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Sleep Quality and Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Risks in Adults With Hypertension

Sleep Quality and Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Risks in Adults With Hypertension

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04009447
Enrollment
149
Registered
2019-07-05
Start date
2020-02-14
Completion date
2025-01-02
Last updated
2026-02-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hypertension, Insomnia

Brief summary

The objective of this study is to elucidate the potential mechanisms responsible for the increased risk of cardiovascular disease among patients with hypertension and comorbid insomnia.

Detailed description

The investigators propose to utilize a behavioral intervention to manipulate sleep quality in 150 adults with hypertension and comorbid insomnia, who will receive a 6-week Cognitive Behavioral therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) intervention, which has been shown to markedly improve sleep quality and promote consolidated sleep in approximately 60% of those treated. A lowering of nighttime blood pressure is one of several proposed mechanisms to be examined.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALCognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

6-week CBT-I therapy to help improve sleep quality

Sponsors

Duke University
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

All participants will receive the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
30 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Systolic BP ≥ 130 mm Hg based upon two standardized BP screening assessments * A current diagnosis of insomnia disorder as defined in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-3); or undiagnosed, but suspected, insomnia disorder that is confirmed at their screening lab visit

Exclusion criteria

* Uncontrolled hypertension (screening office BP \> 160/100 mm Hg) * Antihypertensive medication use * Cardiovascular medications * Previously diagnosed moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea * Severe obesity defined by BMI\>40 kg/m2 * Pacemakers * Atrial fibrillation * Acute coronary syndrome or coronary revascularization procedure within 6 months of enrollment * Congestive heart failure * Identifiable cause of hypertension (e.g., primary hyperaldosteronism, renal artery stenosis, untreated hyper- or hypothyroidism, chronic kidney disease, Cushing's disease, pheochromocytoma, coarctation of the aorta) * Severe uncorrected valvular heart disease * Current pregnancy * Active diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder * Diabetes * Severely impaired hearing or speech * Participation in another interventional study to address insomnia * Rotating shift workers * Prominent suicidal or homicidal ideation (as assessed through a clinical interview) * Psychiatric Hospitalization within the past 12 months * Alcohol or drug abuse within 12 months * Exposure-based PTSD treatment * Dementia * Unstable comorbid sleep disorder requiring assessment and/or treatment outside of the study protocol * Medical or psychiatric conditions judged to be the primary cause of insomnia * Inability to comply with the assessment procedures or inability to provide informed consent.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Blood Pressure During the Nighttime Sleep PeriodBaseline, 6 months post-interventionAverage nighttime blood pressure measured before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 months post-intervention).
Change in Sleep During the Nighttime Sleep Period as Measured by Sleep DiaryBaseline, 6 months post-interventionSleep efficiency (percent-time asleep during the sleep period) measured before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 months post-intervention).
Change in Sleep During the Nighttime Sleep Period as Measured by ActigraphyBaseline, 6 months post-interventionSleep efficiency (percent-time asleep during the sleep period) measured by actigraphy before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 months post-intervention).
Changes in Insomnia Severity as Measured by the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)Baseline, 6 months post-interventionThe ISI is a seven-item questionnaire where respondents rate each element using Likert-type scales. Responses can range from 0 to 4 and are summed for a total score range of 0 to 28, where higher scores indicate more acute symptoms of insomnia.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Awake Blood PressureBaseline, 6 months post-interventionAverage awake blood pressure (mm Hg) measured by 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 months post-intervention).
Change in Nighttime Blood Pressure Dip PercentageBaseline, 6 months post-interventionAverage percent change in blood pressure before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 months post-intervention).
Change in Vascular Endothelial FunctionBaseline, 6 months post-interventionPercent dilation of the brachial artery to reactive hyperemia measured by flow mediated dilation before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 months post-intervention).
Change in Arterial StiffnessBaseline, 6 months post-interventionPulse wave velocity (m/s) of the descending aorta measured using the Complior system before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 months post-intervention).
Change in Lipid Profile - HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein), LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein), and TriglyceridesBaseline, 6 months post-interventionLipids (HDL, LDL, and Triglycerides) from fasting venous blood draw measured before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 months post-intervention).
Change in Nighttime Sympathetic Nervous System ActivityPre-CBT-I Baseline (6 weeks) to post-CBT-I (12 weeks)Measured by 24 hour urine collection (awake and sleep period collection separated) assayed for catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine) before and after CBT-I. Adjusted via creatinine normalization by dividing by the urine creatinine concentration.
Change in Sleep Fragmentation During the Nighttime Sleep PeriodBaseline, 6 weeks post-interventionSleep Fragmentation Index (SFI) measured by actigraphy before CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) (baseline) and after CBT-I (6 weeks post-intervention). The SFI measures how often sleep is interrupted by brief awakenings or shifts between sleep stages, calculated by dividing the number of these transitions by total sleep time
Change in Subjective Sleep QualityPre-CBT-I baseline (6 week) to post-CBT-I (12 weeks)Subjective Sleep Quality measured by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) before and after CBT-I. The PSQI is a widely used, self-report questionnaire that assesses sleep quality and disturbances over a one-month period, identifying factors like sleep latency (time to fall asleep), duration, disturbances, medication use, and daytime dysfunction, yielding a global score (0-21) where higher scores indicate poorer sleep.
Change in Clinic Blood PressureBaseline to 6 months post-interventionAverage office seated blood pressure taken by automated clinic blood pressure monitor after 5 minutes rest and based on the average of 3 readings taken at one minute intervals (mm Hg)

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAndrew Sherwood, PhD

Duke University

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Continuous47.8 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.4
Body Mass Index (BMI)27.5 kg/m^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.7
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race
Asian
5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race
Black
23 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race
Other
2 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Race
White
97 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
127 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
67 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
60 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 149
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 149
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 149

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 24, 2026