Coping, Symptoms, and Insomnia among People with Heart Failure during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

AIM: Increases in stress, symptoms of anxiety and depression and sleep problems have been reported during the Covid-19 pandemic, and people with chronic medical conditions such as heart failure (HF) are especially vulnerable. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which sleep characteristics, sleep-related cognitions, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and changes in these phenomena over time predict ways of coping with pandemic-related stress among participants in the HeartSleep study, a randomized controlled trial of the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in people with HF. METHODS: Participants completed questionnaires to elicit sleep characteristics, daytime symptoms, mood and stress at baseline, six-months after the intervention and during the Covid-19 pandemic. We added measures of coping during the pandemic (June-August 2020). RESULTS: The sample included 112 participants (M age = 63 ± 12.9 years; 47% women; 13% Black; 68% NY Heart Class II or III). Participants (43%) reported pandemic-related stressors and most often used secondary control coping. Insomnia severity, anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and sleep-related cognitions predicted secondary control coping (positive thinking, cognitive restructuring, acceptance, distraction), involuntary engagement (physiological arousal, rumination) and involuntary disengagement (emotional numbing). CONCLUSIONS: Insomnia and mood disturbance are important determinants of coping and responses to stress. Improving sleep and symptoms among people with HF may improve coping during stressful events, and CBT-I may have protective effects.

Sleep, Stress, and Symptoms Among People With Heart Failure During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about the effects of stress on sleep and mental health, particularly among people with chronic conditions, including people with heart failure (HF). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine changes in sleep, sleep-related cognitions, stress, anxiety, and depression among people with HF who participated in a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia before the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Participants self-reported sleep characteristics, symptoms, mood, and stress at baseline, 6 months after cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia or HF self-management education (attention control), and during the pandemic. RESULTS: The sample included 112 participants (mean age, 63 ± 12.9 years; 47% women; 13% Black; 68% New York Heart Association class II or III). Statistically significant improvements in sleep, stress, mood, and symptoms that occurred 6 months post treatment were sustained during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Improving sleep and symptoms among people with HF may improve coping during stressful events, and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia may be protective.