The value of mindfulness meditation in the treatment of insomnia.

Mindfulness meditation, delivered as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) or mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia (MBTI), reduces sleep latency and total wake time and increases total sleep time in people with insomnia, according to randomized controlled studies using both patient-reported and quantitative sleep measures. Both approaches are well accepted by patients and produce long-lasting effects. A three-arm randomized study found similar improvement in insomnia between MBSR and MBTI, with possibly longer duration of efficacy in the MBTI group. MBTI is also effective and accepted for insomnia in older patients.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Insomnia is the most common reported sleep disorder with limited treatment options including pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. Pharmacotherapy can be complicated by tolerance and significant side-effects and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia providers are limited in number. This article reviews mindfulness meditation as an additional therapy for insomnia. Both mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia (MBTI) have been studied in the treatment of insomnia. Randomized controlled studies of MBSR and MBTI have shown overall reduction in sleep latency and total wake time and increase in total sleep time after mindfulness therapy using both patient reported outcome and quantitative measures of sleep. Mindfulness techniques have been shown to be well accepted by patients with long-lasting effects. A three-arm randomized study with MBSR, MBTI, and self-monitoring showed similar improvement in insomnia between the MBSR and MBTI groups, with possibly longer duration of efficacy in the MBTI group. Recent data show that MBTI is also an effective and accepted treatment for insomnia in older patients. Increasing evidence shows that mindfulness meditation, delivered either via MBSR or MBTI, can be successfully used for the treatment of insomnia with good patient acceptance and durable results.