Using a Transdiagnostic Sleep Health Intervention Approach to Improve Sleep Quality and Subsequent Daytime Fatigue, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors
University of Oklahoma
Summary
Poor sleep affects over half of U.S. cancer survivors, contributing to daytime fatigue, reduced physical activity, and diminished quality of life. Traditional sleep treatments often target diagnosed disorders, leaving many survivors with subclinical sleep issues underserved. Sleep health-a broader concept encompassing sleep regularity, satisfaction, alertness, timing, efficiency, and duration (RU-SATED)-offers a more inclusive framework for intervention. The TSHI is a modular, skills-based program designed to improve these dimensions of sleep health. Delivered via six weekly one-on-one Zoom sessions, TSHI emphasizes behavioral strategies like sleep hygiene, relaxation, and energy management. This six-week, single-group quasi-experimental pilot study will enroll 10 cancer survivors to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of TSHI. Researchers will evaluate changes in sleep health, fatigue, physical activity, and quality of life using surveys, interviews, and ActiGraph data. By targeting sleep as a modifiable health behavior, this study aims to lay the groundwork for scalable interventions that enhance recovery and well-being in cancer survivors.
Description
While cancer incidence remains steady, survivorship is rapidly increasing, with over 18 million cancer survivors (CS) in the U.S. as of 2022 and projections estimating 26 million by 2040. As survival rates improve, attention has shifted toward enhancing the quality of life (QoL) for survivors. One of the most prevalent and under-addressed issues affecting CS is poor sleep health. More than half of survivors report sleep disturbances, which can persist long after treatment ends and are linked to fatigue, reduced physical activity, and diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Despite t…