Effectiveness of Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation for Improving Insomnia and Sleep Cycles in Healthcare Professionals: A Pilot Study

Sleep Disturbances and Insomnia

Sleep Disturbance, Healthcare Workers, Non-Pharmacological Intervention, Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation (BDAS) in improving sleep quality among healthcare professionals experiencing insomnia. Healthcare workers are frequently exposed to high occupational stress, irregular work schedules, and sleep disturbances, which may adversely affect mental well-being, cognitive performance, and clinical care. Participants will use BDAS once daily for 30 minutes over a two-week period under standardized conditions. Both subjective and objective sleep-related outcomes will be assessed. Subjective sleep quality will be evaluated using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Objective sleep parameters will be derived from short-duration EEG-based sleep recordings, including measures of sleep onset, sleep efficiency, and sleep stage distribution based on standardized scoring criteria. This study seeks to determine whether audio-based neural entrainment through BDAS can facilitate sleep initiation and improve sleep efficiency in a real-world healthcare setting. As a non-pharmacological and non-invasive intervention, BDAS may offer healthcare professionals a safe and practical approach to managing insomnia and supporting overall well-being.

Sleep disorders are recognized by the World Health Organization as a major global health issue, particularly among healthcare professionals exposed to high occupational stress and irregular work schedules. Although conventional pharmacological treatments for insomnia can be effective, they are often associated with adverse effects and the risk of dependence. Consequently, non-pharmacological approaches have gained increasing attention. Among these, audio-based brainwave entrainment has been proposed as a potential method to facilitate sleep initiation and stabilization through neural synchronization mechanisms. This prospective pilot interventional study adopts a single-group pretest-posttest design to evaluate the effects of Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation (BDAS) on sleep quality in healthcare professionals. A total of 15 participants aged 20-65 years who report subjective sleep disturbances will be recruited from Chi Mei Medical Center, including nurses, physicians, therapists, and other allied healthcare workers. Exclusion criteria include recent use of hypnotics or psychotropic medications, diagnosed sleep disorders, and a history of major psychiatric, neurological, or severe chronic illnesses. Participants will use BDAS once nightly for two consecutive weeks. Objective sleep-related data will be collected using short-duration EEG-based recordings before and after the intervention to assess sleep onset, sleep efficiency, and sleep stage distribution in accordance with standardized sleep scoring criteria. Subjective sleep outcomes will be evaluated using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Pre-post changes in ISI scores will be analyzed using paired-sample t tests, with effect sizes estimated using Cohen's d. EEG-derived sleep parameters will be analyzed using paired-sample t tests at the participant level for sleep onset latency and unpaired t tests at the recording-session level for sleep efficiency, reflecting the exploratory nature of the study. Effect sizes will be reported using Cohen's d or Hedges' g. All study data will be de-identified and securely stored on password-protected institutional servers accessible only to authorized research personnel. Participation is voluntary, and participants may withdraw at any time without penalty. This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chi Mei Medical Center (IRB No. 11404-012; approval date: August 14, 2025).

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