Gamification of Sleep Hygiene Education for Insomnia: An Examination of Its Efficacy and the Role of Individual Differences

Insomnia is a sleep disorder which is classified by one\u27s persistent inability to fall asleep or maintain sleep. One common yet controversial approach to treating insomnia is sleep hygiene education (SHE). Sleep hygiene is defined as behaviors that promote quality sleep. SHE is typically provided through as a paper sheet containing a list of recommendations, and the findings regarding its efficacy are mixed. Providing insomnia sufferers with a SHE treatment modality that offers practice, feedback, and motivation may be effective at treating insomnia. Therefore, the first goal of the present study is to examine the efficacy of a game-based SHE intervention. After using the game-based intervention for 30 days, participants had significant improvement in overall sleep quality, as well as numerous subcategories of sleep quality. Participants also had a significant decrease in state levels of anxiety. Moreover, previous research has found that certain personality traits are related to one\u27s propensity to achieve a flow state, which is the experience of colloquially being in the zone when completing a task or activity. Therefore, the second goal of the study was to examine whether personality predicted flow propensity. Personality was not found predict flow propensity. Finally, a third goal of the study was to examine whether one\u27s propensity for flow predicted sleep improvement. In other words, it was expected that those with a higher propensity for flow would experience better treatment outcomes due to their ability to engage more with the intervention. However, flow propensity was not found to predict sleep improvement. The study\u27s findings collectively demonstrate the efficacy of a game-based treatment approach to insomnia, regardless of individual differences. Recommendations for future research directions are provided