Veterans' nightmares tracked at home in new sleep study
NCT ID NCT03974503
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study monitored the sleep of 48 veterans with trauma-related nightmares using in-home devices. Researchers aimed to understand how nightmares affect sleep and how they change with cognitive-behavioral therapy. The goal is to improve personalized care for veterans suffering from these nightmares.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescripting Therapy (ERRT) and Sleep and Nightmare Management
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to better ways to monitor and treat trauma-related nightmares in veterans, improving sleep and mental health.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed observational study with only 48 participants, so results may not apply to all veterans. It focused on understanding, not proving a treatment works.
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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48 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Dec 2019
- Finished
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Apr 2025
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.
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 years and older
- 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: * Be a Veteran enrolled to receive VA medical care at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System * Have stable housing for the duration of the study period * Have experienced any traumatic event meeting Criterion A for PTSD at least three months before the baseline assessment * Meet criteria for a current PTSD diagnosis or subthreshold PTSD diagnosis * Self-report experiencing trauma-related nightmares at least once per week for the past month, that are mostly-remembered and that cause awakening * Self-report global sleep disturbance indicated by a score of 5 or greater on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) * Be stable on any psychoactive medications for a minimum of two weeks before the baseline assessment Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to provide fully-informed written consent to participate and/or a bed partner does not agree to mattress recording during the in-home portion of the study * Medical conditions that limit ability to apply the treatment e.g., needing a health aide or caregiver to record sleep diaries, unable to get out of bed without assistance * Current pregnancy and/or birth of a child within the previous 6 months * Current alcohol or illicit substance use disorders or early remission (at least 3 months abstinent) * Active suicidal or homicidal ideation * A history of any bipolar disorder spectrum disorder or psychotic disorder * Hospitalization for a mental health disorder in the past 2 months * Enrolled in current PTSD-focused treatment (e.g., Cognitive Processing Therapy or Prolonged Exposure), current nightmare treatment or a history of treatment failure with a cognitive-behavioral nightmare intervention * Veterans may also be excluded from participation if they have been identified by the local VA disruptive behavior committee to have displayed disruptive, threatening and/or violent behavior
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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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Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55417-2309, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a combined program help veterans in substance use care quit smoking?
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- Can targeting guilt ease PTSD in veterans?
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