Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Relaxation therapy was given to 3 groups of older women (N = 57): (a) hypnotically medicated insomniacs, (b) nonhypnotically medicated insomniacs, and (c) noninsomniacs. Groups b and c were receiving antihypertensives. Self-reported sleep and medication data were collected for 1 week at pretreatment (except relaxation), posttreatment, and 6-weeks follow-up. Three relaxation sessions, a nondemanding, hybrid method, were administered with the rationale of helping insomnia or high blood pressure. Substantial sleep improvement occurred only for nonhypnotically medicated insomniacs. Substantial sleep medication reduction (47%) occurred only for hypnotically medicated insomniacs. This relaxation approach proved valuable, but the nature of the treatment effect was dependent on the medication status of the insomniac.
Lichstein et al. (Fri,) studied this question.