTS Sleep diaries from the original expert panel of 25 attendees of the Pittsburgh Assessment Conference(1) were collected and reviewed. A smaller subset of experts formed a committee and reviewed the compiled diaries. Items deemed essential were included in a Core sleep diary, and those deemed optional were retained for an expanded diary. Secondly, optional items would be available in other versions. A draft of the Core and optional versions along with a feedback questionnaire were sent to members of the Pittsburgh Assessment Conference. The feedback from the group was integrated and the diary drafts were subjected to 6 focus groups composed of good sleepers, people with insomnia, and people with sleep apnea. The data were summarized into themes and changes to the drafts were made in response to the focus groups. The resultant draft was evaluated by another focus group and subjected to lexile analyses. The lexile analyses suggested that the Core diary instructions are at a sixth-grade reading level and the Core diary was written at a third-grade reading level. CONCLUSIONS The Consensus Sleep Diary was the result of collaborations with insomnia experts and potential users. The adoption of a standard sleep diary for insomnia will facilitate comparisons across studies and advance the field. The proposed diary is intended as a living document which still needs to be tested, refined, and validated.

Daily activities and sleep quality in college students.

There is growing evidence that social rhythms (e.g., daily activities such as getting into or out of bed, eating, and adhering to a work schedule) have important implications for sleep. The present study used a prospective measure of daily activities to assess the relation between sleep and social rhythms. College students (n=243) 18 to 39 yrs of age, completed the Social Rhythm Metric (SRM) each day for 14 d and then completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The sample was divided into groups of good or poor sleepers, according to a PSQI cut‐off score of 5 points and was compared on the regularity, frequency, timing, and extent of social engagement during activities. There was a lower frequency and less regularity of social rhythms in poor sleepers relative to good sleepers. Good sleepers engaged more regularly in activities with active social engagement. Earlier rise time, first consumption of a beverage, going outdoors for the first time, and bedtime were associated with better sleep. Greater variability in rise time, consuming a morning beverage, returning home for the last time, and bedtime were associated with more disturbed sleep. The results are consistent with previous findings of reduced regularity in bedtime and rise time schedules in undergraduates, other age groups, and in clinical populations. Results augment the current thought that regulating behavioral zeitgebers may be important in influencing bed and rise times, and suggest that engaging in activities with other people may increase regularity.

Examining maladaptive beliefs about sleep across insomnia patient groups.

OBJECTIVES Unhelpful beliefs about sleep have been linked to insomnia, and increasing ones cognitive flexibility about sleep has been linked to posttreatment sleep improvement. This study evaluated whether levels of such beliefs differ across insomnia groups and whether there are particular beliefs that differ for specific insomnia subtypes. METHODS Participants (N=1384) were people with insomnia and good sleepers ranging from 18 to 89 years old (mean=42.6; S.D.=19.4). Data from previous studies at five insomnia clinical sites were pooled to examine responses on the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS) across differing insomnia groups. RESULTS Group analyses revealed that those from community-based insomnia clinics and those who are hypnotic-dependent generally had the highest levels of unhelpful sleep-related beliefs. With the exception of beliefs about sleep needs (wherein only community sleep clinic patients had high scores relative to good sleepers), all insomnia groups had higher scores on the 16-item DBAS (DBAS-16) than good sleepers. A validity analysis suggested that a DBAS-16 index score of >3.8 represented the level of unhelpful beliefs associated with clinically significant insomnia, although a slightly lower cutoff may be useful for identifying an unhelpful degree of sleep-related beliefs in highly screened primary-insomnia-only and medical patient groups. CONCLUSIONS This study offers descriptive data for the use of DBAS-16 across insomnia subgroups, which will help the user understand what degree of maladaptive sleep beliefs is most strongly associated with clinically significant levels of insomnia. Results also may have implications for cognitive targeting during treatment for particular insomnia groups.

Symptom-Focused Rumination and Sleep Disturbance

Rumination can prolong negative mood, disrupt sleep, and increase depression risk. Although there is evidence that poor sleepers ruminate, no studies have identified the ruminative content relevant for sleep disturbance. This study investigated (a) the association between rumination and sleep and (b) the ruminative content of poor sleepers. Results revealed that self-defined poor sleepers (n = 104) were more prone than self-defined good sleepers (n = 139) to ruminate and that the ruminative content was symptom focused (e.g., poor sleepers ruminated on causes of dysphoria, concentration, and fatigue symptoms). As dysphoria, reduced concentration, and fatigue are all commonly experienced daytime symptoms of insomnia, this preliminary finding of symptom-focused rumination should be further evaluated as a risk factor for further sleep disturbance in clinical samples as well as a possible link between insomnia and depression.

Mediators of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia: A review of randomized controlled trials and secondary analysis studies

The examination of treatment mechanisms in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has considerable implications for research and clinical practice. Insomnia is a highly prevalent and distressing disorder, associated with many adverse outcomes. Although extensive work has focused on the cognitive-behavioral treatment of insomnia (CBT-I), few studies have directly examined the mechanisms of this intervention. CBT-I is a short-term, multi-component treatment that has demonstrated strong efficacy in treating insomnia. The purpose of the present study is: (a) to investigate if CBT-I works in accordance with its proposed mechanisms, and (b) to evaluate how the field is progressing in its understanding of these processes. This study comprehensively reviewed CBT-I RCTs for their inclusion of mediator variables. Secondary analysis studies were also surveyed for relevant mediator variables. Results demonstrated that 21 RCTs (39% of the total RCTs) and 11 secondary analysis studies examined at least one of the proposed mediators. Results of this review highlight that, although CBT-I appears to be targeting the hypothesized sleep processes, more research is needed to better understand whether CBT-I works in accordance with its theorized mechanisms. Inclusion of mediational analyses in future RCTs and secondary analysis studies would allow for further refinement of CBT-I and improved treatment outcomes.

Testing the Reliability and Validity of DSM-IV-TR and ICSD-2 Insomnia Diagnoses: Results of a Multitrait-Multimethod Analysis

CONTEXT Distinctive diagnostic classification schemes for insomnia diagnoses are available, but the optimal insomnia nosology has yet to be determined. OBJECTIVES To test the reliability and validity of insomnia diagnoses listed in the American Psychiatric Associations DSM-IV-TR and the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, second edition (ICSD-2). DESIGN Multitrait-multimethod correlation design. SETTING Two collaborating university medical centers, with recruitment from January 2004 to February 2009. PARTICIPANTS A total of 352 adult volunteers (235 of whom were women) who met research diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Goodness-of-fit ratings of 10 DSM-IV-TR and 37 ICSD-2 insomnia diagnoses for each patient. Ratings were provided by 3 clinician pairs who used distinctive assessment methods to derive diagnostic impressions. Correlations computed within and across clinician pairs were used to test reliability and validity of diagnoses. RESULTS Findings suggested that the best-supported DSM-IV-TR insomnia categories were insomnia related to another mental disorder, insomnia due to a general medical condition, breathing-related sleep disorder, and circadian rhythm sleep disorder. The category of primary insomnia appeared to have marginal reliability and validity. The best-supported ICSD-2 categories were the insomnias due to a mental disorder and due to a medical condition, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, idiopathic insomnia, and circadian rhythm sleep disorder-delayed sleep phase type. Psychophysiological insomnia and inadequate sleep hygiene received much more variable support across sites, whereas the diagnosis of paradoxical insomnia was poorly supported. CONCLUSIONS Both the DSM-IV-TR and ICSD-2 provide viable insomnia diagnoses, but findings support selected subtypes from each of the 2 nosologies. Nonetheless, findings regarding the frequently used DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of primary insomnia and its related ICSD-2 subtypes suggest that their poor reliability and validity are perhaps due to significant overlap with comorbid insomnia subtypes. Therefore, alternate diagnostic paradigms should be considered for insomnia classification.

Wrist Actigraph Versus Self-Report in Normal Sleepers: Sleep Schedule Adherence and Self-Report Validity

This study compared the accuracy of reporting adherence to sleep instructions in participants who were informed that adherence would be verified with an actigraph (aware group) to participants not informed the actigraph would be used to assess adherence (unaware of group). Participants were college students (N = 68), who were screened for psychiatric or sleep disorders or extremes in circadian tendency. The UG had later actigraph estimates of bedtime than the AG, but the two groups did not differ on their self-report of adherence to the sleep rules. Only the UG had later actigraphic estimates of bedtimes that violated the sleep rules. These findings have implications for the accuracy of sleep diary self-reports as well as for the use of actigraphs in studies requiring people to follow specific sleep schedule instructions.

The insomnia and suicide link: toward an enhanced understanding of this relationship

Despite current knowledge of risk factors for suicidal behaviors, suicide remains a leading cause of death worldwide. This suggests a strong need to identify and understand additional risk factors. A number of recent studies have identified insomnia as a modifiable, independent suicide risk factor. Although a link between insomnia and suicide is emerging, further research is required in order to understand the nature of the relationship. Accordingly, this paper presents an overview of the insomnia and suicide literature to-date, and a discussion of two major limitations within this literature that hinder its progress. First, the classification and assessment of insomnia and suicide-related thoughts and behaviors are inconsistent across studies; and second, there is a lack of empirical studies focused on investigating mediators of the insomnia and suicide relationship. Suggestions are offered within this paper for future studies to address these issues and facilitate new developments in this important research area. Following these suggested lines of research will ultimately inform whether insomnia treatments, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, can be used to target suicide risk prevention and intervention.

Interpersonal factors in insomnia: A model for integrating bed partners into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia

Sleep has largely been conceptualized as an individual phenomenon, despite the fact that most adults share their bed with a partner at some time in their life. Only recently have researchers begun to examine the dyadic nature of sleep, and there is growing evidence that bed partners can play a role in the onset and maintenance of insomnia. Additionally, emerging evidence suggests that bed partners can be powerful agents of social control in terms of promoting adaptive health and sleep-related behaviors, and shared social rhythms between partners can help foster an environment that is conducive to good sleep. As such, the aim of the present article is to review the social context of the sleep environment and how best to include bed partners in insomnia treatment. Based on a synthesis of relevant literatures, a model for integrating bed partners into cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is presented and directions for future research are discussed.

The relation between insomnia symptoms, mood, and rumination about insomnia symptoms.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Research suggests that rumination may play an important role in insomnia. Whereas some have suggested that rumination mainly relates to depression, the evidence suggests that there may be insomnia-specific rumination. This paper explores insomnia symptom rumination across two distinct samples of varying levels of depressed mood and insomnia symptom severity. METHODS The first sample consisted of nonclinical participants (N = 327) with a range of insomnia and depressed mood symptoms, and the second sample consisted of those who met both Major Depressive Disorder and Insomnia diagnoses (N = 66). Rather than relying on a measure developed for those with depression, we developed and tested an insomnia-specific measurement scale based on items from previous rumination studies and the addition of items derived from common daytime insomnia symptoms. RESULTS Internal consistency was highly acceptable across the two samples for the new insomnia-specific rumination measure (Cronbach α was 0.93 and 0.94). In the first study, poor sleepers reported significantly higher levels of daytime symptom rumination than did good sleepers. Across both studies, rumination about daytime insomnia symptoms and depression were significantly correlated; however, insomnia rumination scores predicted insomnia even after controlling for depression. Moreover, in Study 2, insomnia-specific rumination was related to insomnia, but general depressive rumination was not predictive of insomnia. CONCLUSIONS The findings provide support for the use of this insomnia-specific rumination scale; moreover the findings support previous observances regarding rumination about daytime insomnia symptoms that are not exclusive to depression.