Research shows: Digital sleep training works
Digital sleep training improves sleep and helps improve mental, emotional and social health, according to studies. Studies already conducted on the efficacy of sleep² show: Problems falling and staying asleep improve and the perceived quality of life increases.
Improved sleep quality with lasting effects
Data show an 18 percent improvement in sleep quality among people with poor or very poor sleep quality when using sleep² over a six-week period. In addition to acutely reducing insomnia symptoms, these effects have been shown to last weeks beyond use of the app.
sleep² reduces the time needed to fall asleep
It shows a 26 percent improvement in what is known as sleep onset latency: that is the time it takes to detect the first stage of sleep.
sleep² reduces the wake-up frequency
Using sleep² reduces the frequency of waking up by up to 59 percent. As a result, people are more likely to sleep through the night and the subjectively perceived quality of sleep improves.
sleep² improves mental health
Compared to the start of treatment, regular use of sleep² results in significant improvements in general psychological distress, depression as well as anxiety.
Published studies
Hinterberger, A., Eigl, E.-S., Schwemlein, R. N., Topalidis, P., & Schabus, M. (2023). Investigating the subjective and objective efficacy of a cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)-based smartphone app on sleep: A randomised controlled trial. Journal of Sleep Research, [14136]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14136
Topalidis, P. I., Baron, S., Heib, D. P. J., Eigl, E-S., Hinterberger, A., & Schabus, M. (2023). From Pulses to Sleep Stages: Towards Optimized Sleep Classification Using Heart-Rate Variability. Sensors, 23(22), [9077]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s23229077
Topalidis, P., Heib, D. P. J., Baron, S., Eigl, E-S., Hinterberger, A., & Schabus, M. (2023). The Virtual Sleep Lab—A Novel Method for Accurate Four-Class Sleep Staging Using Heart-Rate Variability from Low-Cost Wearables. Sensors, 23(5), [2390]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s23052390
Schabus, M., Eigl, E.-S., Topalidis, P., & Hinterberger, A. (2023). Efficacy of digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia: A randomised controlled trial using a new App that tracks sleep continuously using HRV. Poster presented at the World Sleep 2023, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 20th – 25th 2023.
Topalidis, P., Heib, D. P. J., Baron, S., Eigl, E.-S., Hinterberger, A., & Schabus, M. (2023). From Pulses to Sleep Stages: using Heart-Rate Variability from Low-Cost Wearable Devices for Accurate four-class sleep stage classification. Poster presented at the World Sleep 2023, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 20th – 25th 2023.
Hinterberger, A., Eigl, E.-S., Topalidis, P., & Schabus, M. (2023). P.628 - The Influence Of Personality Traits And Technical Affinity On Insomnia Severity And Sleep Quality In App-Based Digital CBT-I – Preliminary Results. Poster presented at the 48. Jahrestagung "Psychologie & Gehirn" (PuG) 2023, Tübingen, Germany, June 20th – 25th 2023.
Schabus, M., Eigl, E.-S., Hinterberger, A., Hauser, T., & Topalidis, P. (2022). NUKKUAA – Eine innovative App zur Schlafanalyse und zur Behandlung von Schlaflosigkeit: Eine erste Wirksamkeitsstudie. Poster presented at the 30th Jahrestagung of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schlafmedizin (DGSM), Wiesbaden, Germany, November 10th – 12th 2022.
Hinterberger, A., Eigl, E.-S., Hauser, T., Topalidis, P., & Schabus, M. (2022). NUKKUAA: Insomnie-Behandlung mittels neuer Smartphone-App - erste Ergebnisse und klinische Relevanz. Poster presented at the 30th Jahrestagung of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schlafmedizin (DGSM), Wiesbaden, Germany, November 10th – 12th 2022.
Schabus, M. (2022). Nukkuaa – a novel mobile phone application for tracking sleep and treating insomnia: a first efficacy study. Poster presented at the 26th Conference of the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS) 2022, Athen, Greece, September, 27th – 30th 2022.
Eigl, E.-S., Hauser, T., & Schabus, M. (2022). On the efficacy of a web-based treatment program for sleep disorders and insomnia - a pilot study. Poster presented at the 26th Congress of the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS), Athens, Greece, September 27th – 30th 2022.
Hinterberger, A., Eigl, E.-S., Hauser, T., Topalidis, P., & Schabus, M. (2022). NUKKUAA: Insomnia treatment using a novel smartphone App – First results and clinical data. Poster presented at the 26th Congress of the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS), Athens, Greece, September 27th – 30th 2022.
Further literature & evidence for the effectiveness of digital sleep therapy
Riemann, D., Espie, C. A., Altena, E., Sif Arnardottir, E., Baglioni, C., Bassetti, C. L. A., Bastien, C., Berzina, N., Bjorvatn, B., Dikeos, D., Dolenc Groselj, L., Ellis, J. G., Garcia-Borreguero, D., Geoffroy, P. A., Gjerstad, M., Gonçalves, M., Hertenstein, E., Hödlmoser, K., ... Schabus, M., ... Spiegelhalder, K. (2023). The European Insomnia Guideline: An update on the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia 2023. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(6), [e14035].
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14035
Eigl, E-S., Hauser, T., Topalidis, P. I., & Schabus, M. (2023). On the Efficacy of a CBT-I-Based Online Program for Sleep Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Clocks & Sleep, 5(4), 590-603. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/clockssleep5040039
Eigl, E-S., Urban-Ferreira, L. K., & Schabus, M. (2023). A low-threshold sleep intervention for improving sleep quality and well-being. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, [1117645]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1117645
The World Health Organization quality of life (WHOQOL) - BREF
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Zachariae, R., Lyby, M. S., Ritterband, L. M., & O'Toole, M. S. (2016). Efficacy of internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia–a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Sleep medicine reviews, 30, 1-10.
Soh, H. L., Ho, R. C., Ho, C. S., & Tam, W. W. (2020). Efficacy of digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sleep medicine, 75, 315–325.
Logging on for better sleep: RCT of the effectiveness of online treatment for insomnia
Vincent, N., & Lewycky, S. (2009). Logging on for better sleep: RCT of the effectiveness of online treatment for insomnia. Sleep, 32(6), 807-815.
Long-Term Effects of an Unguided Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Insomnia
Vedaa, Ø., Hagatun, S., Kallestad, H., Pallesen, S., Smith, O. R., Thorndike, F. P., . . . Sivertsen, B. (2019). Long-Term Effects of an Unguided Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Insomnia. Journal of clinical sleep medicine: JCSM: official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 15(1), 101-110.
Ritterband, L. M., Thorndike, F. P., Ingersoll, K. S., Lord, H. R., Gonder-Frederick, L., Frederick, C., . . .Morin, C. M. (2017). Effect of a web-based cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia intervention with 1-year follow-up: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA psychiatry, 74(1), 68-75.
Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (dCBT) for Insomnia: a state-of-the-science review
Luik, A. I., Kyle, S. D., & Espie, C. A. (2017). Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (dCBT) for Insomnia: a state-of-the-science review. Current sleep medicine reports, 3(2), 48–56.
Digitale Behandlungsangebote für Insomnie – eine Übersichtsarbeit
Spiegelhalder, K., Acker, J., Baumeister, H., Büttner-Teleaga, A., Danker-Hopfe, H., Ebert, D. D. … Crönlein, T. (2020). Digitale Behandlungsangebote für Insomnie – eine Übersichtsarbeit. Somnologie 24, 106–114.