0980 Improvements in Sleep Disturbance Following Yogic Breathing-based Stress-management Intervention Compared to Cognitively Based Intervention in College Students

Abstract

Introduction College and graduate school are often filled with life transitions, stress, and sleep disturbance that impact overall well-being and physical health. Although there has been growing interest in mindfulness and other contemplative-based interventions, direct evaluation against active comparison groups, as well as sustainability of effects following intervention, are not yet well elucidated. Methods 89 students (age 20.9±3.1 years, 73% female, 86% undergraduate) with general distress complaints were randomly assigned to undergo one of two stress-management workshops. ‘Your Enlightened Side’ (YESplus) primarily emphasized yogic breathing, acceptance, and social connectedness, and ‘Wisdom On Wellness’ (WOW!) targeted cognitive stress-management techniques. Both workshops entailed 18 hours of training across four consecutive days, and multi-question workshop evaluations were collected at the first and last day, blind to the instructors. At pre, post, and 3-month follow-up, participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and various other measures and laboratory tasks (not reported here). Results YESplus and WOW! participants reported similarly high ratings of the workshops (8.0±3.1 vs. 7.7±3.1, respectively, on 0-9 scale, p=0.42), along with similar retention rates from first to last day of workshop (92% vs. 91%), as well as from post to 3-month follow-up (79% vs. 70%). A significant Group x Time interaction on PSQI was observed (p=0.04). Both groups showed non-significant decreases on PSQI from pre to post. However, WOW! returned to the baseline level by the 3-month follow-up, while YESplus showed further decreases, significantly lower at follow-up than baseline (5.9±2.4 to 4.7±2.7, p=0.043, d=-0.48). Furthermore, greater decreases in PSQI from baseline to 3-month follow-up were associated with greater decreases in PSS in YESplus (r=0.46, p=0.02) but not in WOW! (r=0.23, p=0.36). Conclusion These results extend prior literature suggesting benefit of contemplative-based intervention for general distress and sleep disturbance in the college student population. Further investigation is warranted to examine possible mechanisms of contemplative-based versus cognitively based interventions, as well as their impact on relationships between sleep and health. Support (If Any) Mind and Life Institute Varela Award