Non-Pharmacological Sleep Interventions for Dementia Caregivers; A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

BackgroundCaregivers of people living with dementia frequently report poor sleep. This systematic review describes evidence from randomised controlled trials of non-pharmacological sleep interventions for dementia carers.MethodsA systematic search of major databases was undertaken. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane ROB 2.0 tool. Narrative synthesis followed Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines due to substantial heterogeneity.FindingsEighteen articles were included. Risk of Bias analyses revealed most studies had high overall risk of bias, primarily from selection of reported result bias. Interventions comprised of five categories: sleep-promoting, carer well-being, exercise, technology-based and complementary therapy. High variability between intervention type, duration, sample size and sleep measures impeding direct comparisons. Seven studies (39%) identified statistically significant improvements in caregivers sleep from exercise interventions, multi-component interventions and psychological support interventions.ConclusionsExercise and psychological support interventions demonstrated the most promising effects, though larger, high-quality trials are needed for definitive evidence.