Project Women's Insomnia Sleep Health Equity Study (WISHES)

Launched by YALE UNIVERSITY · Mar 28, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The Project Women's Insomnia Sleep Health Equity Study (WISHES) is a clinical trial aimed at improving sleep health for Black women who struggle with insomnia. The study will explore an approach that combines mindfulness techniques with sleep education to help reduce stress and improve sleep quality. By focusing on these strategies, the trial hopes to lessen the health risks related to insomnia, such as heart disease and other conditions that can affect overall health.

To be eligible for this study, participants must be self-identified Black women, aged between 25 and 65, who speak English and experience significant difficulty sleeping at night, which affects their daily life. This includes struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep for at least three nights a week over a period of three months. However, women with serious mental health issues, certain sleep disorders, or those who practice meditation frequently may not be eligible. If you join the study, you can expect to participate in mindfulness sessions and receive support aimed at improving your sleep and overall well-being. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it represents an important step toward addressing sleep health disparities for Black women.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • self-identified Black women
• • English speaking
• • meet ICSD3 diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorders, defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep that occurs despite adequate opportunity to sleep with at least one associated daytime impairment symptom (ISI \> 7)
• • additional quantitative insomnia criteria based on research recommendations and the new ICSD3: (a) severity of sleep onset latency or wake time after sleep onset of ≥31 min, (b) occurring ≥3 nights a week, and (c) for ≥ 3 months.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Psychosis or unstable/significant depression, anxiety, or substance abuse under active care (more than 1 monthly mental healthcare visit or requiring more than 1 psychotropic medicine daily)
• • significant current practice of any form of meditation (\>15min per day)
• • obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), restless legs syndrome (RLS), or circadian rhythm related condition (shift worker, use of medication that influence circadian rhythm, e.g., Parkinson's disease)
• • active or terminal cancer.