{"title":"Virtual reality improves sleep quality and associated symptoms in patients with chronic insomnia","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.sleep.2024.08.027","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><p>The present study aimed to explore the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) therapy on sleep quality and associated symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, cognitive decline and autonomic nervous dysfunction, in chronic insomnia patients.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Sixty-three chronic insomnia patients were randomly divided into VR group (n = 32) and control group (n = 20) based on a standard drug therapy. Patients were instructed to use VR at home once a day at evening for 6-week treatment. All participants received evaluations of subjective sleep quality measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), depression and anxiety symptoms measured with the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), cognitive function, and objective sleep structure and autonomic nerve function examination measured with the sleep respiration monitoring device at baseline and after 6-week treatment. The main objective of this study was sleep quality assessment as the primary outcome.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>After 6-week treatment, the decreases in PSQI score (−5.60 ± 2.37 vs −4.10 ± 1.80, <em>P</em> = 0.020) and ISI score (−8.81 ± 4.52 vs −6.35 ± 2.89, <em>P</em> = 0.038) of the VR group were significantly greater compared with the control group. The VR group showed more reduction in HAMD score (−9.96 ± 4.41 vs −7.50 ± 2.89, <em>P</em> = 0.035) and HAMA score (−8.96 ± 3.80 vs −6.80 ± 3.22, <em>P</em> = 0.046), and more increase in processing speed (0.54 ± 0.60 vs 0.00 ± 0.79, <em>P</em> = 0.011) than the control group. Moreover, the low-frequency coupling (−10.00 ± 17.40 vs. 8.25 ± 20.03, <em>P</em> = 0.001) was lowered and the high-frequency coupling (9.99 ± 17.40 vs. −8.24 ± 20.03, <em>P</em> = 0.001) was elevated in the VR group relative to the control group.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Our findings offered preliminary evidence that VR therapy enhanced sleep quality and also lessened depressive and anxious symptoms, and improved cognitive and autonomic functioning in patients with chronic insomnia.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21874,"journal":{"name":"Sleep medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Sleep medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945724003988","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose
The present study aimed to explore the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) therapy on sleep quality and associated symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, cognitive decline and autonomic nervous dysfunction, in chronic insomnia patients.
Methods
Sixty-three chronic insomnia patients were randomly divided into VR group (n = 32) and control group (n = 20) based on a standard drug therapy. Patients were instructed to use VR at home once a day at evening for 6-week treatment. All participants received evaluations of subjective sleep quality measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), depression and anxiety symptoms measured with the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), cognitive function, and objective sleep structure and autonomic nerve function examination measured with the sleep respiration monitoring device at baseline and after 6-week treatment. The main objective of this study was sleep quality assessment as the primary outcome.
Results
After 6-week treatment, the decreases in PSQI score (−5.60 ± 2.37 vs −4.10 ± 1.80, P = 0.020) and ISI score (−8.81 ± 4.52 vs −6.35 ± 2.89, P = 0.038) of the VR group were significantly greater compared with the control group. The VR group showed more reduction in HAMD score (−9.96 ± 4.41 vs −7.50 ± 2.89, P = 0.035) and HAMA score (−8.96 ± 3.80 vs −6.80 ± 3.22, P = 0.046), and more increase in processing speed (0.54 ± 0.60 vs 0.00 ± 0.79, P = 0.011) than the control group. Moreover, the low-frequency coupling (−10.00 ± 17.40 vs. 8.25 ± 20.03, P = 0.001) was lowered and the high-frequency coupling (9.99 ± 17.40 vs. −8.24 ± 20.03, P = 0.001) was elevated in the VR group relative to the control group.
Conclusion
Our findings offered preliminary evidence that VR therapy enhanced sleep quality and also lessened depressive and anxious symptoms, and improved cognitive and autonomic functioning in patients with chronic insomnia.
期刊介绍:
Sleep Medicine aims to be a journal no one involved in clinical sleep medicine can do without.
A journal primarily focussing on the human aspects of sleep, integrating the various disciplines that are involved in sleep medicine: neurology, clinical neurophysiology, internal medicine (particularly pulmonology and cardiology), psychology, psychiatry, sleep technology, pediatrics, neurosurgery, otorhinolaryngology, and dentistry.
The journal publishes the following types of articles: Reviews (also intended as a way to bridge the gap between basic sleep research and clinical relevance); Original Research Articles; Full-length articles; Brief communications; Controversies; Case reports; Letters to the Editor; Journal search and commentaries; Book reviews; Meeting announcements; Listing of relevant organisations plus web sites.