Using Mental Imagery to Deliver Self-Regulation Techniques to Improve Sleep Behaviors
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Using Mental Imagery to Deliver Self-Regulation Techniques to Improve Sleep Behaviors Marisa H. Loft, PhD & Linda D. Cameron, PhD
# The Society of Behavioral Medicine 2013
Abstract Background Poor sleep habits and insufficient sleep represent significant workplace health issues. Purpose Applying self-regulation theory, we conducted a randomized, controlled trial testing the efficacy of mental imagery techniques promoting arousal reduction and implementation intentions to improve sleep behavior. Method We randomly assigned 104 business employees to four imagery-based interventions: arousal reduction, implementation intentions, combined arousal reduction and implementation intentions, or control imagery. Participants practiced their techniques daily for 21 days. They completed online measures of sleep quality, behaviors, and self-efficacy at baseline and Day 21; and daily measures of sleep behaviors. Results Participants using implementation intention imagery exhibited greater improvements in self-efficacy, sleep behaviors, sleep quality, and time to sleep relative to participants using arousal reduction and control imagery. Conclusions Implementation intention imagery can improve sleep behavior for daytime employees. Use of arousal reduction imagery was unsupported. Self-regulation imagery techniques show promise for improving sleep behaviors. Neither author has any conflicts of interest in that no organization has financial interest in the subject matter of this paper. This research was conducted in Auckland, New Zealand Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12160-013-9503-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. M. H. Loft (*) Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Sunway Campus, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 46150 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia e-mail: [email protected] L. D. Cameron University of California, Merced, CA, USA
Keywords Sleep . Self-regulation . Implementation intentions . Intervention . Mental simulation
Introduction Poor sleep habits leading to insufficient sleep present a significant risk to health and work productivity for many adults [1]. An estimated 10 to 40 % of the general adult population are chronically sleep deprived, due in large part to lifestyle and sleep behavior choices that undermine sleep quality and quantity [2]. To date, much of the research on sleep problems has concentrated on treatments for individuals with clinical insomnia, a condition characterized by chronic states of hyper-arousal and difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep despite ample opportunity [3]; or on insufficient sleep among shift-workers [4]. Relatively few studies have focused on developing interventions for daytime workers who get insufficient sleep primarily due to poor lifestyle and sleep habits [5]. Many working adults have the intentions and the means to get sufficient sleep, but they fail to execute the necessary actions to do so. Recent evidence suggests that both p
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