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NCT Number: NCT07794943

Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Physical Activity for Insomnia

Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (iCBT-I) has shown promise for reducing insomnia symptoms. Additionally, physical activity has long been known to contribute to better sleep. The current protocol describes a planned a two-phased project aiming to examine the effect of a randomised controlled trial, including iCBT-I (standard care) alone or with additional physical activity components (iCBT-I-PA). Adults with sleep problems and insufficient physical activity levels will be included in the 6-8-week intervention. Outcomes measured will include insomnia severity (primary outcome), physical activity, sedentary behaviour, psychological distress, cognitive function and quality of life. Measures will be taken at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. We hypothesise that the iCBT-I-PA group will show greater reductions in insomnia severity and increase physical activity compared to the iCBT-I group.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Primary care and health, Region Uppsala

Uppsala, Sweden

Location contact

Sören Spörndly-Nees, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+47722073089

Sören Spörndly-Nees, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

Design and aims:

Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (iCBT-I) has shown promise for treating insomnia. Physical activity has been proposed as a potential adjuvant to insomnia treatments as it has positive benefits for optimal sleep. An intervention has been developed that incorporates physical activity components into the standard iCBT-I (iCBT-I-PA). The current protocol describes the planned project which consists of two phases: Phase 1 will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of iCBT-I-PA. The results of the feasibility and acceptability outcomes will inform adjustments to the study procedures ahead of the full-scale trial. Phase 2 will be a full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) with the aim to examine the effectiveness of iCBT-I-PA compared to iCBT-I as standard care (control).

Phase 1: A pilot RCT with the aims to:

  • study the feasibility regarding recruitment, randomization and adherence of study protocol.
  • analyse the within-group changes of sleep, physical activity, sedentary time, cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety, from baseline and directly after the intervention.
  • explore participants' experiences of the new treatment and of participating in the study including acceptance of study protocol.

Phase 2: An RCT with the aims to:

  • compare the effects of iCBT-i-PA and iCBT-i immediately after the intervention regarding self-reported and objective measured sleep, physical activity and sedentary time as well as self-reported cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety and pain.
  • compare the effect of iCBT-i-PA and iCBT-i 6 and 12 months after the intervention regarding self-reported and objective measured sleep, physical activity and sedentary time as well as self-reported cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety and pain.
  • evaluate the mediating role of the assessed outcomes on improved sleep.

Methods:

Adults (>18 years) with clinically relevant insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index; ISI; score ≥11) and who are insufficiently physically active (the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare; NBHW; questions for physical activity; <150 min of moderate-vigorous physical activity) will be included. Eligible participants will complete baseline assessments before being randomised 1:1 to iCBT-I or iCBT-I-PA. Participants will be informed that they will receive an internet-based insomnia treatment but will be blinded to the specific intervention components and study hypotheses. The psychologists delivering the treatment and the team member managing randomisation will not be blinded after allocation.

The intervention will be conducted through the Swedish e-health system 1177 Stöd och Behandling (SoB; support and treatment). The treatment consists of 6 modules completed over 6-8 weeks with weekly assigned individual tasks along with evaluations by the psychologist. The iCBT-I will include education about insomnia, CBT-I strategies for better sleep, application of CBT strategies, and conclusion/summary of the treatment. The iCBT-I-PA will include additional physical activity components based on the Swedish model of physical activity on prescription (FaR), including assessments of physical activity level and health status, physical activity self-registration (diary), goalsetting, activity plan, follow-up, strategies for overcoming barriers, and evaluation.

Intervention outcomes will include the insomnia severity as the primary outcome, measured using the ISI. Sleep, physical activity and sedentary behaviour will be measured using diaries: the Physical Activity Diary (PAD) and the Swedish version of the Consensus Sleep Diary (S-CSD); the SENS Motion accelerometer, and the self-reported NBHW for physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Additionally, self-reported measures of cognitive function (Work Ability Index; WAI; and British Columbia Cognitive Complaints Inventory; BC-CCI), depression (Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale; MADRS), anxiety (Generalises Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7) and pain (Numeric Rating Scale for Pain; NRS) will be collected. The outcomes will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups.

Analysis approach:

Phase 1: Feasibility will be assessed through a number of trial process outcomes, including recruitment, retention, adherence and fidelity. Acceptability will be assessed though qualitative sub-study using semi-structured interviews with participants who were randomised to iCBT-I-PA. Preliminary, exploratory analyses will focus on within-group directional changes over time to help inform the full-scale intervention.

Phase 2: For the full-scale RCT, baseline demographics will be summarised descriptively by treatment condition. The analyses will include t-tests, linear mixed-effects models (LMM) and/or repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the effects of iCBT-I and iCBT-I-PA. The effects will be examined as the immediate change from pre- to post-intervention, and long-term changes from pre-intervention to 6- and 12-month follow-up.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 18 years or older
  • Experiencing clinically relevant insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index score >10)
  • Do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity (weekly 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous physical activity)

Exclusion criteria

  • Have any ongoing diagnosed medical conditions known to affect PA participation as assessed by intervention clinician.
  • Increased risk for suicide as assessed by intervention clinician.

Treatment and study plan

Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy & physical ACtivity for INSOMNIa (iCBT-I-PA)

Behavioral

Experimental condition: Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy targeting insomnia combined with physical activity support

Behavioral: Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy & physical ACtivity for INSOMNIa (iCBT-I)

Behavioral

Standard care (control): Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy targeting insomnia

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility: Pilot RCT recruitment rate

    Time frame: Following recruitment to randomisation of the final pilot participant (up to 52 weeks).

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT only: Recruitment rate will be assessed as the average rate of participant recruitment as participants per week throughout the pilot RCT.

    Measurement tool: Study screening and enrolment log.

  2. Feasibility: Pilot RCT consent rate

    Time frame: Following recruitment to randomisation of the final pilot participant (up to 52 weeks).

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT only: Consent rate will be assessed as the proportion of eligible/recruited participants who consent to participate.

    Measurement tool: Study screening and consent log.

  3. Feasibility: Pilot RCT adherence rate

    Time frame: Baseline and post-intervention measure (6-8 weeks)

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT only: Intervention adherence will be assessed as the proportion of participants completing ≥3 modules (50% of intervention), the minimum number required for an expected change in insomnia outcomes.

    Measurement tool: The number of completed modules indicated by study clinician.

  4. Feasibility: Pilot RCT data collection completion rate

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT only: Data collection completion will be assessed as the proportion of randomised participants who provide complete outcome data at baseline, post-intervention, 6 months, and 12 months.

    Measurement tool: the outcome assessment database.

  5. Feasibility: Pilot RCT retention rate

    Time frame: 6 and 12 months follow-up after intervention

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT only: Retention will be assessed as the proportion of randomised participants who have not withdrawn and who complete the follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months.

    Measurement tool: The participant tracking and follow-up log.

  6. Feasibility: Pilot RCT intervention fidelity rate

    Time frame: Post-intervention (6-8 weeks)

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT only: Intervention fidelity will be assessed as the percentage of planned intervention components delivered as intended.

    Measurement tool: Study-specific intervention fidelity checklist completed by study clinicians and platform delivery records.

  7. Acceptability: Pilot RCT acceptability of the iCBT-I-PA intervention assessed by semi-structured interview

    Time frame: Post-intervention (6-8 weeks)

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT only: Acceptability will be assessed using semi-structured interviews with participants randomised to the iCBT-I-PA condition who completed at least the baseline measures. Interviews will explore participants' experiences of the intervention and pilot RCT procedures, including acceptability of the intervention, randomisation, outcome assessments, follow-up schedule, and barriers and facilitators to engagement.

    Measurement tool: Semi-structured interview topic. Themes identified using thematic analysis.

  8. Insomnia severity

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Insomnia severity will be the primary outcome that the intervention will aim to change. Insomnia severity will be measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). The ISI comprises seven items, measuring the severity and impact of insomnia and the extent to which it interferes with the individual's daily life. The ISI is scored on a 5-point Likert scale (0="Not at all", 4="Very much"). A sum score represents overall insomnia severity, ranging from 0 to 28.

    Measurement tool: The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Sleep: Diary

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Sleep will be measured using a sleep diary: the Swedish version of the Core Consensus Sleep Diary (S-CSD). The S-CSD is a diary completed daily in the morning to assess nightly variation in sleep quality based on subjective sleep patterns. The S-CSD will yield Sleep Onset Latency, Wake After Sleep Onset, Total Sleep Time, Time in Bed, Sleep Efficiency, number of awakenings, and subjective sleep quality.

    Measurement tool: The Swedish version of the Core Consensus Sleep Diary

  2. Sleep: Device-measured

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Sleep will be measured using a device-based measure, the thigh-worn triaxial SENS Motion® accelerometer. The accelerometer will be worn continuously for 9 consecutive days. Sleep metrics captured will be total sleep time, sleep onset/offset, sleep efficiency, and number of awakenings.

    Measurement tool: SENS Motion® accelerometer

  3. Physical activity: Diary

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Physical activity will be measured using a physical activity diary. The physical activity diary will be completed over seven consecutive days. Physical activity metrics captured will be the types of physical activities, their duration (in minutes) and perceived exertion (the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale; 6-20; 6=no exertion, 20=maximal exertion).

    Measurement tool: Physical Activity Diary (PAD)

  4. Physical activity: Self-report

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Self-reported physical activity will be measured using a two-item questionnaire capturing the time (in minutes) spent weekly on daily-life physical activity and structured physical activity, respectively.

    For daily-life physical activity, response options will be 0, <30, 30-60, 60-90, 90-120 and >120 minutes.

    For structured physical activity, response options will be 0, <30, 30-60, 60-90, 90-150, 150-300 and >300 minutes.

    Measurement tool: the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare questions for physical activity

  5. Physical activity: Device-measured

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Device-based physical activity will be measured using the thigh-worn triaxial SENS Motion® accelerometer. The accelerometer will be worn continuously for 9 consecutive days. Physical activity metrics captured will be accelerations, steps, and daily minutes of light, moderate and vigorous physical activity.

    Measurement tool: SENS Motion® accelerometer

  6. Sedentary behaviour: Diary

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: A sedentary behaviour diary will be completed over seven consecutive days along with the physical activity diary. Sedentary behaviour metrics captured will be the duration of sitting, frequency of breaks in sitting, and the most common type of breaks across pre-defined segments of the day (i.e., morning, late morning, lunch, afternoon, dinner, evening, night).

    Measurement tool: Part of the Physical Activity Diary (PAD)

  7. Sedentary behaviour: Self-report

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Self-reported sedentary behaviour will be measured using a single-item questionnaire capturing regarding the weekly time (in hours) spent sitting during waking hours.

    Response options will be Almost all day, 13-15, 10-12, 7-9, 4-6, 1-3 hours and Never.

    Measurement tool: Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare questions for sedentary behaviour (SED-GIH)

  8. Sedentary behaviour: Device-measured

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Device-based sedentary behaviour will be measured using the thigh-worn triaxial SENS Motion® accelerometer. The accelerometer will be worn continuously for 9 consecutive days. Sedentary behaviour metrics captured will be total minutes of waking hours spent sedentary (sitting or reclining below 1.5 METs) and daily breaks in sedentary time.

    Measurement tool: SENS Motion® accelerometer

Other outcomes

  1. Cognitive function

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Cognitive function will be measured using the British Columbia Cognitive Complaints Inventory (BC-CCI), a six-item scale of perceived cognitive difficulties underlying depression, including memory, attention and concentration. Example item: "Forgetfulness / Memory Problems". The items are scored from 0=Not at all to 3=Very much. The sum of the six item scores ranges from 0 to 18. Higher scores indicate more severe perceived cognitive difficulties.

    Measurement tool: the British Columbia Cognitive Complaints Inventory (BC-CCI)

  2. Depression

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Depression will be measured using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S), a nine-item self-report measure assessing the severity of depressive symptoms, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.

    Example item: "Concentration difficulties". The items are scored from 0=Item-specific lowest/No symptom anchor to 6=Item-specific most severe anchor. The sum of the nine item scores ranges from 0 to 54. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptom severity.

    Measurement tool: the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S)

  3. Anxiety

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Anxiety will be measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale assessing the severity of generalized anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks. Example item: "Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge". The response options will be from 0=Not at all to 3=Nearly every day. The sum of the seven item scores ranges from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater severity/frequency of anxiety symptoms.

    Measurement tool: the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7)

  4. Pain - Numerical scale

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (6-8 weeks), 6- and 12-month follow-up

    For Phase 1 pilot RCT and Phase 2 full-scale RCT: Pain will be measured using the single-item Numerical Rating Scale for Pain (NRS-P), assessing pain severity and the extent to which pain interferes with daily functioning. The item is scored from 0=No pain to 10=Worst pain imaginable. A higher score indicates greater pain and interference.

    Measurement tool: the Numerical Rating Scale for Pain (NRS-P)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Sören Spörndly-Nees, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+46 722073089

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Uppsala County Council, Sweden

Other Gov

Collaborators

  • Uppsala University

Registry information

Acronym: INSOMNIAC

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2032
Study completion
2032
First posted
Aug 31, 2026
Registry last updated
Aug 31, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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