New Study Finds Headspace’s Self-Guided Sleep Program Improves Symptoms of Insomnia

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Headspace, the provider of the world’s most accessible, comprehensive mental health solution, today announced new peer-reviewed research in JMIR highlighting the efficacy of its “Finding Your Best Sleep” program in improving sleep and mental health outcomes in adults with clinical insomnia.

With nearly 30% of adults reporting sleep difficulties, access to this new program could be game-changing.

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“Finding Your Best Sleep” is an 18-day, self-guided program designed to reduce racing thoughts, restlessness, and other common sleep barriers. It integrates evidence-based approaches–including cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)–to help users build lasting habits to improve sleep.

While CBT-I remains the gold standard for treating insomnia, it isn’t always accessible. “Finding Your Best Sleep” was created to expand low-cost access to effective sleep support by offering expert-led, self-guided sessions that can be completed anytime, anywhere. Included with a Headspace membership, it offers flexibility and affordability—removing common barriers to care.

Participants who completed the 18-session program for just 10 minutes or less a day experienced:

• 29% decrease in self-reported insomnia symptoms (as measured by the Insomnia Severity Index)
• Improvement in objective sleep quality, including sleep efficiency, onset latency, wake after sleep onset, tracked both subjectively via daily sleep diaries and objectively using wrist-worn actigraphy device
• 22% decrease in depression symptoms (as measured by self-reported PHQ-9 assessments)
• 27% decrease in anxiety symptoms (as measured by self-reported GAD-7 assessments)

“These compelling research findings represent a novel and scalable way to help individuals get the sleep they need,” said Dr. Aric Prather, Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Research Program at the University of California at San Francisco. “With nearly 30% of adults reporting sleep difficulties, access to this new program could be gamechanging.”

Conducted by researchers at Virginia Tech in collaboration with Headspace, the randomized controlled trial enrolled 132 adults (ages 18-65) with clinically significant insomnia symptoms. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (who completed the 18-day program) or a waitlist control group. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and three weeks after they completed the intervention. Benefits persisted beyond the program’s completion, suggesting improvements could be sustained.

“Headspace takes a unique and holistic approach to research, combining clinical trials and real world evidence, academic collaborations, and internal studies to validate both the efficacy and effectiveness of our products and services,” said Sarah Kunkle, Senior Director of Research at Headspace. “Although there has been prior research showing Headspace content can improve sleep, this study provides further compelling evidence that Headspace can help with more acute sleep conditions and symptoms, like insomnia, in a more accessible format compared to traditional treatments.”

Headspace’s guided programs are designed to help users stress less, sleep better, and learn to manage life’s challenges with greater ease, in a format that’s approachable, engaging, and grounded in science. Headspace’s “Managing Stress Program” decreased self-reported stress and increased sleep quality in users with elevated stress in just 20 days.

The publication of this study coincides with the general availability of Headspace’s newest program, “CBT for Anxiety and Depression,” designed to help members manage comorbid symptoms using CBT and mindfulness tools. A separate clinical trial evaluating this program has recently been completed, with findings pending peer review.

With 68 peer-reviewed studies, Headspace holds the largest evidence base in the digital mental health industry. Collaborations with over 100 academic and medical institutions continue to shape the development of Headspace’s end-to-end mental health offerings. If interested in evaluating Headspace for research, reach out to research@headspace.com.

About Headspace

Headspace is your lifelong guide to better mental health. We make mental health support accessible to everyone, no matter their background or experience. Through our flagship Headspace app, we provide mindfulness and mental health tools for everyday life, like guided meditations, sleepcasts, mindful movement, and mental health coaching. Our enterprise offerings combine this experience with EAP and work-life services, as well as therapy and psychiatry services – all in a single destination. Our team of experts ranges from mental health clinicians to Emmy award-winning producers, and data scientists, working together as one to help millions of people around the world be healthier and more productive. To learn more, please visit headspace.com.