A sleep hygiene and yoga intervention conducted in affordable housing communities: Pilot study results and lessons for a future trial

Abstract

Background: and purpose: Inadequate sleep is highly prevalent among socioeconomically disadvantaged and racial/ethnic minority communities and is often related to maladaptive sleep behaviors and stress. There is scant research investigating the delivery of these interventions in underserved communities. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the feasibility and acceptability of a sleep education and yoga intervention for socioeconomically disadvantaged and racial/ethnic diverse adults.

Materials and methods: We present quantitative and qualitative data from a single-arm sleep education and yoga pilot study (n = 17) conducted in two affordable housing communities, and the multi-modal process we employed to refine the intervention for a future trial.

Results: Participants were age 43.6 years on average (±19.3 years) and 88.2% were female. Nearly 56% identified as non-Hispanic Black and 19% as Hispanic/Latino. Results showed significant pre/post-intervention improvements in sleep duration (5.4 ± 1.2 h/night vs 6.9 ± 1.7 h/night; p < 0.01), sleep-related impairment (-8.15; p < 0.01), sleep disturbance (-5.95; p < 0.01), and sleep hygiene behaviors (-5.50; p < 0.01).

Conclusion: This study indicates intervention acceptability and improvements in sleep and sleep hygiene. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to assess efficacy.

Keywords: Affordable housing; Low-income; Racial/ethnic minority; Sleep; Sleep health; Sleep hygiene; Yoga.