Assessment of Usability and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Digital Sleep Aid in an Italian Sample

Overview

Chronic insomnia affects approximately 30% of the Italian population, leading to significant impairments in daily functioning and overall health. While Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment, access is limited due to a shortage of trained specialists and resources within the Italian healthcare system. This study aims to evaluate the usability, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a mobile application designed to assist individuals with chronic insomnia. The app offers digital sleep diaries, personalized sleep hygiene education, relaxation exercises, and an interactive chatbot to promote healthy sleep behaviors. Fifty adult participants diagnosed with chronic insomnia will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, which will use the mobile application alongside their usual treatment, or to a control group receiving only standard care. The primary outcomes will assess the app's usability and participants' adherence to sleep hygiene practices. Secondary outcomes will evaluate changes in insomnia severity, mood, and quality of life. Assessments will occur at the start of the study, after the 8-week intervention, and at a 6-month follow-up to explore the intervention's long-term effects.

This randomized controlled pilot trial evaluates a Digital Health Technology (DHT) developed as a Health \& Wellness tool aimed at supporting individuals diagnosed with chronic insomnia. Chronic insomnia significantly impacts quality of life and poses a considerable burden on healthcare systems. Despite Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) being the recommended first-line treatment, its limited accessibility in Italy necessitates scalable and innovative solutions. The DHT under investigation is a mobile application developed collaboratively by the University of Verona and private-sector partners, designed specifically for educational purposes and the promotion of healthy sleep behaviors. The intervention is structured over an 8-week period, during which participants are expected to engage daily with the application. The DHT includes several core functionalities: Digital Sleep Diaries: Participants document their sleep habits daily, including sleep onset latency, total sleep duration, wake after sleep onset, and sleep efficiency. This self-monitoring aims to increase sleep-awareness and encourage consistent engagement with healthy sleep behaviors. Personalized Educational Content: Users gain access to educational modules designed according to CBT-I principles. Topics include optimizing the sleep environment, maintaining consistent sleep schedules, managing lifestyle factors affecting sleep, and addressing common misconceptions about sleep. Relaxation and Mindfulness Exercises: The app provides guided audio and video exercises focusing on relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, alongside mindfulness practices intended to reduce pre-sleep arousal and facilitate better sleep. Interactive Chatbot: An integrated conversational agent assists users in navigating app functionalities, provides personalized reminders, motivational feedback, and real-time assistance, enhancing user engagement and compliance. Participants (N=50) are recruited from the outpatient clinic at Borgo Roma Hospital, Verona. Eligible individuals are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either receive the DHT intervention combined with Treatment as Usual (DHT + TAU), or Treatment as Usual (TAU) alone. TAU involves standardized educational materials on sleep hygiene practices provided via printed booklets and continued management under the patient's usual healthcare provider. Assessments are conducted at baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1), and at a 6-month follow-up (T2). Primary outcomes focus on usability and acceptability, measured by the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), digital engagement metrics, and adherence to sleep hygiene practices via the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI). Secondary outcomes assess preliminary efficacy regarding insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index - ISI), mood disturbances (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - HADS), and overall health-related quality of life (Short Form Health Survey - SF-12). Data collection employs the secure LimeSurvey platform to ensure participant confidentiality and data protection according to GDPR standards. Data analysis includes Linear Mixed Effects Models, exploratory analyses for identifying predictors of treatment response, and sensitivity analyses for assessing robustness of findings. This feasibility trial aims to inform future large-scale studies by evaluating the potential benefits and limitations of using a scalable, non-medical DHT in the routine management of chronic insomnia. Results are anticipated to contribute substantially to the evidence base supporting digital interventions as viable adjuncts to standard care for insomnia.