Self-help treatment for insomnia through television and book: A randomized trial

ObjectiveRecently, a Dutch educational broadcasting company developed a 6 week self-help course for insomnia, which consists of a book and television programmes. In this study we examined its effects.Methods247 subjects with sleep problems were recruited through the media and randomized to the self-help treatment (n = 126) or a waiting list control group (n = 121). The intervention group received the book, and for 6 consecutive weeks a DVD or videotape. Subjects were assessed before and after the course.ResultsBoth groups improved significantly with respect to sleep but there were no significant differences in improvements between the groups. However, the intervention group improved significantly more on secondary outcomes: the subjective evaluation of sleep quality (d = 0.65), dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep (d = 0.62), depressive symptoms (d = 0.35), and quality of life (d = 0.34).ConclusionCognitive-behavioral self-help treatment does not necessarily lead to sleep improvements but it does improve coping with insomnia.Practice implicationsAbout 2% of the Dutch adult population has watched the regular broadcastings of the course after the trial ended. This huge number of viewers underlines that there is a need for this type of low cost self-help treatment.