Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia in Aging

Insomnia is a prominent complaint in late-life. However, little scientific effort has been directed toward identifying the biological mechanisms that are related to abnormal sleep or to evaluating the efficacy of behavioral treatments for insomnia in older adults. Basic observations demonstrate that proinflammatory cytokines play a key role in the regulation of sleep. Previous research shows that cytokines are reciprocally linked with abnormal sleep. This trial builds upon these findings and extends a program of study that has examined the efficacy of behavioral interventions on health outcomes in the elderly.

Preliminary studies found that Tai Chi Chih (TCC), a slow moving meditation, contributes to improvements in subjective sleep quality, sleep amounts and sleep efficiency, alterations in sympathetic activity, decreases in proinflammatory cytokines, and improvements in health functioning in community-dwelling older adults. Additionally, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) confers benefits on sleep outcomes.

In this randomized, controlled trial, 150 older adults will be randomly assigned to CBT, TCC, or sleep hygiene/education control (EC) over 16 weeks and followed for one year. The aims of this project are to: 1) evaluate the effects of CBT vs TCC vs. EC on objective and subjective measures of sleep and on fatigue, mood, and health functioning in older adults with insomnia; 2) determine the effects of CBT vs.TCC vs. EC on measures of proinflammatory cytokine activity and sympathovagal balance, and whether these two biological mechanisms are related to changes of disordered sleep over the course of the treatment trial; and 3) evaluate whether circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines are associated with measures of sleep continuity in older adults with insomnia over the treatment trial. This study will advance psychobiological models of disordered sleep and the potential benefits of two readily exportable behavioral interventions for promoting improvements in sleep outcomes in the elderly.

Inclusion criteria

• Older than 55 years of age at time of entry
• Sleep-onset delay, maintenance insomnia, or terminal insomnia
• Difficulties with sleep for a minimum of 3 nights per week
• Insomnia duration of at least 6 months
• Complaint of at least 1 negative effect during waking hours (e.g., fatigue, impaired functioning, mood disturbances) attributed to insomnia
• Habitual sleep-wake schedule reporting "lights-out" between 9:00 PM and midnight
• Accessible geographically

Exclusion criteria

• Evidence that insomnia is directly related to a medical disorder (e.g., hyperthyroidism) or effects of a medication that affects sleep structure and/or immune functioning
• Presence of sleep apnea or periodic limb movements during sleep
• Presence of another sleep disorder (e.g., Advanced or Delay Sleep Phase Syndrome)
• Regular use of a hypnotic or psychotropic medication (sleeping pills) and/or current psychotherapy or other behavioral therapy that would confound CBT or TCC
• Current history of a major psychiatric disorder (e.g. current major depression, alcohol or substance dependence, anxiety disorder)
• Cognitive impairment as suggested by a score lower than 23 on the Mini-Mental State examination
• Abnormal screening laboratory tests (e.g., abnormal thyroid hormone, elevated TSH, positive screening for HIV or hepatitis C)
• Smokers will also be excluded because of potential confounding effects on markers of inflammation
• Body mass index that is greater than 30 kg/m2 as obesity is associated with excessive levels of inflammatory markers
• Women must be post-menopausal
• Unable to commit to intervention schedule