Cognitive training at home for clinically defined insomnia: effects on sleep and psychological functioning

TL;DR

A home-based computerized cognitive training program may improve sleep and reduce symptoms in people with insomnia.

Contribution

This study explores the feasibility and potential benefits of home-based cognitive training for insomnia.

Findings

Participants showed significant reductions in insomnia severity and sleep complaints.

Depressive symptoms and worry decreased significantly after the intervention.

Improvements were also observed in executive functioning and global cognitive performance.

Abstract

Insomnia is widespread globally and is often maintained by dysfunctional cognitive-emotional processes. This open-label feasibility study examined whether participation in a home-based computerized cognitive training (CCT) program implemented via a commercial platform was associated with changes in sleep and related outcomes in adults from the general population reporting persistent sleep difficulties.

Thirty-two adults completed a four-week CCT intervention delivered via the CogniFit platform. The program consisted of 20 self-guided training sessions (∼45 min each), combining cognitive tasks targeting attention, memory, and executive functioning. Standardized self-report questionnaires and a computerized cognitive battery were administered immediately before and after the intervention to assess sleep quality, mood, cognition, and quality of life. Changes over time were examined using repeated-measures analyses, with Gender included as an exploratory between-subjects factor.

Relative to baseline, post-intervention assessments showed statistically significant reductions in insomnia severity and sleep complaints, along with decreases in depressive symptoms and worry. Changes were also observed in executive functioning and global cognitive performance. No significant change was found in self-reported quality of life. Exploratory analyses indicated gender-related differences in depressive symptoms, worry, and executive functioning.

In this community sample, participation in a cognitively oriented computerized training program was associated with changes in sleep-related, emotional, and cognitive measures over time. Given the single-group feasibility design and modest sample size, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary and do not allow conclusions regarding clinical efficacy. Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to determine whether such cognitively focused interventions provide benefits beyond non-specific effects and to clarify their role as adjuncts within multimodal approaches to insomnia.

Figures