NCT04949360

Brief Summary

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is a well-established therapeutic intervention for insomnia. SleepUp provides a digital therapeutics platform based on CBTi and additional features. This clinical trial aims at analyzing the efficacy of the CBTi-based platform offered by SleepUp in reducing symptoms of insomnia and will be conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1 The sample will be composed of 160 individuals, both males and females, from 20 to 60 years old, with insomnia symptoms considered as at least mild. Those who accept to participate will be randomized and distributed in four groups:

  • Standard CBTi (CBTi-S): This treatment consists of an eight-week treatment composed by weekly and structure appointments with board-certified sleep psychologists. The appointments will be made remotely (video calls with psychologists).
  • Minimal intervention - Sleep hygiene (MI-SH): This group will receive an educational program on sleep hygiene through the SleepUp app. Its content covers topics that are also covered in the online CBTi sessions. This procedure is more adequate as a control than the commonly used no treatment or waiting list controls, due to the behavioral
  • Online CBTI (CBTI-O): This group will receive access to an eight-weeks CBTi-based treatment through the SleepUp app. The participants of this group will receive interventions equivalent to the standard in-person CBTi, but provided through a digital platform.
  • Online CBTi + additional features (CBTi-O+): This group will have access to the complete premium version of SleepUp platform. It includes those presented in the CBTi-O group and other therapeutic and complementary features (including meditation audios and videos, mindfulness therapy, relaxation soundtracks, sleep hygiene tips, virtual assistant, and telehealth. All participants in all groups will be assessed periodically throughout the eight weeks of intervention with standard sleep questionnaires and sleep logs. Equivalent intervals will be applied to the MI-SH group. Phase 2 This phase will comprise 120 individuals, both males and females, from 20 to 60 years old, with insomnia symptoms considered as at least mild. Those who accept to participate will be randomized and distributed in three groups:
  • Minimal intervention - Sleep hygiene (MI-SH): This group will receive an educational program on sleep hygiene through the SleepUp app. Its content covers topics that are also covered in the online CBTi sessions. This procedure is more adequate as a control than the commonly used no treatment or waiting list controls, due to the behavioral
  • Online CBTI (CBTI-O): This group will receive access to an eight-weeks CBTi-based treatment through the SleepUp app. The participants of this group will receive interventions equivalent to the standard in-person CBTi, but provided through a digital platform.
  • Online CBTi + additional features (CBTi-O+): This group will have access to the complete premium version of SleepUp platform. It includes those presented in the CBTi-O group and other therapeutic and complementary features (including meditation audios and videos, mindfulness therapy, relaxation soundtracks, sleep hygiene tips, virtual assistant, and telehealth. All participants in all groups will be assessed periodically throughout the eight weeks of intervention with standard sleep questionnaires and sleep logs. Equivalent intervals will be applied to the MI-SH group.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
280

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
7mo left

Started May 2025

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress63%
May 2025Dec 2026

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 13, 2021

Completed
19 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 2, 2021

Completed
3.9 years until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 19, 2025

Completed
6 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

November 18, 2025

Completed
1 year until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2026

Expected
Last Updated

December 29, 2025

Status Verified

December 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

6 months

First QC Date

June 13, 2021

Last Update Submit

December 20, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

InsomniaSleepCognitive-behavioral therapyCBTi

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

  • Adherence to the treatment

    It will be measured as the percentage of participants who completed the treatment, out of those who effectively initiated it. Dropouts will be considered whenever a participants fail to comply with the tasks relative to each group for two consecutive weeks, or postpone the completion of these tasks for three times. These tasks refer to the responses to periodic questionnaires and to the completion of the CBTi or CBTi-O sessions (when applicable).The aim of this comparison is to evaluate whether the adherence rate in the CBTi-O and CBTi-O+ groups are similar to the standard treatment (CBTi-S) or higher than the minimal treatment (MI-SH).

    From enrollment (baseline) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

  • Response to treatment

    Patients are considered to be responsive to treatment if the ISI score is at least 7 points lower than on the basal evaluation.

    From enrollment (baseline) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

  • Remission of symptoms

    Patients are considered to be with no symptoms of insomnia if the ISI score is lower then 8.

    From enrollment (baseline) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (6)

  • Self-reported sleep efficiency

    From enrollment (baseline) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

  • Sleep hygiene

    From enrollment (baseline) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

  • Excessive daytime sleepiness

    From enrollment (baseline) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

  • Sleep quality

    From enrollment (baseline) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

  • Self-reported sleep latency

    From enrollment (baseline) to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

  • +1 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (4)

Standard CBTi (CBTi-S):

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This is a positive control group/active comparator, in which standard CBTi (the golden standard behavioral treatment for insomnia) will be made available. This treatment consists of an eight-week treatment composed by weekly and structured appointments with a board-certified sleep psychologist. The professionals performing the CBTi sessions will not be part of the research team. The appointments will be made remotely (video calls with psychologists), which have already been proven to be equivalent to the in-person CBTi.

Behavioral: Regular Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia

Minimal intervention - Sleep hygiene (MI-SH):

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

This group corresponds to a negative control group/placebo comparator, subjected to minimal intervention. It is based on the delivery of informative material regarding normal sleep pattern and sleep hygiene (through SleepUp app). This procedure is more adequate as a control than the commonly used no-treatment or waiting list controls, due to the behavioral nature of insomnia.

Behavioral: Sleep hygiene - minimal intervention

Online CBTI (CBTI-O)

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will receive access to an eight-week CBTi-based treatment through the SleepUp app. The platform will be updated into a non-commercial version, and all features other than the CBTi track will be removed. This way, the participants of this group will receive interventions equivalent to the standard in-person CBTi, but provided through a digital platform.

Behavioral: Online Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and complementary therapies

Online CBTi + additional features (CBTi-O+)

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will have access to the complete premium version of SleepUp platform. It includes those presented in the CBTi-O group and other therapeutic and complementary features (including meditation audios and videos, mindfulness therapy, relaxation soundtracks, sleep hygiene tips, virtual assistant, and telehealth.

Behavioral: Online Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and complementary therapies

Interventions

The CBTi-O and CBTi-O+ interventions are based on real life user experience. The users will have access to different versions of the platform. The intervention will last eitght weeks.

Online CBTI (CBTI-O)Online CBTi + additional features (CBTi-O+)

This is the gold standard behavioral treatment for insomnia and will be performed by independent board-certified sleep psychologists. The treatments will last eight weeks and the appointments will be made by video-calls.

Standard CBTi (CBTi-S):

It is composed by educational material about normal sleep pattern and sleep hygiene. It will be delivered by SleepUp app.

Minimal intervention - Sleep hygiene (MI-SH):

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years - 60 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Literate Brazilian portuguese speakers.
  • Insomnia symptoms (as measured by ISI).
  • An Android-based smartphone or tablet with access to the Internet.

You may not qualify if:

  • Previous experience with CBTi.
  • Use of sleeping pills or any other treatment for insomnia for two or more days a week in the last three months.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

SleepUp Tecnologia em Saúde LTDA

São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, 09530-250, Brazil

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersSleep Wake DisordersSleep Hygiene

Interventions

Complementary Therapies

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sleep Disorders, IntrinsicDyssomniasNervous System DiseasesMental DisordersNeurologic ManifestationsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsHealth BehaviorBehavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Therapeutics

Study Officials

  • Gabriel N. Pires, PhD

    Universidade Federal de São Paulo

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Masking Details
The participants cannot be blinded considering the type of intervention being tested. The allocation codes will be concealed and only three members of the research team will have access to the codes and randomization table. All the outcomes will be either collected automatically (via software) or by hired professionals unaware of the objectives of this trial.
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: Phase 1=Participants will be randomized and distributed in four parallel and independent groups. Phase 2=Participants will be randomized and distributed in three parallel and independent groups.
Sponsor Type
INDUSTRY
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 13, 2021

First Posted

July 2, 2021

Study Start

May 19, 2025

Primary Completion

November 18, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Last Updated

December 29, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

The dissemination of Individual Participant Data (IPD) from this study is strictly limited by restrictions on the release of intellectual property, concerns regarding participant privacy and confidentiality, and the absence of explicit consent for extensive data sharing. However, upon reasonable request and subject to approval by the study's principal investigator, anonymized datasets may be provided to qualified researchers. It is imperative that requests include a thorough research proposal and a rationale that substantiates the need for the resources in question.

Locations