Sleep Coach: A Mobile App to Address Insomnia Symptoms Among Cancer Survivors

Difficulty sleeping, falling and/or staying asleep, is common in people after they have been diagnosed and treated for cancer. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is considered to be the preferred treatment but until now, there has been limited access for most people to CBT-I because it has required an in-person visit with a trained therapist. This research study is to test a mobile CBT-I app called MI Sleep Coach to deliver CBT-I. The goal of this study is to understand if people are willing to use the app, if they find it useful in helping with sleep difficulty and if they are satisfied with using it. The investigators hope to use information from this small feasibility study to study the effectiveness of the app in a larger group of cancer survivors and ultimately to help cancer survivors with sleep difficulties to sleep better.

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years of age or older
• Has completed curative-intent treatment (chemo, surgery, RT) for prostate, colon or breast cancer at least three months and not more than 5 years prior to study entry. Note: Ongoing hormonal therapy (i.e., tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, casodex), Herceptin and maintenance therapies are allowed.
• Ability to read and write English
• Ability to complete questionnaire(s) by themselves or with assistance.
• Reports trouble falling asleep or staying asleep on at least 3 nights per week (most weeks) for the last 3 months.
• Own an Android phone version 8 or higher (The latest version of Android is 11.0) or an iPhone running iOS 11 or higher (The latest version of iOS is 14.3.)
• Ability to provide informed written consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Inability to read and write English
• Diagnosis of a sleep disorder other than insomnia (e.g. sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy)
• Diagnosis of Insomnia prior to cancer diagnosis
• Reports physical symptoms that interfere with sleep, such as shortness of breath, pain, hot flashes, frequent urination
• Major psychiatric or medical condition other than cancer suspected to contribute to their sleep disturbance
• Evidence of active cancer (i.e. not considered NED)
• Currently or previously received CBT-I
• Patients who are night shift workers or subject to other external restrictions on their opportunity to sleep at night.