Cognitive behavioral therapy and trazodone for insomnia-related short sleep and high blood pressure
Official title: 1/2 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Trazodone Effects on Sleep and Blood Pressure in Insomnia Phenotypes Based on Objective Sleep Duration: A Sequential Cohort/Randomized Controlled Trial
Funded at Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr · NIH-11166505 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares talk-based sleep therapy and the medication trazodone to help adults with insomnia sleep longer and lower their blood pressure, especially if they sleep less than usual.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hershey, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,467,809 |
| NIH project number | 5UH3HL161342-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11166505 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with chronic insomnia and elevated blood pressure—particularly those whose sleep recordings show shorter-than-normal total sleep time—are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without insomnia, those with normal blood pressure, or people who cannot take trazodone for medical reasons are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be enrolled at one of four sites where your sleep will be measured objectively and you'll receive cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Researchers will sort participants into short-sleep insomnia or normal-sleep insomnia groups based on those objective sleep recordings and compare how well CBT-I works in each group. People who do not improve after CBT-I may be randomly assigned to take trazodone or a placebo without knowing which one they receive. The team will follow sleep, blood pressure, stress-hormone levels, and other health measures over time to see which treatments help which patients most.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could guide more personalized insomnia care that improves sleep and reduces blood pressure for people with short sleep duration.
How similar studies have gone: CBT-I is already a recommended first-line treatment for insomnia, and small pilot data suggest trazodone may increase sleep time and lower blood pressure in short-sleep insomnia, but large randomized trials are limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
Hershey, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vgontzas, Alexandros N — Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Vgontzas, Alexandros N
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Cognitive behavioral therapy and trazodone for insomnia phenotypes with high blood pressure
A clinical study tests how CBT-I and the sleep drug trazodone work for adults with insomnia and high blood pressure, focusing on a specific sleep duration pattern.
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Insomnia subtypes and sleep meds: CBT-I and trazodone for adults with high blood pressure
We’re testing whether a sleep therapy (CBT-I) and the antidepressant trazodone help adults with insomnia and high blood pressure, especially those with the short-sleep-insomnia subtype.
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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Trazodone for Sleep and Blood Pressure in Insomnia Subtypes
This program tests how CBT-I and trazodone help sleep and blood pressure in adults with insomnia, focusing on those with short sleep duration versus normal sleep duration.
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Sleep therapy versus trazodone for short-sleep insomnia and high blood pressure
This project compares a talk-based sleep program (CBT-I) and the medication trazodone to help adults with insomnia who also have elevated blood pressure, especially those who sleep less at night.
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Behavioral therapy and trazodone for insomnia types that affect sleep time and blood pressure
This research will compare cognitive behavioral therapy and the medication trazodone to help adults with insomnia and high blood pressure sleep more and lower their blood pressure.
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Effects of therapy and medication on sleep and blood pressure in people with insomnia
This study is looking at how two different treatments—Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and the medication trazodone—can help improve sleep quality and lower blood pressure in adults who struggle with insomnia, especially those who don’t get enough sleep.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.