This behavioral sleep management program features a two‐session format led by a nurse clinician, beginning with a 45-minute face-to-face meeting that combines education on basic sleep physiology with four tailored directives: restrict time in bed to average nightly sleep plus 30 minutes (never below six hours), maintain a fixed morning wake‐up time, go to bed only when sleepy, and leave the bed if unable to sleep. Daytime napping is discouraged, and stimulus-control techniques are introduced to strengthen the bed–sleep association. A 30-minute booster session in week two reinforces these rules, while brief telephone check-ins before and after the booster use sleep-diary data to fine-tune time-in-bed windows and promote adherence to both sleep restriction and consistent wake-up schedules.
Description
This approach is differentiated by its brevity, scalability, and delivery by non-specialist healthcare providers, making it ideally suited for primary care settings. Clinical trials in older adults demonstrated significantly higher response and remission rates compared with information-only controls, with effects maintained at six months. Unlike traditional multi‐week cognitive-behavioral protocols, this streamlined method focuses exclusively on core behavioral components, requires minimal therapist time, and accommodates patients with common comorbidities. Its demonstrated efficacy, durability, and ease of dissemination position it as a cost-effective alternative to pharmacological and longer behavioral treatments.
Applications
- Digital insomnia treatment platform
- Nurse-led sleep therapy training
- Telehealth insomnia management service
- Corporate sleep wellness programs
- Primary care insomnia intervention
Advantages
- High efficacy with substantial response and remission rates in older adults
- Rapid improvements in sleep latency, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, and subjective sleep quality
- Durable benefits maintained at least six months post-treatment
- Brief format (two face-to-face sessions plus follow-up calls) delivered over four weeks
- Can be administered by non-specialist providers (e.g., nurses) in primary care
- Reduces depressive symptoms and enhances overall self-reported health
- Non-pharmacological, patient-preferred alternative to sleep medications
- Scalable approach suitable for broad dissemination in medical settings
IP Status
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