SLEEP
What is the SLEEP trial?
The SLEEP trial is structured around cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi). This involves building up knowledge about the sleep process, including the different stages of sleep and how your body and mind respond.
A key aim of this trial is to improve your sleep by helping you re-train your mind to associate bedtime with sleepiness and relaxation, rather than unhelpful thoughts and behaviour that you may have learned unconsciously over time, such as worry or racing thoughts. You'll also be supported through the process of Sleep Restriction Therapy by online appointments with a trained therapist.
What is involved and how long will it take?
SLEEP materials will be provided online, with new content available each week. We estimate this will take no more than one hour for each week of content.
The SLEEP trial also includes four sessions with a trained therapist in order to answer your questions and help you through the sleep restriction and re-training process. The therapy sessions will be held remotely online or over the phone. At the start of the trial, and again once you have completed the process, we will provide you with a sleep tracking device and ask you to wear it for one week.
The data gathered will enable us to see the difference taking part in the trial has made to your sleep. We will also ask you to keep a sleep diary throughout your participation in the SLEEP trial. This diary will allow us to understand how you are sleeping, and will form a key part of the conversations you will have with the therapist as well as of the overall research.
As well as working through the materials provided, we will ask you to complete some questionnaires. These will be very similar to the ones you completed at the screening stage. We will use the results to see if taking part has had an impact on how you are feeling, and how long that impact lasts. The questionnaires will be completed at the start, after the trial is completed, and again after another month has passed.
The SLEEP trial will be run in groups, so you may not be asked to start straight away. We will email you with your start date after the screening process has finished.
