"Mindfulness meditation may help older adults get a better nights sleep a small study suggests. Researchers found that among  older adults with sleep problems those who learned mindfulness practices started sleeping better within six weeks. In fact they did better than their counterparts who were given conventional lessons on good sleep habits the study authors said. Experts said the findings published online Feb.  in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine are encouraging. On average the effects of the mindfulness program were comparable to whats been seen in studies of sleep medications and talk therapy said study leader David Black an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. According to Black that means older adults can feel comfortable opting for mindbody practices as a way to address moderate sleep problems. But he also emphasized the structured nature of the program tested in his study. From our results it is worth a try to engage in a structured mindfulnessbased intervention led by a certified teacher with extensive experience Black said. In general mindfulness practices encourage people to focus their attention on the present moment instead of the past or future and to take an objective look at their thoughts and emotions. Sleep problems Black explained both affect and are affected by the mind. When people have difficulty sleeping they often start to worry about it  and that anxiety can worsen their sleep problems. On top of that poor sleep itself can lead to psychological distress such as depression symptoms Black said. There is a cyclical pattern here between wakefulness sleep disruption worry and mood he said. By learning nonjudgmental mindful awareness Black said people can begin to see their thoughts and feelings without reacting to them. In basic terms it helps them relax  a necessary prerequisite for sleep Black noted. For the current study his team recruited  older adults with moderate sleep problems based on their answers to a standard sleepquality questionnaire. It asked a range of questions  including whether the person had problems falling asleep or staying asleep had difficulty breathing at night or felt drowsy during the day. Blacks team randomly assigned the participants to six weekly sessions of either sleep hygiene education or mindfulness training. The mindfulness group learned different meditation techniques as well as how to eat and move with more attention. The program Black said did not specifically address sleep  a topic that might only stir anxiety in people who are already worried about a lack of sleep. By the end of the study the mindfulness group was showing a significant improvement  shaving about three points on average from their scores on the sleepproblem scale. The group that received standard education lowered their scores by an average of  point. The mindfulness group also showed greater improvements in depression symptoms and daytime fatigue the investigators found. Black said the benefits of mindfulness training were on par with whats been found in studies of sleep medications and cognitive behavioral therapy  a form of talk therapy that is often helpful for insomnia for example. Cognitive behavioral therapy is highly effective said Adam Spira an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore. The problem Spira said is that behavioral therapy for sleep problems is not always easily found  and even when its available the process takes some effort. What I found most interesting about this mindfulness approach is that its a nondrug option and its accessible to the community at large said Spira who wrote an editorial published with the study. Classes in meditation are available in many communities and there are books websites and CDs where people can learn mindfulness techniques. The course Blacks team studied is available online at httpmarc.ucla.edu. The caveat according to Spira is that this study tested that specific program. There is no guarantee that the course at your local senior center or a book would have the same chances of working. Still Spira said its a promising approach to older adults sleep problems  and one thats needed. We definitely need a whole menu of treatment options he said. One major reason is that sleeping pills the most common current treatment are temporary fixes at best. Plus Spira said they can have side effects that are particularly dangerous for older people  such as dizziness and balance problems that can lead to falls and problems with attention and memory. Then theres the fact that sleep issues become common as people age Spira said. Studies suggest that about half of adults age  and up have insomnia or some other sleep disturbance  and that can have consequences for their physical and mental health. There are still plenty of questions about the effects of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality. A key one is whether the benefits last. Spira said that with cognitive behavioral therapy there is evidence that peoples sleep keeps improving after their therapy sessions have ended. Itll be interesting to see whether people can learn mindfulness techniques then see durable effects he said. More information The National Sleep Foundation has more on sleep disorders httpsleepfoundation.orgsleepdisordersproblems. SOURCES David Black Ph.D. M.P.H. assistant professor preventive medicine University of Southern California Los Angeles Adam Spira Ph.D. associate professor department of mental health Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore Feb.   JAMA Internal Medicine online"