New pilot study: Digital intervention for better sleep and mental wellbeing in students

Biological clock & Student wellbeing

Sleep problems are increasingly common among university students and are strongly linked to mood and anxiety disorders. An irregular day–night rhythm – caused by late bedtimes and social jetlag – worsens these complaints.

What was studied?

BioClock researcher Laura Pape (Leiden University) and her colleagues developed the digital self-help intervention ‘i-Sleep & BioClock’. This five-week program combines the proven online i-Sleep intervention, based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), with additional modules specifically addressing the biological clock. Subjects include light exposure, chronotype, and social jetlag. CBT-I helps individuals improve their sleep by targeting negative thought patterns and habits around sleep.

Through the MoodLift-platform form the Caring Universities Consortium, students completed six interactive modules, kept a daily sleep and light diary, and received guidance from trained e-coaches. A total of 101 students participated in this open pilot study using a pre/post-test design.

Key outcomes

Acceptance & Feasibility: How well was the intervention received?

• Of all registered students, 40% started the intervention and over one-third (32%) completed at least four out of six lessons.
• 67% of participants rated the online system as having “excellent” usability.
• Participants gave both the quality of the program and their overall satisfaction an average of 3.1 out of 4 points, categorized respectively as “good” and “mostly satisfied.”

“Very practical and gives self-awareness.”

“The modules are very informative and interesting and the interactiveness makes it fun.”

Effectiveness: What did students gain from completing the intervention?

• Their sleep problems significantly decreased – on average, moving from “moderate clinical insomnia” to “mild symptoms.”
• Symptoms of depression and anxiety also declined noticeably.
• Students felt better able to study and keep social commitments.
• According to sleep diaries, after seven weeks, participants slept an average of 16 minutes longer and had 5.4% better sleep efficiency (i.e., less time lying awake).
• The more modules completed, the greater the improvement in sleep. Each extra module led to additional progress.

“The program helped me a lot. Since then, I have clearly less trouble sleeping and I have completed all parts of the schedule. I would like to take another module as I benefited a lot from it.”

What does this mean?

This pilot study shows that an online program combining traditional CBT-I with biological clock advice (such as morning light exposure and consistent bedtimes) is well-received by students. Most participants who followed the program were satisfied and rated the platform as user-friendly.

While it’s not yet certain whether the program directly caused the improvements in sleep and wellbeing, the early results are promising. Not all students completed the program. However, the effects among those who did were substantial, suggesting it’s worthwhile to enhance usability further. Improvements could include a clearer onboarding process, flexible scheduling around exams, and more interactive features.

The researchers will now conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the intervention to standard online information to determine whether the observed improvements are truly due to the intervention.

Laura: “It was really fun to develop the new BioClock modules for the intervention and to coach some students myself. That gave valuable insights into their sleep issues and what challenges they face during the intervention. Many students found it difficult to stick to the program alongside their busy lives, sleep and wellbeing often take a back seat. But I was really happy to see that those who completed the study truly benefited from it.”

Full publication:

Pape L.M., Antypa N. et al. Open pilot study of a guided digital self‑help intervention targeting sleep and the biological clock in university students using a pre‑test post‑test design. Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598‑025‑04891‑8.