3 - (SYM 65) Effects of a Lifestyle Physical Activity Intervention on Sleep in Women with Depression and Alcohol Use Disorder

Background: Research suggests that sleep is an important variable that is negatively impacted in both depression and alcohol use disorder. Physical activity has been shown to improve sleep outcomes in the general population. Most previous research has examined the role of structured physical activity programs’ (i.e., scheduled and structured classes, gym attendance, etc.) effects on sleep. Lifestyle physical activity interventions (LPA) address barriers of structured activity by emphasizing accessibility and flexibility with the goal of integrating brief bouts of activity into the context of one’s daily life. This study aimed to examine whether there were effects on sleep impairment, disturbance, and quality, in women with depression and alcohol use disorder who participated in a randomized controlled trial of a 12-week program of LPA + Health Education (HE) vs. HE alone. We hypothesized that sleep variables would be improved from BL to follow up (12-weeks) in the LPA+HE condition. We also examined whether changes in physical activity were associated with changes in sleep over time across the two groups.

Methods: Fifty women (M_age=40.88, SD=12.03) with Alcohol Use Disorder and elevated symptoms of depression (PHQ-9 M=13.56, SD= 4.27) completed a 12-week intervention of LPA+HE vs. HE. At baseline and 3-months, participants completed measures of sleep impairment, sleep disturbance, sleep quality (PROMIS Sleep Inventory), and average physical activity per week for the past three months (AllPA=all physical activity).

Results: At 3-month follow-up, participants who received LPA+HE had higher sleep quality (Cohen’s d=.56) and lower sleep impairment (d=.81) and sleep disturbance (d=.83) compared to the HE group. The LPA+HE group also evidenced larger reductions in sleep impairment (d=.42) and disturbance (d=.31) between baseline and follow-up. Further, larger increases in AllPA between baseline and 3-month follow-up were associated with larger improvements in sleep quality (AllPA d= .26), impairment (AllPA d=.31) and disturbance (AllPA d=.69).

Discussion: Results provide encouraging preliminary evidence that LPA, in the context of depression and alcohol use disorder, may improve sleep quality, sleep impairment, and sleep disturbance. Increases in physical activity were associated with improved sleep outcomes. A fully powered trial with objective sleep data should be conducted to further explore the role of LPA in improving sleep outcomes in this population. Clinical implications of these results will be discussed.