Mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia.

Publisher Summary Mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia (MBTI) may be particularly useful in treating the distress and emotional reactivity associated with chronic insomnia. MBTI is indicated for primary insomnia and for psychophysiological insomnia. A disorder of insomnia is defined by the presence of disturbed sleep and associated distress or impairment of function. Current pharmacological and psychological treatments for insomnia are generally aimed at improving sleep, with relatively little direct attention given to the waking symptoms associated with poor sleep. MBTI is a group program that integrates mindfulness principles with behavior therapy for insomnia using experiential and didactic techniques. It is designed to treat the full range of nocturnal and daytime insomnia symptoms by integrating empirically supported behavioral treatments of insomnia (stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene) that target sleep disturbance with mindfulness-based techniques targeting the emotional distress that is characteristic of the waking symptoms. The mindfulness principles are cultivated through meditation practices and mindfulness exercises, based on the mindfulness-based stress reduction program and the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression program. The behavioral components of MBTI include stimulus control, sleep restriction, and sleep hygiene, delivered within a mindfulness-based framework. The overall goal of the MBTI program is to reduce unwanted wakefulness at night and manage negative emotional reactions to disturbed sleep.