Abstract
Abstract
Study Objectives
We assessed the effectiveness of a multimodal sleep intervention on subjective sleep outcomes, including insomnia symptoms, with secondary analysis of internalising symptoms in Infantry trainees.
Methods
A two-arm parallel design was employed (baseline: weeks 1-3; intervention: weeks 4-12). The evidence-based intervention involved psychoeducation, sleep hygiene optimisation, pre-bedtime routines and extended sleep opportunity. Surveys were completed at training start (pre-training status), end of week-3 (baseline), and week-12 (intervention). Linear mixed models assessed the effects of time and group (participants: age 22 ± 4.9 years; control [CON], n = 40; experimental [EXP], n = 43). The CON group followed the habitual basic training sleep schedule and environment. No women enrolled in basic training during the study period.
Results
Both groups experienced chronic sleep restriction, with sleep duration reduced from ~7-hours pre-training to ~5.5-hours during training, driven by earlier wake times. During the intervention, EXP shifted bedtimes ~40-minutes earlier, achieving ~30-minutes more sleep than CON and reporting significantly better sleep quality. Both groups reported increased daytime sleepiness during baseline (11.6±6.1) relative to pre-training (6.4±4.4, p
Conclusions
The multimodal intervention improved insomnia and internalising symptoms. As no mental health intervention was delivered; symptom improvements likely reflect sleep-mediated effects.