Sleep therapy versus trazodone for short-sleep insomnia 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-11416298 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $262,705 |
| NIH project number | 3UH3HL161342-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416298 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
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.
✕Less likely to help
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.
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.
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 gone: 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
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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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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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Cognitive behavioral therapy and trazodone for insomnia-related short sleep and high blood pressure
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.
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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.