Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for an Adult With Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Poor sleep quality is more common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in the general population and is associated with greater disease severity, pain, and poorer quality of life. However, despite its prevalence, sleep problems frequently go untreated or are managed with sleep medication which can be ineffective in the long term and is associated with daytime fatigue and tolerance. In this case study, an individual with MS who had been experiencing sleep problems and had reported dependency on sleep medication was treated with a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) program over the course of 3 months, with the goal of improving sleep quality while reducing sleep medication. By the end of the treatment, subjective sleep quality had improved, as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and a sleep diary. Over the course of the treatment, the patient reduced his sleep medication to nil until he was sleeping with no sleep disturbance. Self-reported sleep measures at follow-up showed that these improvements in sleep quality had remained. In addition, scores on self-reported measures of life satisfaction, impact of MS on physical and psychological functioning, and anxiety and depression scores all showed improvements from assessment to follow-up. This case study illustrates a potential non-pharmaceutical treatment option for sleep problems for individuals with MS which is evidence-based in the general population and other comorbid conditions.