Cognitive behavioral therapy and trazodone for insomnia-related short sleep and high blood pressure
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
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 ID | NIH-11166505 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with chronic insomnia and elevated blood pressure—particularly those whose sleep recordings show shorter-than-normal total sleep time—are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without insomnia, those with normal blood pressure, or people who cannot take trazodone for medical reasons are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
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 performed: 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
Hershey, United States
- 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
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 below.