1. Introduction
sleep disorders, hyperactivity, APS, daytime sleepiness, dysrhythmia, Sleep problems, Insomnia, insomnia
DYSRHYTHMIA, APS
These authors have contributed equally to this work.Sleep of inadequate quantity and quality is increasing in the present 24 h society, with a negative impact on physical and mental health. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) generate a state of calm behavior that can reduce hyperactivity and improve sleep. We hypothesized that our specific MBI, administered online, may improve sleep quality and foster emotion regulation and mindfulness. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI), Arousal Predisposition Scale (APS), Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST), Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were used to measure sleep quality and stability. Emotion regulation and mindfulness were measured via the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Our MBI included 12 biweekly integral meditation (IM) classes, recorded IM training for individual practice, and dietary advice to promote sleep regulation. Fifty-six voluntary poor sleepers with a PSQI score of >5 were randomly allocated to treated (Sleep is an essential behavioral and neurological state. Hyperarousal, circadian dysrhythmia, homeostatic dysregulation and the activation of the sympathetic nervous system that generates a state of hyperactivity [Sleep problems have a relatively high incidence among the general population. Terzano et al. [Pharmacological treatments for sleep disorders may come with considerable side effects, such as daytime sleepiness, poor cognitive performance and postural instability, particularly in the elderly [Psychological and behavioral interventions that incorporate many treatment components, including stimulus control, sleep restriction, relaxation, and cognitive therapy, can be considered effective alternative treatments [Recently, in Euro-Western approaches and their medical point of view on human health, meditation techniques have also begun to emerge as alternative or additional treatment to the classic pharmacological and/or cognitive behavioral therapies to ameliorate sleep quality [Mindfulness, being a state of calm behavior, acts on the state of hyperactivity and improves self-regulation and attentional control thereby providing subjects with a strategy to improve their sleep [Furthermore, healthy eating habits, balancing macronutrients and the necessary intake of vitamins and minerals without overconsuming unhealthy foods, and adopting specific diets, particularly based on the consumption of tryptophan-containing food (e.g., legumes, dairy products, whole grain, etc.), may improve the quality and quantity of sleep [However, although when investigating MBIs, promising results have been obtained, additional well-planned studies are still needed, especially for the estimation of the dose–response effect. Here, we assessed the effect of a short, online MBI on the sleep pattern and quality of a sample of Italians poor sleepers. Specifically, our MBI comprised: (i) 12 twice-weekly online integral meditation classes (IM), a mindfulness-based technique tested here for the first time on poor sleepers; (ii) a recorded IM class for individual practice; and (iii) dietary advice to promote sleep regulation. Our research hypothesis was that this intervention has a beneficial effect on the mental life of individuals which in turn improves sleep patterns and therefore ameliorates the symptoms of insomnia. To this aim, we estimated the effectiveness of the proposed intervention on six outcomes related to sleep patterns and quality using six self-reported questionnaires, i.e., the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI), Arousal Predisposition Scale (APS), Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST), Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Furthermore, we hypothesized that our intervention fosters emotion regulation and mindfulness as measured by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), respectively. In addition, we also tried to investigate a possible dose–response effect on all the studied outcomes.