Can a phone app cure your insomnia? new trial tests sound therapy that syncs with your breath
NCT ID NCT07295431
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a smartphone app called BELL-001 that plays personalized sounds in sync with your breathing to help you relax and fall asleep. 114 adults with insomnia will use the app or a sham version nightly for 4 weeks. Researchers will measure changes in sleep quality and daytime function to see if the app works as a safe, drug-free treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- smartphone-based digital therapeutic delivering personalized auditory stimulation synchronized with breathing
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a safe, non-drug option to help people with insomnia fall asleep more easily and improve daytime function.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with only 114 participants, and the sham control may show similar effects. The app may not work for everyone, and long-term benefits are unknown.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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116 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Finished
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Jul 2026
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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19 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 19 to 75 years. * Clinical diagnosis of insomnia disorder according to ICD-10 criteria (non-organic insomnia or sleep initiation/maintenance disorder). * Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) score ≥ 15 at screening. * Reports difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep at least 3 nights per week for ≥ 3 months. * Willing and able to use a smartphone-based digital therapeutic during the pre-sleep period for 4 weeks. * Able to provide informed consent and comply with study procedures. Exclusion Criteria: * Other primary sleep disorders (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders). * Major psychiatric disorders that may interfere with study assessment (e.g., psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, severe major depressive episode). * Substance use disorder, including alcohol or hypnotic misuse, within the past 12 months. * Use of sleep-inducing medications or CNS-active drugs that cannot be stabilized or discontinued per protocol. * Significant medical or neurological conditions that may affect sleep or study outcomes (e.g., severe cardiovascular, respiratory, or neurological disease). * Night-shift workers or individuals with irregular sleep-wake schedules. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding. * Participation in another interventional clinical study within the past 30 days. * Any condition judged by the investigator to interfere with study participation, safety, or data validity.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CHA Bundang Hospital
Seoul, South Korea
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Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital
Seoul, South Korea
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Kangbuk Samsung Hospital
Seoul, South Korea
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Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong
Seoul, South Korea
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Kyung Hee University Medical Center
Seoul, South Korea
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Seoul National University Hospital
Seoul, 03080, South Korea
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