The ‘double whammy’ of co-occurring insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea is a complex problem best managed with non-drug targeted psych interventions, a new study has found. By following simple new guidelines, people with the concurrent conditions reported great improvement to both their sleep, and their health — with about 50% improvement in global insomnia severity and night-time insomnia after 6 months.

By following simple new guidelines, people with the concurrent conditions reported great improvement to both their sleep, and their health — with about 50% improvement in global insomnia severity and night-time insomnia after six months.

‘Co-Morbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnoea’ (COMISA) is a little studied and debilitating disorder which can improve by identifying and treating insomnia separately.

The new Australian study of 145 patients aimed to work out better treatments for ‘COMISA’ patients who, in the past, have shown poor results from using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, compared to patients who do not report symptoms of insomnia.

As a result, the sleep experts are advising people living with both conditions to be treated first with a targeted, 4-10 week program of cognitive and behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) — before using CPAP machines to reduce the effects of sleep apnoea.

«We found that treating COMISA patients with non-drug CBTi before commencing CPAP significantly improved insomnia symptoms,» says lead researcher Dr Alexander Sweetman, from the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health at Flinders University.

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Materials provided by Flinders University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.