Examining the effectiveness of two smartphone applications for improving symptoms of insomnia

INTERVENTION: Mindfulness smartphone application, developed by Headspace and commercially available. The application takes the user through daily guided mindfulness meditations lasting approximately 10 minutes each, for 60 days. Participants will be asked to complete one guided‐meditation exercise per day during the day time, and will be explicitly instructed to not use the application as a method to fall asleep. For the first 30 days of the intervention, participants will learn basic mindfulness skills. For the next 30 days, participants will undertake an extension of mindfulness skills designed specifically for the area of improving sleep. Data on app usage (e.g. amount of time per day, number of days per week) will be remotely recorded by Headspace. CONDITION: Insomnia PRIMARY OUTCOME: Change in Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS‐21) score from baseline Change in Insomnia Severity Index score from baseline SECONDARY OUTCOME: Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire Short Form change from baseline Metacognitions Questionnaire – Insomnia change from baseline INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1) Self‐reported difficulties in any of the three core symptoms of insomnia:: difficulties initiating sleep, difficulties maintaining sleep, or early morning awakenings with an inability to return to sleep (a score of 8 or higher on the Insomnia Severity Index). 2) 18 years or over 3) Access to a smartphone device, as the intervention will be delivered via a smartphone application.