Study shows meditation can improve sleep for people with MS

DERBY - A recent study conducted by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and published in the July 2023 issue of BMC Neurology shows that mindfulness meditation improves sleep and the quality of life in individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The study was a collaboration between the PRC, Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, and the Yale Stress Center. It compared two groups of people with MS who met standard criteria for chronic insomnia. One group underwent a single session of sleep hygiene instruction and the other group received a 10-week, sleep-targeted mindfulness medication course taught at the Yale Stress Center in New Haven.

All subjects wore identical devices to record their sleep efficiency percentage which was determined by measuring total sleep as a function of total time in bed. 

The subjects also completed regular self-reports, rating their sleep quality, quality of life and MS symptoms. Subjects who completed the sleep hygiene course had the option of taking the mindfulness course and that data was also used in the analysis.

While the measure of sleep efficiency was not different between the two groups on the sleep-tracking devices, the self-reports of insomnia severity were significantly better in the mindfulness meditation group than the sleep hygiene group at 10 weeks, but not 16 weeks. However, the mindfulness meditation group did show improvements in pre-intervention and post-intervention rating scales at both the 10-and 16-week reports in their insomnia severity ratings and sleep quality scale. Additionally, the mindfulness meditation group showed greater improvements in self-reported fatigue, mental health and cognitive function.

These results show that mindfulness meditation focused on chronic insomnia may be an effective way to improve sleep and other quality of life measures in persons diagnosed with MS.

“Our study showed that subjects who completed mindfulness training had better self-reported sleep outcomes and quality of life than those in the sleep hygiene group,” said Joseph B. Guarnaccia, MD, the principal investigator and lead author of the study, and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital. “It suggests that mindfulness practice is an option for some MS patients who suffer from insomnia and who wish to explore non-pharmaceutical options.”

Chronic insomnia is one of the most commonly diagnosed medical conditions in the country and can increase the risk for a number of other diseases, such as dementia, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. Insomnia is particularly detrimental for persons diagnosed with MS, Guarnaccia said, because lack of sleep saps energy reserves that are needed daily functioning. Medication treatment for insomnia is unsatisfying because of a number of potentially side effects, including drug dependence, drug interactions, increased risk for dementia, daytime sedation, and falls at night.

The study was funded by the Connecticut Department of Public Health Biomedical Research Trust Fund and recently published by Guarnaccia et al. BMC Neurology (2023) 23:263.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.