Effectiveness of Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation for Improving Insomnia and Sleep Cycles in Healthcare Professionals: A Pilot Study

Sleep disorders are recognized by the World Health Organization as a major global health issue, particularly among healthcare professionals exposed to high occupational stress and irregular work schedules. Although conventional pharmacological treatments for insomnia can be effective, they are often associated with adverse effects and the risk of dependence. Consequently, non-pharmacological approaches have gained increasing attention. Among these, audio-based brainwave entrainment has been proposed as a potential method to facilitate sleep initiation and stabilization through neural synchronization mechanisms.

This prospective pilot interventional study adopts a single-group pretest-posttest design to evaluate the effects of Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation (BDAS) on sleep quality in healthcare professionals. A total of 15 participants aged 20-65 years who report subjective sleep disturbances will be recruited from Chi Mei Medical Center, including nurses, physicians, therapists, and other allied healthcare workers. Exclusion criteria include recent use of hypnotics or psychotropic medications, diagnosed sleep disorders, and a history of major psychiatric, neurological, or severe chronic illnesses.

Participants will use BDAS once nightly for two consecutive weeks. Objective sleep-related data will be collected using short-duration EEG-based recordings before and after the intervention to assess sleep onset, sleep efficiency, and sleep stage distribution in accordance with standardized sleep scoring criteria. Subjective sleep outcomes will be evaluated using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).

Pre-post changes in ISI scores will be analyzed using paired-sample t tests, with effect sizes estimated using Cohen's d. EEG-derived sleep parameters will be analyzed using paired-sample t tests at the participant level for sleep onset latency and unpaired t tests at the recording-session level for sleep efficiency, reflecting the exploratory nature of the study. Effect sizes will be reported using Cohen's d or Hedges' g.

All study data will be de-identified and securely stored on password-protected institutional servers accessible only to authorized research personnel. Participation is voluntary, and participants may withdraw at any time without penalty. This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chi Mei Medical Center (IRB No. 11404-012; approval date: August 14, 2025).

Inclusion criteria

• Licensed healthcare workers currently employed at Chi Mei Medical Center.
• Aged between 20 and 65 years.
• Experiencing subjective sleep disturbance or poor sleep quality for at least one month.
• Willing to participate in the Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation sessions for two consecutive weeks.
• Able to provide informed consent and complete questionnaires and EEG assessments.

Exclusion criteria

• Current use of sedative-hypnotic medication, psychiatric medication, or other sleep-related pharmacotherapy.
• Diagnosed sleep disorders (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome).
• History of epilepsy, major psychiatric illness, or neurological disorder.
• Significant hearing impairment that interferes with audio stimulation.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women.