Cognitive behavioral therapy reduces insomnia symptoms among young
drinkers
Pilot study shows sleep therapy also reduces alcohol-related issues among those who binge drink

Date:
October 20, 2020
Source:
University of Missouri-Columbia
Summary:
More than half of young adults at risk for alcohol-related harm
report symptoms of insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
is one of the first-line treatments for insomnia, but it's never
been tested on young adults who are actively drinking. Researchers
evaluated CBT's effect on young adult binge drinkers with
insomnia to determine if this treatment can improve their sleep
and potentially affect alcohol use outcomes.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
More than half of young adults at risk for alcohol-related harm report
symptoms of insomnia. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the first-line treatments for insomnia, but it's never been tested on young
adults who are actively drinking. Researchers from the University of
Missouri School of Medicine conducted a pilot study to evaluate CBT's
effect on young adult binge drinkers with insomnia to determine if
this treatment can improve their sleep and potentially affect alcohol
use outcomes.


==========================================================================
"The potential for insomnia treatment to influence alcohol-related
consequences has significant implications for the prevention and treatment
of alcohol use among young adults," said Mary Beth Miller, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the MU School of Medicine. "Given the stigma associated with mental health issues and addiction, it's crucial to identify other forms of treatment that either influence alcohol outcomes
or open the door to alcohol-related treatment." Miller tested CBT in
a pilot study of 56 people between 18 and 30 years old who reported at
least one binge-drinking episode in the past month. Binge drinking was
defined as four or more drinks in one occasion. Participants were randomly assigned to either five weekly sessions of CBT -- a behavioral therapy
program that focuses on changing patterns of thinking and behavior --
or a single session on sleep hygiene, which focuses on creating optimal sleeping conditions and establishing a bedtime routine. The CBT session
topics included sleep hygiene, sleep restriction, relaxation techniques, behavioral experiments, insomnia prevention discussions and sleep diary
use. All participants wore wrist devices to objectively measure sleep
and completed subjective daily sleep and drinking surveys.

Results showed CBT participants reported a 56% reduction in insomnia
severity, compared to a 32% reduction in symptoms for those who
completed only the sleep hygiene session. The CBT participants also
showed moderate improvement in objectively assessed sleep efficiency
after treatment compared to the sleep hygiene participants. Both groups
reduced their drinks per week and alcohol- related consequences after treatment. However, CBT participants reported greater improvements in
insomnia, which in turn were associated with reductions in alcohol-related problems.

"The results of this study indicate that insomnia treatment may improve alcohol-related problems, and therefore, may be an ideal first step toward treatment among binge-drinking young adults with insomnia," Miller said.

Miller believes the data collected in this study warrants a larger sample
size study looking at alcohol-related problems as a primary outcome. She
plans to determine if insomnia treatment improves executive function and
the ability to regulate emotions, which in turn might decrease risk for alcohol-related problems.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Missouri-Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Mary Beth Miller, Chelsea B Deroche, Lindsey K Freeman, Chan
Jeong Park,
Nicole A Hall, Pradeep K Sahota, Christina S McCrae. Cognitive
behavioral therapy for insomnia among young adults who are
actively drinking: a randomized pilot trial. Sleep, 2020; DOI:
10.1093/sleep/zsaa171 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201020131347.htm

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