Wir überwinden Grenzen

Germany-wide study comparing online-supported therapy for sleep disorders and traditional face-to-face therapy has begun / test subjects wanted

Around ten percent of people in Germany are affected by chronic sleep disorders. The "iSleep well" project, funded by the German Research Foundation with more than two million euros, is helping to make the necessary therapy available to more people with sleep disorders with the help of online services. Under the leadership of researchers from the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and the University of Lüneburg, the equivalence of online therapy and traditional in-person treatment is being tested.

Low access to cognitive behavioral therapy

"Insomnia impairs the quality of life of those affected and increases the risk of mental illness in the long term," says Prof. Dr. Dr. Kai Spiegelhalder, Deputy Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, who is leading the project together with Prof. Dr. Dirk Lehr from Leuphana University Lüneburg.

Clinical guidelines recommend cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the treatment of choice, but only around one percent of those affected receive this therapy. The majority of patients are treated with medication, which can lead to side effects. "That's why we want to investigate in the clinical study whether internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia is just as helpful as traditional CBT-I in the form of individual therapy in person," says Spiegelhalder.

Online texts, videos and audios

The researchers have developed an online therapy program that contains the same content as classic CBT-I and conveys it in the form of short texts, videos and audios. Study participants are accompanied through the program by a therapist. "All test subjects therefore benefit from one of the most effective therapies currently available for treating sleep disorders," says Spiegelhalder.

"iSleep well" is a multi-site study that is being conducted in cooperation between the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lübeck University of Applied Sciences and the Technical University of Munich. In addition, several clinics throughout Germany are involved in the project, for example in Mannheim, Erlangen and Ingolstadt. In total, more than 400 patients throughout Germany have the opportunity to be treated with the Linen Line Therapy as part of the large-scale study.

Interested parties can contact psy.isleep-well@uniklinik-freiburg.de by email . Further information on the study and participation can be found at www.isleep-well.de.