Cited by 41Sleep and related disordersDigital Mental Health InterventionsObstructive Sleep Apnea Research

Digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia versus sleep hygiene education: the impact of improved sleep on functional health, quality of life and psychological well-being. Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

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Espie, Colin A., Luik, Annemarie I., Cape, John, Drake, Christopher L., Siriwardena, A. Niroshan, Ong, Jason C., Gordon, Christopher, Bostock, Sophie +8 more·2016·Trials

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Previous research has demonstrated that digital CBT (dCBT), delivered via the Internet, is a scalable and effective intervention for treating insomnia in otherwise healthy adults and leads to significant improvements in primary outcomes relating to sleep. The majority of people with insomnia, however, seek help because of the functional impact and daytime consequences of poor sleep, not because of sleep discontinuity per se. Although some secondary analyses suggest that dCBT may have wider health benefits, no adequately powered study has investigated these as a primary endpoint. This study specifically aims to investigate the impact of dCBT for insomnia upon health and well-being, and will investigate sleep-related changes as mediating factors. METHODS/DESIGN: We propose a pragmatic, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial of 1000 community participants meeting criteria for insomnia disorder. In the DIALS trial (Digital Insomnia therapy to Assist your Life as well as your Sleep), participants will be randomised to dCBT delivered using web and/or mobile channels (in addition to treatment as usual (TAU)) or to sleep hygiene education (SHE), comprising a website plus a downloadable booklet (in addition to TAU). Online assessments will take place at 0 (baseline), 4 (mid-treatment), 8 (post-treatment), and 24 (follow-up) weeks. At week 25 all participants allocated to SHE will be offered dCBT, at which point the controlled element of the trial will be complete. Naturalistic follow-up will be invited at weeks 36 and 48. Primary outcomes are functional health and well-being at 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes are mood, fatigue, sleepiness, cognitive function, productivity and social functioning. All main analyses will be carried out at the end of the final controlled follow-up assessments and will be based on the intention-to-treat principle. Further analyses will determine whether observed changes in functional health and well-being are mediated by changes in sleep. The trial is funded by Big Health Ltd. DISCUSSION: This study will be the first large-scale, specifically designed investigation of the health and well-being benefits of CBT for insomnia, and the first examination of the association between CBT-mediated sleep improvement and health status. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN60530898 .

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  • Recent studies have shown that those who received Web-based CBTi had improved sleep outcomes.

    “Recent studies have shown that those who received Web-based CBTi had improved sleep outcomes [22-26].”

    From Tamper-Resistant Mobile Health Using Blockchain Technology. (2017) · cites this paper as [23]

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  1. [38]Espie CA Overcoming insomnia and sleep problems: a self-help guide using cognitive behavioral techniques (chapter on sleep hygiene) 2006 London Constable & Robinson

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Authors
Espie, C. A., Luik, A. I., Cape, J., Drake, C. L., Siriwardena, A. N., Ong, J. C., Gordon, C., Bostock, S., Hames, P., Nisbet, M., Sheaves, B., G Foster, R., Freeman, D., Costa-Font, J., Emsley, R., & Kyle, S. D.
Affiliations
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • University College London (GB)
  • Henry Ford Health (US)
  • University of Lincoln (GB)
  • Rush University Medical Center (US)
  • The University of Sydney (AU)
  • Warneford Hospital (GB)
  • Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB)
Corresponding author
Espie, Colin A.
Venue
Trials
Published
2016-05-23
Volume
17
Issue
1
Pages
257-257
ISSN
1745-6215 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2407933427
Cited by
41
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 1
FWCI
9.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Trials (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Lincoln Repository (University of Lincoln) (acceptedVersion)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Theses Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
BigHealth Ltd
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Obstructive Sleep Apnea Research
Keywords
digital cognitive behavioural therapy, insomnia, sleep hygiene education, functional health, quality of life, psychological well-being, mood, fatigue, sleepiness, cognitive function, productivity, social functioning
MeSH terms
Sleep Hygiene, Clinical Protocols, Health Status, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Patient Education as Topic, Quality of Life, Research Design, Therapy, Computer-Assisted, Time Factors, Health Behavior, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Single-Blind Method, Treatment Outcome, Internet, Intention to Treat Analysis

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