Sleep therapy versus trazodone for short-sleep insomnia 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 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.
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-11416298 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will first measure your sleep to classify whether you have short sleep or normal sleep time, then offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Adults whose insomnia does not improve after CBT-I may be randomly given trazodone or a placebo to see if the medicine helps increase sleep and lower blood pressure. The work is happening at four sites and aims to follow about 600 adults with insomnia and elevated blood pressure. Study visits include sleep measurements, blood pressure checks, and treatment sessions over several months.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older who have chronic insomnia and elevated blood pressure and who agree to objective sleep measurement and follow-up visits are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People without insomnia or without elevated blood pressure, those unwilling to undergo sleep measurement or CBT-I, or those already using trazodone long-term may not be helped by this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify which people benefit most from CBT-I or from trazodone and possibly improve sleep and lower blood pressure for those with short-sleep insomnia.
How similar studies have performed: CBT-I is established as first-line treatment for insomnia but may work less well in the short-sleep subtype, while trazodone is widely used but understudied; pilot data suggest trazodone can increase sleep time and lower evening cortisol and blood pressure in short-sleep insomnia.
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.