The use of mind-body medicine among US individuals with sleep problems: analysis of the 2017 National Health Interview Survey data.


Author: Voiß P1, Höxtermann MD2, Dobos G1, Cramer H3

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

<sup>2</sup>Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. Electronic address: m.hoextermann@kliniken-essen-mitte.de.

<sup>3</sup>Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Conference/Journal: Sleep Med.
Date published: 2019 Jan 18
Other:
  Pages: S1389-9457(18)30767-6   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.01.008. [Epub ahead of print]   ,  Word Count: 254  
    BACKGROUND: Being a major health risk and very prevalent in the population, sleep problems are an important health care issue.



METHODS: We used the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to study the prevalence of sleep problems and the use of mind body medicine (MBM) among individuals with sleep problems in a representative sample of the US population (N = 26,742). Using chi-squared tests and backward stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses, predictors of sleep problems and of MBM use in the past 12 months were identified.



RESULTS: The prevalence of sleep problems was 49.3%, with higher prevalence being associated with higher age, being female, being non-Hispanic White, and higher education. Among individuals with sleep problems, 29.8% used MBM vs. only 17.5% without. Being less than 30 years of age, female, non-Hispanic White, living in the Western US, having a higher education, and being diagnosed with heart disease predicted MBM use among individual's with sleep problems. Yoga (16.3%), spiritual meditation (13.6%), and mindfulness meditation (7.5%) were the most used MBM approaches.



CONCLUSION: The characteristics of individuals with sleep problems were largely in line with the literature, while notably Whites were more prone to sleep problems than other ethnicities. MBM treatments commonly used were yoga, spiritual meditation and mindfulness meditation; although evidence supports its use for sleep problems, tai chi was used rarely by the wider population. Further studies should explore reasons for ethnical differences in MBM use and why some effective MBM approaches are not commonly used.



Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.



KEYWORDS: Complementary therapies; Health survey; Insomnia; Mind-body therapies



PMID: 30799256  DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.01.008