Trait anxiety and sleep-onset insomnia: evaluation of treatment using anxiety management training

This study was initially designed to test the notion that generalized anxiety is a predominant factor in the maintenance of psychologically determined sleep-onset insomnia and that a trait anxiety reducing technique can provide significant therapeutic gains.

Twenty participants (age 19-63) with moderate to severe sleep-onset chronic insomnia were first asked to monitor their sleep-onset latency (SOL) for a 3-week baseline period at home using a SOL clock device. Then, 10 received anxiety management training (AMT) for 9 weeks, while the remaining 10 were trained in the use of progressive relaxation (PR). All participants were measured before and after therapy using sleep laboratory recordings (three nights each), the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory. Daily home sleep-onset measures with the SOL clock device were also taken during therapy.

There was no change in SOL over the 3-week baseline period. However, both groups experienced a significant improvement in SOL from pretreatment (end of baseline) to posttreatment periods. In the laboratory, both groups experienced a reduction in Stage 1 sleep as well as an increase in slow wave sleep (SWS) and sleep satisfaction. On the personality measures, both groups experienced a significant reduction in trait anxiety and a decrease in depression. Overall, there was no indication that one of the therapies was significantly better than the other in effecting changes.

These results suggest that both PR and AMT are efficient therapies for sleep onset insomnia and overall sleep quality. Improvements in the application of the AMT technique are proposed to maximize its usefulness.