Intensive Sleep Retraining and Total Sleep Deprivation for Treating Chronic Insomnia

The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of intensive sleep retraining for treating insomnia and explore its potential mechanisms of action. Specifically, it sought to determine whether the resolution of conditioned insomnia is the main therapeutic ingredient of intensive sleep retraining, or whether the increase in homeostatic sleep drive due to sleep deprivation accounts for sleep improvements. To isolate those two components, this study compared the short and long-term efficacy of intensive sleep retraining and total sleep deprivation for the treatment of chronic insomnia in comparison to a control condition.