Short summary

More than half of those with chronic pain also suffer from insomnia, which exacerbates the pain condition. This project investigates whether digitally delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) has a greater effect on insomnia and pain than commonly delivered sleep hygiene education in patients with chronic pain and comorbid insomnia.

Rationale

CBT-I is considered as a cost-effective and safe treatment for insomnia and is recommended as first-line treatment. Randomized trials of CBT-I have shown beneficial effects on sleep efficiency and sleep quality, but also on pain immediately after treatment, followed by even larger effects 3-12 months after treatment. While effective, there is still a challenge to deliver CBT-I to those in need. The main barriers of face-to-face delivered CBT-I are availability of trained therapists, costs, as well as physical and geographical constraints. Digitally delivered CBT-I offers an independent, individualized, and scalable alternative that can be delivered at home, either before, simultaneously, or after other pain treatments. While the evidence has shown digital CBT-I to be highly efficacious in treating insomnia, and has examined face-to-face delivered CBT-I in patients with chronic pain, knowledge on the pain-relieving effect of digital CBT-I in patients with chronic pain and comorbid insomnia are sparse.

Description of the cohort

160 patients with chronic pain and insomnia. Participants will be recruited from the Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care in Odense University Hospital, social media and web sites.

Data and biological material

Questionnaire data on pain, sleep, and health-related quality of life as well as sleep data from ear EEG and sleep diaries. No biological material will be collected in the study.

Collaborating researchers and departments

Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Odense University Hospital

• Henrik Bjarke Vægter, Professor and supervisor
• Laila Bendix, MD and co-supervisor

Department of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Aarhus University

• Robert Bobby Zachariae, Professor and co-supervisor

Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics

• Jonas Bloch Thorlund, Professor and co-supervisor

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aarhus University

• Preben Kidmose, Professor