New sleep therapy offers hope for Broken-Hearted spouses
NCT ID NCT05803499
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a special sleep program for 40 people who recently lost their spouse or long-term partner. The program used online sessions to teach better sleep habits and was compared to just giving information. The goal was to see if it could improve sleep and reduce inflammation linked to grief.
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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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40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Finished
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Aug 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
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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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * 18 years or older * Has experienced the loss of a spouse/long-term cohabitating partner (i.e., partner who lived with participant for at least 1 year before passing) within the past 3 months * Scores 5 or above on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI; administered by research staff during phone screening call) * Must have access to an internet-enabled device (e.g., smartphone, computer, tablet) to take part in the online intervention Exclusion Criteria: * Under age 18 * Non-English speakers * Those with a previously diagnosed sleep disorder (e.g., restless leg syndrome; note: individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) will be eligible as long as they use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine at least 5 days a week for at least 5 hours per day) * Those who have been taking prescribed sleep medication(s) for 6 months or more * Those with autoimmune or inflammatory diseases (such as: acute or chronic immune system medical conditions, medications or other conditions that impact immune function (e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome \[CFS\], lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus \[SLE\], Hepatitis C, or any other immunosuppressive treatment requiring conditions, per investigator discretion). * Those who regularly use illegal substances. * Those who are on medications with major immunological consequences (e.g. steroids) * Women who are pregnant or nursing * Those who have been vaccinated in the past two weeks (note: these individuals may simply delay enrollment by two weeks if otherwise eligible) * Those with significant visual or auditory impairment, medical or psychiatric condition that is unstable, requires immediate treatment or is judged to interfere with study protocol (e.g., substance abuse, psychotic disorder, cognitive disorder, current suicidal ideation)
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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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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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