OBJECTIVE: This pilot trial aimed to provide evidence for whether the integration of a wearable device with digital behavioral therapy for insomnia (dBTi) improves treatment outcomes and engagement.
PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty-eight participants with insomnia symptoms were randomized to a 3-week dBTi program (SleepFix®) with a wearable device enabling sleep data synchronization (dBTi+wearable group; n = 62) or dBTi alone (n = 66). Participants completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and modified Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) parameters: wake-after-sleep-onset (WASO), sleep-onset-latency (SOL), and total sleep time (TST) at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 3, and primary endpoint of week 6 and follow-up at 12 weeks. Engagement was measured by the number of daily sleep diaries logged in the app.
RESULTS: There was no difference in ISI change scores between the groups from pre- to post-treatment (Cohen's= 0.7,= .061). The dBTi+wearable group showed greater improvements in WASO (= 0.8,= .005) and TST (= 0.3,= .049) compared to the dBTi group. Significantly greater engagement (sleep diary entries) was observed in the dBTi+wearable group (mean = 22.4, SD = 10.0) compared to the dBTi group (mean = 14.1, SD = 14.2) (= .010). d p d p d p p
CONCLUSIONS: This pilot trial found that integration of wearable device with a digital insomnia therapy enhanced user engagement and led to improvements in sleep parameters compared to dBTi alone. These findings suggest that adjunctive wearable technologies may improve digital insomnia therapy effectiveness.
