Sleep and Arterial Function in Hypertensive Patients With Poor Sleep Quality (SLEEP-ARTerY)

August 24, 2026 updated by: Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave, EPE

Impact of Sleep on Arterial Function, Psychological and Cognitive Complaints in Hypertensive Patients With Poor Sleep Quality

This prospective, parallel-group randomised controlled trial evaluates whether cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) improves arterial function and psychological and cognitive outcomes in hypertensive patients with poor sleep quality. Adults aged 18-70 with controlled hypertension and poor baseline sleep quality (sleep efficiency <=85%) are randomised 1:1 to CBT-I (four weekly 60-minute sessions) or passive sleep education. The primary outcomes are change from baseline in pulse wave velocity and central arterial pressure at 12 months. Secondary outcomes include blood pressure, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, cognitive complaints, and sleep quality, assessed at baseline, 1, 6, and 12 months.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Background: Poor sleep quality is associated with increased arterial stiffness, depression, and cognitive decline, all of which contribute to cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients. This trial tests whether improving sleep through CBT-I can attenuate arterial dysfunction and psychological/cognitive burden.

Design: Prospective, single-centre, parallel-group randomised controlled trial with 1:1 allocation, conducted at the Hypertension and Psychiatry Outpatient Clinics of the Unidade Local de Saude Alto Ave (ULSAAVE).

Intervention: CBT-I delivered in four weekly 60-minute sessions (sleep hygiene, stimulus control, relaxation techniques), adapted for participants with mild obstructive sleep apnea or comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea (COMISA).

Comparator: Passive sleep education (informational leaflets plus non-interactive follow-up calls); control participants are offered CBT-I after study completion.

Randomisation and blinding: Computer-generated block randomisation (blocks of 4-6), 1:1 allocation, with allocation concealment via sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes managed by a third party. Outcome assessors and data analysts are blinded; participants are partially blinded (control presented as an educational intervention).

Sample size: 234 participants (117 per group), accounting for 20% attrition, powered (80%, alpha 0.05) to detect a 0.4 m/s between-group difference in pulse wave velocity at 12 months.

Analysis: Linear mixed-effects models for repeated measures (time as fixed effect, participant as random effect, group as factor), with baseline apnea-hypopnea index included as a covariate.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
234

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Portugal
    • Braga District
      • Guimarães, Braga District, Portugal, 4835-044
        • Recruiting
        • Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave - Hospital Senhora da Oliveira
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Sofia Gomes
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ana Daniela Ferreira

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 to 70 years
  • Controlled hypertension
  • Poor baseline sleep quality (sleep efficiency <=85% assessed via actigraphy or type II polysomnography)
  • Capable of providing informed consent
  • Participants with mild obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index 5-14.9/h on type II polysomnography) who do not meet criteria for CPAP/PAP therapy are eligible

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe cardiovascular disease (e.g., acute myocardial infarction or stroke)
  • Severe neurological diseases
  • Moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (AHI >=15/h) or any obstructive sleep apnea with an indication for CPAP/PAP therapy
  • Central disorders of hypersomnolence
  • Intellectual disability
  • Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: CBT-I
Cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia: four weekly 60-minute sessions covering sleep hygiene, stimulus control, and relaxation techniques, adapted for participants with mild obstructive sleep apnea or COMISA.
Behavioral: Behavioral: Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
Cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia delivered in four weekly 60-minute sessions, incorporating sleep hygiene, stimulus control, and relaxation techniques. Based on baseline polysomnography, the protocol is adapted for participants without obstructive sleep apnea, with mild obstructive sleep apnea, or with comorbid insomnia and mild sleep apnea (COMISA).
Active Comparator: Passive sleep education
Informational leaflets plus non-interactive follow-up calls. Control participants are offered CBT-I after study completion.
Behavioral: Passive sleep education
Passive sleep education consisting of informational leaflets plus non-interactive follow-up calls. Participants in this control condition are offered access to CBT-I after study completion.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in pulse wave velocity (PWV)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (m/s), a marker of arterial stiffness.
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in central arterial pressure (CAP)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in central arterial pressure (mmHg).
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in blood pressure
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in body weight
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in body weight (kg).
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in body mass index (BMI)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in body mass index (kg/m^2).
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in depressive symptoms (MADRS)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in depressive symptoms measured by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Scores range from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in depressive symptoms (PHQ-9)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in depressive symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depression.
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in perceived stress (PSS)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in perceived stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Higher scores indicate greater perceived stress.
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in cognitive function (MoCA)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in cognitive function measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Scores range from 0 to 30, with lower scores indicating greater cognitive impairment.
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in sleep quality (PSQI)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in sleep quality measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating worse sleep quality.
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in sleep efficiency
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months
Change from baseline in sleep efficiency (%) assessed via actigraphy or type II polysomnography.
Baseline, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave, EPE

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Sofia Gomes, MD, Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave
  • Study Director: Pedro Cunha, PhD, Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 18, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 24, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 24, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • CIC20260049 - CAIDIS (Other Identifier: ULSAAVE Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

A data-sharing plan has not yet been established. Decisions regarding whether and how individual participant data will be shared will be made by the sponsor and investigators, in accordance with institutional policies, ethics committee requirements, and applicable data protection regulations (GDPR). The record will be updated once a decision has been made.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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