A Comparison of the Efficacy of Stimulus Control for Medicated and Nonmedicated Insomniacs

A sample of 21 medicated and 20 nonmedicated insomniacs participated in a sleep medication withdrawal program that provided education about sleep medication and a, gradual medication withdrawal schedule. Ten medicated participants received stimulus control treatment and the withdrawal program, and 11 medicated participants served as a control grouip that received only the withdrawal program. Half of the nonmedicated participants received stimulus control, and the remaining nommedicated participants served as a wait-list control condition. Medicated participants significantly reduced sleep medication use without significant deterioration on sleep, anxiety, or depression measures from baseline to 8-week follow-up. Stimulus control participants, unlike control group participants, showed significant improvement at follow-up for total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and sleep quality. Stimulus control participants also reported less daytime sleepiness than control participants after treatment. Nonmedicated participants exhibited a more positive response to stimulus control than medicated participants.