CBT-I intervention consisted of eight weekly two-hour classes ranging in size from four to eight participants. All classes were conducted in an academic medical center in downtown Chicago and were spread out over the calendar year. Participants received polysomnographic assessment in their homes in order to exclude individuals with sleep apnea.

Sleep and pain were assessed by self-report at baseline, after treatment and, for CBT-I only, at one-year follow-up. Sleep logs were recorded prior to and after treatment and at the one-year follow-up and included information about sleep latency, wake after sleep onset and sleep efficiency. Subjects had to be over the age of 55, have insomnia that had persisted for at least six months and have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis. A majority of the sample was female.
 
The findings indicate that successful treatment of sleep disturbance may improve the quality of life for patients in this population. The authors recommend that CBT-I, which specifically targets sleep, be incorporated into behavioral interventions for pain management in osteoarthritis and possibly for other chronic pain conditions as well.

SOURCE:  Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, August 15, 2009

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