About the Trial

40-85% of patients with ESRD on dialysis experience significant sleep problems, and this in turn contributes to other problems such as daytime sleepiness, fatigue, depression, and poor quality of life. Therefore, there is a compelling need to identify treatments that are effective in improving insomnia in patients undergoing hemodialysis. .

In short, the SLEEP-HD trial will compare if cognitive behavioral therapy with drug therapy for improving insomnia in these patients. It will also see if treating insomnia improves symptoms of fatigue, pain, depression, and anxiety, and improves patients’ overall quality of life.

It may be difficult for patients on dialysis to get treatment for insomnia. They don’t wish to take another pill unless they are certain that it will work or go to an appointment with a therapist in addition to all their other medications and appointments. One unique aspect of this study is that patients can participate in CBT-I using telehealth. Telehealth is a method of providing health education and support using telecommunication technologies. It is a two-way video interaction between the patient and the therapist.

We hope this study will give us information about these treatments to see if they do help dialysis patients improve their sleep and decrease their symptoms, and to see if CBT-I is well received using a telehealth method.