Summary: A pilot study from Stanford Medicine and SoundHealth explored the use of acoustic resonance therapy as a new, non-invasive treatment for chronic insomnia. The therapy involved delivering personalized binaural spatial audio through a specialized headband, tailored to each patient’s unique cranio-facial resonance frequencies. After four weeks of treatment, nearly half of the participants experienced clinically significant improvement in their insomnia symptoms, with no reported side effects. The study’s promising results suggest that acoustic resonance therapy could be an effective adjunctive treatment for chronic insomnia.
Key Takeaways:
- Significant Improvement in Insomnia Symptoms: Nearly half (45%) of participants experienced a clinically significant resolution of their insomnia, with Insomnia Severity Index scores dropping below 7 after four weeks.
- Non-Invasive and Safe Treatment: The study showed that acoustic resonance therapy is a non-invasive, safe option with 100% adherence to the protocol and no reported adverse effects.
- Potential for Broader Application: The early success of the therapy paves the way for larger trials to confirm its effectiveness and explore its use in treating other sleep disorders.
A study from researchers at Stanford Medicine and SoundHealth presents a new, non-invasive therapy for chronic insomnia using customized binaural spatial audio delivered via an acoustic resonance therapy headband.
The study involved 20 participants diagnosed with moderate-to-severe insomnia, who were treated using personalized acoustic resonance therapy. By utilizing the SoundHealth SONU headband in conjunction with a special smartphone-based app Sonu-Sleep that integrates facial scanning and machine learning, personalized binaural audio tracks were created to match each participant’s unique cranio-facial resonance frequencies.
Key findings:
- After four weeks of treatment, nearly half of the participants (45%) achieved an Insomnia Severity Index score below 7, indicating a clinically significant resolution of insomnia.
- Participants experienced an average reduction of 11.3 points on the Insomnia Severity Index scale, demonstrating the treatment’s effectiveness.
- Adherence to the protocol was 100%, with no adverse effects reported.
“This is an exciting step forward in non-pharmacological insomnia treatment,” says Kevin Lin, MD, Stanford Medicine, the co-author and lead researcher of the study, in a release.
“These initial results are encouraging, showing potential for acoustic resonance therapy as a non-invasive, safe adjunctive treatment for insomnia. It is important to recognize that it should be part of a comprehensive approach, including sleep-related behavioral improvement, and further studies are needed to confirm its long-term efficacy and broader applicability; however, this early data is remarkable, and we look forward to deepening our understanding of this innovative approach,” says Robson Capasso, MD, FAASM, chief of sleep surgery, professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery and by courtesy of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, in a release.
Future Directions
The results of this pilot study pave the way for larger trials to confirm the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of this therapy. The research team also aims to explore additional applications of acoustic resonance therapy in treating other sleep disorders.
This project was supported by SoundHealth Systems, which provided the SONU devices, and the Stanford School of Medicine. The study was presented at SLEEP Europe, the 27th Congress of the European Sleep Research Society in Seville, Spain on Sept 27.
Photo caption: SoundHealth’s SONU headband
File photo
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