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Phone app with timely suggestions for sleep and body clock problems

Tests a phone app giving timely sleep suggestions to people with sleep problems.

Key facts

Who runs it
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Where
Hong Kong1 site in 1 countryChoose a country to see its sites
Trial code
Registry title
Optimisation and Evaluation of a Just-in-time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) for Sleep and Circadian Problems (Phase III)
Status
Not yet recruiting
People taking part
80 people, planned
Started
1 Jan 2026
Expected to end
28 Feb 2029
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets no study treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Optimised just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) based on TranS-C (GoodShleep+)
Record updated
11 December 2025

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults in Hong Kong with sleep or body-clock (circadian) problems for 3 months. It tests a smartphone app, GoodShleep+, against usual care.

Age
18 to 65 years
Sex
All sexes
Disease stage
At least 1 sleep or circadian problem for 3 months. Examples: taking 30 minutes or more to fall asleep on 3 or more nights per week, sleeping less than 6 hours or 9 hours or more, or falling asleep after 2:00 AM on 3 or more nights per week. People with sleep apnoea or periodic limb movement disorder can join.
Earlier treatment
Cannot join after any psychological treatment for sleep problems in the past 6 months.
Biomarker or test result
One or more PROMIS-Sleep Disturbance item scores of 4 or more after reverse scoring.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Serious untreated mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
  • Medical or memory/thinking problems, or medicine side effects, that cause the sleep problems
  • Night shift work more than 2 nights per week in the past 3 weeks
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • A condition that could get worse with sleep restriction

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 17 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Adults aged 18 to 65 years living in Hong Kong
  • Chinese language fluency and literacy
  • Experiencing ≥1 sleep or circadian problems for 3 months based on the Sleep and Circadian Problems Interview, an adapted version of the Insomnia Interview Schedule (i.e., time needed to fall asleep ≥30 minutes for ≥3 nights per week, wake after sleep onset ≥30 minutes for ≥3 nights per week, <6-hour sleep per night or ≥9-hour sleep per night per 24-hour period for ≥3 nights per week, variability in the sleepweek schedule ≥2.78 hours within a week, and falling asleep after 2:00 AM on ≥3 nights per week)
  • One or more PROMIS-Sleep Disturbance (PROMIS-SD) item scores ≥4 after reverse scoring
  • Having adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep to occur
  • Installing the JITAI app in an Internet-enabled mobile device (iOS or Android operating system)
  • Are willing to provide informed consent and comply with the trial protocol

Who cannot take part

  • Medication use and changes will be recorded
  • Self-report of a significant untreated severe mental illness (e.g., bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder)
  • Presence of medical or cognitive disorder(s), or side effects of medication that contribute significantly to sleep or circadian problems or make participation challenging based on the team's clinical judgement
  • Having a medical or psychiatric condition where sleep restriction is deemed unsuitable due to potential worsening of the condition; Other Criteria:
  • Individuals who have sleep apnoea or periodic limb movement disorder commonly experience co-occurring insomnia will be included in the study due to the potential benefits they may derive from TranS-C
  • To allow for greater generalisability, this study will not exclude those with mental disorders whose conditions are stable based on the research team's judgement
  • Involving in any psychological treatment for sleep disturbances in the past 6 months
  • Working night shift (>2 nights per week) in the past 3 weeks (i.e., regularly scheduled work from 12AM to 6AM)
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • If serious suicidal risk (i.e., Patient Health Questionnaire Item 9 score >2) is identified, the participant will be referred to the PA (a clinical psychologist) for further assessment and professional mental health services, if needed

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 18 and 65 years old?

This trial has no sites in United States.

It has sites in one country. Choose a country to see its sites.

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

The JITAI approach holds considerable promise for addressing current challenges in mHealth, including the limitations in supporting real-time monitoring, timely intervention, and poor adherence. However, research on JITAIs in the field of behavioural sleep medicine is still in its infancy. Leveraging existing pilot data, this project will entail a micro-randomised trial (MRT) designed to optimise the JITAI components and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to examine the efficacy of the optimised JITAI on sleep and circadian functions. Specifically, research has indicated that contextually tailored suggestions are more effective in promoting health behaviors compared to generic messages.This study will include personalised, in-the-moment actionable suggestions based on the Transdiagnostic Intervention for Sleep and Circadian Dysfunction (TranS-C) to evaluate their efficacy in contrast to generic messages and no notifications.

Read full original descriptionShow less

The proposed project will have three phases. Phase I will be the technological advancement of the JITAI app, GoodShleep. Based on research findings, additional intervention engagement strategies will be added to improve adherence, including personalisation (i.e., personalised feedback and intervention content), gamification (i.e., goal setting and rewards for a completed mission), and reminders (i.e., push notifications). The refined app will be beta-tested by the research team and five individuals experiencing sleep or circadian problems to ensure the app's functionality and usability. Issues that may arise during Phase I will be resolved prior to commencing Phase II.

Phase II will be an MRT aiming to optimise the advanced GoodShleep alongside wearable devices and ecological momentary assessment (EMA). A total of 77 participants with sleep or circadian problems will participate in the JITAI through the advanced GoodShleep, which will comprise (1) an 8-week, smartphone-based JITAI on TranS-C; (2) EMA prompted by push notifications to detect sleep-wake regularity and mood status; and (3) 24-hour real-time wearables assessing sleep and activity. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive contextually personalised suggestions, generic messages, and no notifications based on our micro-randomised algorithm.

Phase III will involve an RCT to evaluate the optimised JITAI app, GoodShleep+ in both short- (immediately after intervention) and medium-term (12 weeks after intervention). Eighty participants with sleep and circadian problems will be randomised into the optimised JITAI (GoodShleep+) and the care-as-usual (CAU) group in a 1:1 allocation ratio. The JITAI (GoodShleep) will be adjusted and finalised based on the findings from Phase II to transform into the optimised JITAI (GoodShleep+). The GoodShleep+ group will receive an 8-week, smartphone-based GoodShleep+ based on TranS-C. The CAU group will not receive the GoodShleep+ but will have access to usual care based on their needs and preferences. The CAU group will receive GoodShleep+ after completing all the assessments. Major assessments will be conducted at baseline, immediate post-intervention and 12-week follow-up. Participants' sleep conditions will be evaluated using the brief consensus sleep diary and wearables. Activity levels will be measured using wearables at multiple time points. Mood status will be assessed using selected items from PANAS-SF. Participants' weekly sleep and circadian functions will be monitored using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sleep Disturbance (SD) and Sleep-Related Impairment (SRI). Other outcomes will include sleep quality, anxiety and depression symptoms, sleep-related cognitions, overall daytime sleepiness, fatigue, quality of life and functional impairment. Intervention acceptability and intervention adherence will also be assessed.

The current registration is only for Phase III of the current research project.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Optimised just-in-time adaptive intervention (GoodShleep+) groupTreatment being tested

    Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) are defined as interventions that combine two characteristics: just-in-time (intervening in exact moments of need to reduce fatigue and improve adherence) and adaptive (selecting and delivering tailored interventions with the right type and amount in an adaptive manner based on the user's dynamic internal state and environment, typically through ecological momentary assessment and wearables). A comprehensive framework for JITAI design encompasses six key elements, including (1) decision points, (2) tailoring variables, (3) intervention options, and (4) decision rules. These decisions are guided by (5) proximal outcomes and (6) distal outcomes. The optimised Goodshleep+, which is based on and modified from the intervention protocol 'Transdiagnostic Intervention for Sleep and Circadian Dysfunction' (TranS-C) will be used. Context-based behavioural strategies will be suggested through push notifications based on specific decision rules.

    Treatment: Optimised just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) based on TranS-C (GoodShleep+)

  • Care-As-Usual GroupNo study treatment, for comparison

    The participants will not receive the Just-in-time Adaptive Intervention (GoodShleep+) but will have access to usual care based on their needs and preferences, including but not limited to pharmacological interventions, psychological interventions, and complementary and alternative medicine. An intervention tracking log will be used to monitor the care the participants receive during the study period. The CAU group will receive GoodShleep+ after completing all the assessments. The team will monitor the participants' weekly sleep and circadian functions using PROMIS- SD/SRI and refer those who have serious suicidal risk to the PA for further assessment and professional mental health services if deemed necessary.

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Optimisation and Outcome Evaluation of a Just-in-time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) for Sleep and Circadian Problems: A Micro-randomised Trial and a Randomised Controlled Trial
Plain-language title
Phone app with timely suggestions for sleep and body clock problemsGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 14 November 2026.
Fit questions
Built from NCT07277049, who can take part
Record updated
11 December 2025