Improving Sleep Continuity Through Mindfulness Training for Better Cognitive Ageing.

Summary

Poor sleep quality is a known risk factor for cognitive decline in the elderly. Hearteningly, sleep is also a prime target for behavioral modification. In this study, the investigators propose to test mindfulness-based training (MBT) as an intervention to improve sleep quality by reducing sleep fragmentation, and hypothesize that these improvements will mediate the beneficial effects of MBT on sustained and executive attention. MBT consists of a suite of techniques aimed at enhancing awareness and acceptance of one's internal (e.g., thoughts and feelings) and external experiences in the present moment. Learning these techniques has been shown to improve sleep quality in patients with primary insomnia, and in other conditions associated with sleep disturbance. There is also increasing evidence that mindfulness training enhances multiple facets of cognition, including components of attention. In this study, the investigators will recruit 120 participants in a randomized controlled design, with 60 participants receiving MBT, and 60 receiving a sleep hygiene education and exercise program (SHEEP). Each intervention will last 8 weeks. Before and after the intervention, the investigators will collect objective and subjective measures of sleep quality, resting-state and task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, and performance on standard laboratory tests of attention. The investigators hypothesize that, relative to SHE, MBT will result in significantly greater improvements in sleep quality and attentional metrics. They also predict that the cognitive changes will be mediated by the changes in sleep quality. If a positive result is found, this would indicate the use of MBT as a cost-effective behavioral intervention to stabilize or even improve cognition in the elderly, thus reducing the risk of dementia in this vulnerable population.

Conditions

• Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
• Cognitive Aging

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness Based Therapy for Insomnia

The mindfulness-based intervention consists of eight 2-hour sessions covering various mindfulness techniques (e.g. mindfulness of breath, body and movement, senses and informal practice, and empathy and compassion) that pertain to people with sleep problems and insomnia. Participants will be provided handouts for the information covered during these talks and discussions.

OTHER

Sleep Hygiene Education Exercise Program

The Sleep Hygiene Education and Exercise Program has known relationships with good sleep quality. It will comprise 8 weekly 2-hour sessions. Each session will introduce a concept related to sleep and sleep hygiene. The facilitator will provide the theory and rationale behind the concept, and encourage participants to share and discuss their experiences related to the concept. The session will end with the participants evaluating how to implement the specific concept in their daily lives, and its potential implications for their sleep. Participants will be provided with a manual that outlines the concept and how they intend to apply it to their daily lives.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

  collaborator OTHER

• Singapore General Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Kinjal Doshi · Singapore General Hospital

• Julian Lim · Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

50 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-08-01

Primary Completion

2020-10-01

Completion

2021-06-10

Countries

• Singapore

Study Locations