Changes in the Polysomnographic Measures in Patients of Chronic Insomnia on Drug Therapy Vs Mindful Awareness

Background:- Modern day 24*7 lifestyle is witnessing an increase in people with insomnia like neverbefore. The deep and restoring sleep like a baby seems to have vanished from our hectic lifestyles ,andsleep disorders like insomnia have crept in involving people across all ages and sections of society. In thegiven scenario it remains a matter of concern that most primary physicians are not trained in the variousmodalities which could be used for the treatment of insomnia. In the absence of required knowledge ininsomnia management hypnotic medication remain the preferred treatment for insomnia . The present studywas undertaken with a view to study the effectiveness of mindfulness based relaxation therapy vs hypnoticmedication for the treatment of insomnia.Methods :- A cross sectional study was conducted on 100 patients suffering from insomnia in two groups,pharmacotherapy (PCT) group and Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) group. MBSR a programof mindfulness meditation training consisting of one hour long class daily which includes training inprogressive muscular exercises, breathing exercises, standing, sitting and walking meditations. Homepractice expectations were 30 minutes of medication per day and following an attitude of mindfulnessthrough out the day during the four week follow.Result :- The study showed comparable results on all sleep parameters for both groups. There was asignificant increase in total sleep time in both groups, the increase was more with drug group compare tothe MBSR group.Conclusion :- While the time commitment associated with participating in and practicing a behavioralintervention such as MBSR is more than with medication, our results suggest that this is not a deterrent tomost of our participants. Given patient preferences, the side effects of pharmacotherapy, evidence of theefficacy of MBSR and the potential positive benefits of meditation that go beyond management of insomniasymptoms.