The Effect of Reducing Insomnia Severity on Work- and Activity-Related Impairment.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND:

The effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for alleviating sleep problems is well established. However, few studies have explored its impact on work productivity and activity.

PARTICIPANTS:

Seventy-seven currently employed adults with insomnia disorder (59 females) recruited to a randomized trial of digital versus face-to-face CBT-I.

METHODS AND MATERIALS:

The general health version of the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire was used to measure absenteeism, presenteeism, total work impairment, and activity impairment. We assessed changes in work productivity and activity pre-to-post-therapy for the total sample and then for subgroups categorized according to response or remission of insomnia disorder (evaluated using the Insomnia Severity Index).

RESULTS:

Study participants showed significant improvements in presenteeism (p = .001; Cohen's d= 0.46), total work impairment (p < .001; d= 0.48), and activity (p < .001; d= 0.66), but not absenteeism (p = .51; d= 0.084) between baseline and follow-up assessment. Individuals meeting criteria for remission showed significantly greater improvement in presenteeism (p = .002), total work impairment (p < .001), and activity (p = .006), but not absenteeism (p = .064).

CONCLUSION:

This study suggests that the benefits of CBT-I extend beyond improvement in sleep to encompass moderate-to-large improvements in work productivity and activity levels particularly for individuals who achieve remission from insomnia. Given the importance of these behaviors, there is a need for future large-scale randomized trials and cohort studies which should strive to include objective measurement of daytime activity and work performance more frequently.

• Authors: Kaia Kjørstad, Børge Sivertsen, Øystein Vedaa, Knut Langsrud, Patrick M Faaland, Daniel Vethe, Cecilie L Vestergaard, Jan Scott, Håvard Kallestad
• Journal: Behavioral sleep medicine (Behav Sleep Med) 2021 Jul-Aug Vol. 19 Issue 4 Pg. 505-515 ISSN: 1540-2010 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 32731764 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Adult
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Efficiency
• Female
• Humans
• Internet-Based Intervention
• Male
• Sleep
• Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders (diagnosis, psychology, therapy)
• Surveys and Questionnaires
• Treatment Outcome
• Work