Two sessions of sleep-focused mind-body bridging improve self-reported symptoms of sleep and PTSD in veterans: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Author: Nakamura Y, Lipschitz DL, Landward R, Kuhn R, West G. Affiliation: Utah Center for Exploring Mind-Body Interactions (UCEMBI), Pain Research Center, Department Anesthesiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Conference/Journal: J Psychosom Res. Date published: 2011 Apr Other: Volume ID: 70 , Issue ID: 4 , Pages: 335-45 , Word Count: 247 OBJECTIVE: Sleep disturbance is highly prevalent among veterans. As an alternative to sleep medications with their undesirable side effects, nonpharmacological mind-body interventions may be beneficial for sleep management in primary care. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether a novel mind-body intervention, mind-body bridging (MBB), focusing on sleep, could improve self-reported sleep disturbance and comorbid symptoms in veterans. METHODS: This pilot study was a randomized controlled trial at the Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System in which 63 veterans with self-reported sleep disturbance received MBB or an active sleep education control. Both interventions were conducted in two sessions, once per week. Patient-reported outcomes included the following: primary-Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Sleep Survey, MOS Short Form-36V; secondary-Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, PTSD Check List-Military, Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire. RESULTS: At both Week 1 (1 week after the first session) and post-intervention assessments, while sleep disturbance decreased in both groups, MBB performed significantly better than did the control group. Furthermore, self-reported PTSD symptoms improved in MBB, while they remained unchanged in the control. Overall mindfulness increased in MBB, while it remained unchanged in the control. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that a brief sleep-focused MBB could be a promising intervention for sleep and potentially other comorbid symptoms (e.g., PTSD). MBB could help patients develop awareness skills to deal with sleep-related symptoms. Integration of MBB into primary care settings may enhance care of patients with sleep disturbance and co-morbid symptoms. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. PMID: 21414453