241 Remotely Delivered Yoga Nidra for Insomnia and Anxiety during COVID-19

Abstract

IntroductionInsomnia and related anxiety affect 30 - 50% of the US adult population. These conditions often coexist, and contribute to increased mortality from depression, heart disease, and stroke. The current COVID-19 pandemic has heightened anxiety and sleeplessness, and 53% of US adults report the pandemic has affected their mental health. There is a need for research into therapies for anxiety and insomnia that can be delivered remotely for increased accessibility to reach more individuals in need.MethodsTo contribute to this need, we examined the effects of remotely delivered Yoga Nidra (translated to mean “yogic sleep”), a guided meditation practice, on anxiety and sleep. The practice was delivered in real-time before bed, or asynchronously via an online REDCap-based platform, once per week for 16-weeks from April to July (during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic).ResultsSeventy-four individuals joined the study, of whom 71% reported subthreshold insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index score of 14 ± 4), and 74% reported anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Index score of 10 ± 5). Seventy-one (96%) participants accessed the asynchronous recordings. Remote delivery of this practice proved very feasible, with no adverse events reported, and although we provided no monetary compensation, 50% of our sample still completed a post-intervention survey. Further, 52% of n=25 respondents who completed both pre- and post-intervention sleep surveys reported decreased sleep onset latency (SOL) the following day, with a mean decrease of 10 minutes (95% CI = −19.0, −0.5) for all respondents, and strongest change (−34 min; p=.017) measured for those who reported SOL between 30-120 min at baseline. Overall state anxiety was decreased by 41% for n=32 respondents who completed pre-post State Trait Anxiety Index (STAI) surveys surrounding a single practice (average score of 47 ± 11 before practice vs. 27 ± 8 after practice, p<.0001).ConclusionRemotely delivered Yoga Nidra is feasible to deliver, and demonstrates potential benefits for anxiety and insomnia, warranting additional research.Support (if any)This work was supported by the R90 BRIDG grant at the Helfgott Research Institute at the National University of Natural Medicine.