Insomnia Study Finds Telehealth as Effective as In-Person Treatment

With COVID-19 all but eliminating non-urgent visits to the doctor’s office, a new study proving the value of telehealth in treating insomnia could be a welcome relief for people with sleep issues.

Conducted by researchers at Michigan Medicine (formerly the University of Michigan Health System) and detailed in the online journal Sleep, the study finds that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions conducted on a telemedicine platform had nearly the same effect on insomnia treatment as in-person sessions.

“Telemedicine delivery of CBT for insomnia is not inferior to face-to-face for insomnia severity and yields similar improvements on other sleep and daytime functioning outcomes,” the researchers concluded. “Further, telemedicine allows for more efficient treatment delivery while not compromising therapeutic alliance.”

According to the study, some 65 people living with chronic insomnia were split evenly into two groups, with one group receiving six weeks of in-person counseling and the other group attending online sessions with the same provider and featuring the same content. Participants were asked to keep a sleep diary and were assessed on daytime functionality and an Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).

The study found that 66 percent of those attending in-person sessions responded to treatment, compared to 61 percent of those using the online format, and that those treatments were effective three months after the end of the sessions in 62.5 percent of those receiving in-person care and 58 percent of those using telehealth.

The study adds to a growing body of research and pilot programs that indicate connected health platforms can help patients dealing with a variety of chronic issues, ranging from insomnia to diabetes care management. The finding is particularly important at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is restricting in-person care and pushing more treatments to telehealth.

Alongside CBT sessions delivered via telehealth, sleep researchers have been exploring the use of wearable mHealth devices to both track people during sleep and help develop new treatments.

This month, digital therapeutic company Pear Therapeutics announced the launch of its DREAM study, which will use a prescription mHealth app, delivered via smartphone or tablet, to track the sleeping habits of some 350 adults living with chronic insomnia.

“Insomnia, anxiety, and depression are on the rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Yuri Maricich, MD, chief medical officer for the Boston-based company, said in a press release. CBT “is considered first-line treatment for chronic insomnia, but the majority of people do not have access to nor receive the recommended treatment. By delivering (the treatment) digitally, we can learn from people with chronic insomnia, address their critical needs and remove the barriers for accessing guideline recommended treatment.”

Roughly 30 percent of the US adult population complains of sleep disruption, according to the National Institutes of Health, and about 10 percent say the issue affects daytime function.