A Web-based program for treating insomnia may help sleep, according to a small study published in today’s Archives of General Psychiatry . The study is the first to demonstrate that it’s possible to help people improve sleep problems by modifying their sleep-related thoughts and behavior using the Internet. Insomnia affects about 10% of the U.S. population and costs $41 billion a year in reduced workplace productivity. Forty-four individuals with moderate to severe insomnia participated in the study, with half taking part in the program and while half were told they were on a wait list. Compared with those on the wait list, those who took part in the program were less likely to wake up during the night after falling asleep and were asleep more of the time that they spent in bed than before they joined the program. The nine-week program was based on a well-studied,

cognitive-behavior therapy techniques for insomnia typically delivered in person. Participants were taught “stimulus control” techniques like going to bed only when sleepy, getting out of bed if unable to sleep and returning only when feeling sleepy again. Another strategy: wake up at the same time every day. The researchers, from the University of Virginia Health System and Université Laval in Quebec, note that because the study size was so small, replication with a greater number and more diverse participants is necessary to draw broader conclusions. Still, they say the results suggest that an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral program “may be an effective first step in providing care to adults with insomnia” and that “an effective and inexpensive Internet intervention would expand treatment options for large numbers of adults with insomnia.” Image: iStockphoto

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Wake-Up Call for Insomniacs? Web-Based Therapy May Help