Lucid Dreaming: Not Just Awareness, but Agency.

During lucid dreaming (LD), dreamers are aware that they are dreaming and may be able to influence the oneiric content. There has been recent debate about the relative importance of the ability to influence the dream and having agency over the pure awareness of dreaming. To underline this, we examined the associations of lucid dreams without agency (LD-Ag) and lucid dreams with agency (LD + Ag) to sleep and mental health problems and long COVID during the pandemic.

Yawning as Therapy? The Potential of the Conditioned Yawn Reflex as a Novel Treatment for Insomnia Disorder.

In 1986, Provine, the pioneer of yawning research wrote that 'Yawning may have the dubious distinction of being the least understood, common human behaviour' (p. 120); and so yawning remains some 40 years later, as something of a biological and social curiosity. However, this article examines contemporary scientific understanding of this age-old conundrum, proposing not only that yawning is a universal component of sleep's normal stimulus control paradigm, but that the conditioned yawn reflex might be harnessed to treat insomnia disorder.

Cost-utility analysis of the DREAMS START intervention for people living with dementia and their carers: a within-trial economic evaluation.

Background: People living at home with dementia frequently have disturbed sleep. The multicomponent, non-pharmacological intervention DREAMS START has shown to be effective at improving sleep in this population. We aimed to conduct a cost-utility analysis of DREAMS START compared with treatment as usual (TAU).

Prevalence Rates of Frequent Dream Recall and Nightmares by Age, Gender and Sleep Duration in 16 Countries.

The present study aimed to describe the prevalence rates of frequent (i.e., at least weekly) dream recall and nightmares with consideration for differences in age, gender and sleep duration in 16 countries using equivalent assessment methods.

Sleep During Pandemic Times: Summary of Findings and Future Outlook Through the Lens of the International COVID Sleep Study (ICOSS).

To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep and circadian rhythms-two fundamental pillars for health-the collaboration International COVID-19 Sleep Study (ICOSS) was established. The present overview comprehensively discusses the findings from this collaboration. Involving sleep researchers across the globe, ICOSS used a harmonised questionnaire to cover changes in sleep and sleep disorders, as well as physical and mental health.

Efficacy of digital cognitive behavioral therapy for treating insomnia in adults aged 65 and older: a secondary analysis using individual participant data from three randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: Insomnia prevalence increases with age. Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for insomnia is the first-line treatment, limited accessibility leaves many older adults with few effective treatment options. This study assessed the efficacy of digital CBT (dCBT) for treating insomnia, anxiety, and depression symptoms in adults aged 65 and older.

Process evaluation in a randomised controlled trial of DREAMS-START (dementia related manual for sleep; strategies for relatives) for sleep disturbance in people with dementia and their carers.

Introduction: DREAMS-START is a multicomponent intervention targeting sleep disturbance in people with dementia. To enhance understanding of the DREAMS-START randomised controlled trial, which showed improved sleep in the intervention compared to the control arm, we conducted a process evaluation exploring (i) DREAMS-START delivery, (ii) behaviour change mechanisms and (iii) contextual factors impacting outcomes.

Methods: Mixed-methods design.

Emotional Processing Following Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in People With Depressive Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood and warrant further examination.

Objective: To investigate whether CBT-I modifies negative bias in the perception of emotional facial expressions and whether such changes mediate improvement in depressive symptoms.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A randomized clinical trial of digital CBT-I vs sleep hygiene education was conducted.

Clinical effectiveness of DREAMS START (Dementia Related Manual for Sleep; Strategies for Relatives) versus usual care for people with dementia and their carers: a single-masked, phase 3, parallel-arm, superiority randomised controlled trial.

Background: Sleep disturbances are common and distressing for people with dementia and their families. Non-pharmacological interventions should be first-line management, avoiding harmful pharmacological side-effects, but there is none with known effectiveness. We aimed to establish whether DREAMS START, a multicomponent intervention, reduced sleep disturbance in people with dementia living at home compared with usual care.

Nurse-delivered sleep restriction therapy to improve insomnia disorder in primary care: the HABIT RCT.

Background: Insomnia is a prevalent and distressing sleep disorder. Multicomponent cognitive-behavioural therapy is the recommended first-line treatment, but access remains extremely limited, particularly in primary care where insomnia is managed. One principal component of cognitive-behavioural therapy is a behavioural treatment called sleep restriction therapy, which could potentially be delivered as a brief single-component intervention by generalists in primary care.

The Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI): Psychometric properties of the European Portuguese version.

Insomnia is a highly prevalent sleep disorder. It is the most frequent sleep complaint among Higher Education students. The Sleep Condition Indicator is a self-report tool aimed at assessing insomnia based on the DSM-5 criteria.

Associations between obesity, a composite risk score for probable long COVID, and sleep problems in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated individuals.

Background: Preliminary data suggests that obesity might hasten the decline in mRNA vaccine-induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2. However, whether this renders individuals with obesity more susceptible to long COVID symptoms post-vaccination remains uncertain. Given sleep's critical role in immunity, exploring the associations between obesity, probable long COVID symptoms, and sleep disturbances is essential.

Effects of cognitive behavioural therapy and bright light therapy for insomnia in youths with eveningness: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Insomnia and eveningness are common and often comorbid conditions in youths. While cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has been suggested as a promising intervention, it remains unclear whether it is sufficient to also address circadian issues in youths. In addition, despite that light has been shown to be effective in phase-shifting one's circadian rhythm, there has been limited data on the effects of bright light therapy and its combination with CBT-I on sleep and circadian outcomes in youths.

Sleep effort and its measurement: A scoping review.

Insomnia disorder is characterized by disruption in sleep continuity and an overall dissatisfaction with sleep. A relevant feature of insomnia is sleep effort, which refers to both cognitive and behavioural conscious attempts to initiate sleep. The Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale is a self-report tool developed to assess this construct.

The effect of single-component sleep restriction therapy on depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Sleep restriction therapy is a behavioural component within cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and is an effective standalone treatment for insomnia, but its effect on depressive symptoms remains unclear. This review aimed to synthesise and evaluate the impact of single-component sleep restriction therapy on depressive symptoms relative to a control intervention. We searched electronic databases and sleep-related journals for randomised controlled trials and uncontrolled clinical trials, published from 1 January 1986 until 19 August 2023, that delivered sleep restriction therapy to adults with insomnia.

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of DREAMS START (Dementia RElAted Manual for Sleep; STrAtegies for RelaTives) for people living with dementia and their carers: a study protocol for a parallel multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Many people living with dementia experience sleep disturbance and there are no known effective treatments. Non-pharmacological treatment options should be the first-line sleep management. For family carers, relatives' sleep disturbance leads to interruption of their sleep, low mood and breakdown of care.

Nurse-delivered sleep restriction therapy in primary care for adults with insomnia disorder: a mixed-methods process evaluation.

Background: Sleep restriction therapy (SRT) is a behavioural therapy for insomnia.

Aim: To conduct a process evaluation of a randomised controlled trial comparing SRT delivered by primary care nurses plus a sleep hygiene booklet with the sleep hygiene booklet only for adults with insomnia disorder.

Design And Setting: A mixed-methods process evaluation in a general practice setting.

The European Insomnia Guideline: An update on the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia 2023.

Progress in the field of insomnia since 2017 necessitated this update of the European Insomnia Guideline. Recommendations for the diagnostic procedure for insomnia and its comorbidities are: clinical interview (encompassing sleep and medical history); the use of sleep questionnaires and diaries (and physical examination and additional measures where indicated) (A). Actigraphy is not recommended for the routine evaluation of insomnia (C), but may be useful for differential-diagnostic purposes (A).

Associations between self-reported sleep, overnight memory consolidation, and emotion perception: A large-scale online study in the general population.

Experimental studies suggest that short or disrupted sleep impairs memory consolidation, mood, and perception of emotional stimuli. However, studies have chiefly relied on laboratory-based study designs and small sample sizes. The aim of this fully online and pre-registered study was to investigate the association between sleep and overnight memory consolidation, emotion perception, and affect in a large, self-selected UK sample.

The association of insomnia with long COVID: An international collaborative study (ICOSS-II).

Objective: There is evidence of a strong association between insomnia and COVID-19, yet few studies have examined the relationship between insomnia and long COVID. This study aimed to investigate whether COVID-19 patients with pre-pandemic insomnia have a greater risk of developing long COVID and whether long COVID is in turn associated with higher incident rates of insomnia symptoms after infection.

Methods: Data were collected cross-sectionally (May-Dec 2021) as part of an international collaborative study involving participants from 16 countries.