ABSTRACT
Stress and sleep are very closely linked, and stressful life events can trigger acute insomnia. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is highly likely to represent one such stressful life event. Indeed, a wide range of cross-sectional studies demonstrate that the pandemic is associated with poor sleep and sleep disturbances. Given the high economic and health burden of insomnia disorder, strategies that can prevent and treat acute insomnia, and also prevent the transition from acute insomnia to insomnia disorder, are necessary. This narrative review outlines why the COVID-19 pandemic is a stressful life event, and why activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, as a biological marker of psychological stress, is likely to result in acute insomnia. Further, this review outlines how sleep disturbances might arise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and why simultaneous hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis measurement can inform the pathogenesis of acute insomnia. In particular, we focus on the cortisol awakening response as a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, as cortisol is the end-product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. From a research perspective, future opportunities include identifying individuals, or particular occupational or societal groups (e.g. frontline health staff), who are at high risk of developing acute insomnia, and intervening. From an acute insomnia treatment perspective, priorities include testing large-scale online behavioural interventions; examining if reducing the impact of stress is effective and, finally, assessing whether "sleep vaccination" can maintain good sleep health by preventing the occurrence of acute insomnia, by preventing the transition from acute insomnia to insomnia disorder.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Theoretical models of insomnia suggest that stressful life events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can cause acute insomnia (short-term disruptions to sleep). Early interventions may prevent short-term sleep problems from progressing to insomnia disorder. Although cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is effective in treating insomnia disorder, this can be time and resource-intensive. Further, online interventions can be used to deliver treatment to a large number of individuals. The objective of this study is to investigate if an online behavioural intervention, in the form of a leaflet, which has been successfully used alongside CBT-I for acute insomnia, can reduce symptoms of acute insomnia in poor sleepers. METHODS: A total of 124 self-reported good and poor sleepers will be enrolled in an online stratified randomised controlled trial. After baseline assessments (T1), participants will complete a 1-week pre-intervention sleep monitoring period (T2) where they will complete daily sleep-diaries. Poor sleepers (n = 62) will be randomly allocated to an invention or wait-list group, where they will receive the intervention (T3), or will do so after a 28-day delay. Good sleepers (n = 62) will be randomly assigned to an intervention or no intervention group. All participants will complete a 1-week post intervention sleep monitoring period using daily sleep diaries (T4). Participants will be followed up at 1 week (T5), 1 month (T6) and 3 months (T7) post intervention. The primary outcome measure will be insomnia severity, measured using the Insomnia Severity Index. Secondary outcome measures will include subjective mood and subjective sleep continuity, measured using sleep diaries. Data will be analysed using an intention-to-treat approach. DISCUSSION: It is expected that this online intervention will reduce symptoms of acute insomnia in self-reported short-term poor sleepers, and will also prevent the transition to poor sleep in good sleepers. We expect that this will demonstrate the feasibility of online interventions for the treatment and prevention of acute insomnia. Specific advantages of online approaches include the low cost, ease of administration and increased availability of treatment, relative to face-to-face therapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN43900695 (Prospectively registered 8th of April 2020).
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Internet-Based Intervention , Humans , Pandemics , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , SARS-CoV-2 , Self Report , SleepABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of the present study is to examine the efficacy of an online intervention for poor sleep in the context of an ongoing stressful major life event, by assessing if this intervention can reduce insomnia severity at short-term (one week post-intervention) and long-term (one and three months post-intervention) follow-up time points. It is hypothesised that the intervention will: 1) reduce insomnia severity in poor sleepers, compared to wait-list control poor sleepers, and good sleepers; 2) reduce subjective symptoms of anxiety and depression in all groups, and 3) prevent the transition to acute insomnia in good sleepers. TRIAL DESIGN: This study is a cluster randomised controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Both healthy good sleepers, who do not report having any current sleep problems, and individuals who report having sleep problems, will be recruited for the present study. This is a single-site study (Northumbria University). This study will be delivered using the internet and there are no geographic restrictions. Individuals who self-report as poor sleepers will meet DSM-5 criteria for acute insomnia, which is where individuals: 1) have difficulties in falling asleep, staying asleep, or awakening too early for at least three nights per week, for a time period of between two weeks and three months; and 2) report experiencing distress or impairment caused by sleep loss. Both 1) and 2) must have occurred despite the individual having had an adequate opportunity for sleep during this time period. Good sleepers will be individuals who do not have current sleep problems. All participants must have a sufficient level of English comprehension to understand and complete study measures. Individuals cannot participate if they report having chronic sleep problems (where they have existed for more than three months immediately prior to providing consent), nor will individuals who are actively seeking treatment for their sleep problems irrespective of how long they have had the sleep problem. Individuals also cannot participate if they have a self-reported history of head injuries, or if they have a self-reported diagnosis of schizophrenia, epilepsy or personality disorder, as the distraction techniques involved in the insomnia intervention may increase rumination in individuals with these conditions, and influence the effectiveness of the intervention. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: Participants who receive the intervention will be provided with an online version of a self-help leaflet. A printed version of this leaflet has been successfully used in previous treatment studies, which have been conducted by our research group. Participants will be encouraged to download, save or print out this leaflet, which will be provided in PDF format. There will be no restrictions on use and participants will be encouraged to refer to this leaflet as often as they wish to. Briefly, this self-help leaflet aims to improve sleep by identifying and addressing sleep-related dysfunctional thinking by providing education about sleep, providing techniques to distract from intrusive worrisome thoughts at night, and providing guidelines for sleep-related stimulus control. The comparator is a wait-list control (i.e. where they will receive the intervention after a one month delay) group. MAIN OUTCOMES: The primary outcome measure will be insomnia severity, as measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (Bastien, Vallières, & Morin, 2001), assessed immediately prior to the intervention and at one week, one month and three months post-intervention, compared to baseline. Secondary outcome measures will include subjective mood, measured using the 7-item Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7; Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, & Lowe, 2006)) and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001), assessed immediately prior to the intervention, and one week, one month and three months post-intervention, compared to baseline. Additionally, subjective sleep continuity, derived from sleep diaries (Carney et al., 2012), will be compared pre and post-intervention. RANDOMISATION: This study will operate as a cluster randomised controlled trial. Good sleepers will be randomised into an intervention or a no-intervention group, with a 1:1 allocation. Poor sleepers will be randomised into an intervention or wait-list control group, with a 1:1 allocation. Randomisation will be conducted automatically using Qualtrics study software, where block sizes will be equal and randomisation will be computer-generated. BLINDING (MASKING): Participants will not be blinded to group assignment. The outcomes will be assessed by a blinded investigator. NUMBERS TO BE RANDOMISED (SAMPLE SIZE): The minimum sample size is 60. A total of 30 poor sleepers will be randomised to the intervention or wait-list control group. A total of 30 good sleepers will be randomised to the intervention or no intervention group. TRIAL STATUS: Recruitment for this study has yet to start. It is anticipated that recruitment will begin in August 2020 and end in April 2022. The current study protocol is version 1.0 (20 July 2020) TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was prospectively registered in the ISRCTN registry (registration number ISRCTN43900695 , date of registration: 8 April 2020). FULL PROTOCOL: The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol. The study protocol has been reported in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Clinical Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines (Additional file 2).