Efficacy of digital brief behavioural treatment for insomnia using a smartphone application in conjunction with light therapy in university students with insomnia symptoms with late chronotypes: A pilot randomized–controlled trial

Abstract

The efficacy of digital brief behavioural treatment for insomnia using a smartphone application in conjunction with light therapy was investigated in university students who had insomnia symptoms with late chronotypes. In this two-arm parallel randomized–controlled trial, participants with insomnia symptoms and late chronotypes were recruited between October and November 2023. The duration of the intervention program was 4 weeks. The smartphone application provides digital brief behavioural treatment for insomnia, including programs for advanced phases. The intervention group used blue-light-emitting diode glasses in the morning after waking up for 2–4 weeks. The primary outcome was a change in the Insomnia Severity Index during the study period. The Insomnia Severity Index was obtained weekly using a web questionnaire. Of the 28 students, 14 each were assigned to the intervention and control groups. The mean Insomnia Severity Index scores at baseline were 12.2 and 12.5; after 4 weeks, they declined to 7.2 and 10.6 in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Primary analysis using a linear mixed model showed a significant improvement in the temporal trends of the Insomnia Severity Index in the intervention group (p < 0.001). The scores on the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (p = 0.008) and RU-SATED (p = 0.005) significantly improved in the intervention group relative to the control group following the intervention. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the digital brief behavioural treatment for insomnia with light therapy in participants with both insomnia symptoms and late chronotypes.