Sleep Better, Think Better: Insomnia May Be Linked to Mental Health

Improving insomnia using online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can reduce hallucinations and paranoia in young adults, according to the findings of a recent study.

It is believed that sleep difficulties are associated with mental health conditions. However, few studies have evaluated this association.
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The new single-blind randomized controlled trial (OASIS) included 3755 students with insomnia enrolled at 26 universities in the United Kingdom. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either digital CBT for insomnia (n = 1891) or usual care (n = 1864) for 10 weeks. Online assessments were conducted at baseline, week 3, week 10, and week 22 to assess insomnia, paranoia, and hallucinatory experiences before, during, and after treatment.

At week 10, participants who received CBT had experienced reductions in symptoms of insomnia, paranoia, and hallucinations compared with those who received usual care. The researchers found that insomnia mediated changes in paranoia and hallucinations.

“To our knowledge, this is the largest randomized controlled trial of a psychological intervention for a mental health problem,” the researchers concluded. “It provides strong evidence that insomnia is a causal factor in the occurrence of psychotic experiences and other mental health problems. Whether the results generalize beyond a student population requires testing. The treatment of disrupted sleep might require a higher priority in mental health provision.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Freeman D, Sheaves B, Goodwin GM, et al. The effects of improving sleep on mental health (OASIS): a randomised controlled trial with mediation analysis [published online September 6, 2017]. Lancet Psychiatry. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30328-0.