Intervention description {11a}
TED
The behavioral sleep extension intervention consists of a wearable sleep tracker, a weekly educational email, and one weekly phone call from a coach. The maintenance intervention consists of monthly email and phone calls.Self-monitoring (wearable sleep tracker): Participants receive a Fitbit wearable sleep tracker to allow them to monitor their sleep and discuss the results with the coach. Participants and the coach will have access to the sleep tracker data through a dashboard on the Fitabase platform. Participants will be instructed to enter their sleep goals into the sleep tracker app.Education: Participants will receive weekly educational content via email. Topics include the importance of sleep for health (e.g., what is healthy sleep?), regulation of sleep and circadian rhythms, and strategies to avoid bedtime procrastination. The weekly educational content consists of written and video didactic content (e.g., TED talks). Email was selected for the delivery mode to promote engagement, as its use is already integrated into the lives of most people, and it is accessible across platforms (e.g., smartphones, desktops, or tablets). Educational content (Fig. Motivational enhancement (telephone coaching): The weekly telephone coaching sessions are used to set goals related to the participant’s sleep, increase commitment to these goals, and problem-solve barriers to achieving the goals. The main behavioral goal is increasing time in bed. The first coaching session will be a 20-min engagement session, which includes introductions, rationale for the program, clarifying the role of the coach, reviewing the participants’ baseline sleep data, setting goals for the program for both sleep and daytime function, and reinforcing the participants’ commitment to change their behavior. In the following coaching sessions, the coach and participant will have a brief (5–10 min weekly) follow-up call to review the progress, boost self-efficacy, problem-solve barriers to progress, and set goals for the following week. During the maintenance period (months 2–6), the calls will be scheduled monthly. In between sessions, the coaches will be available, mostly over email, to troubleshoot any problems with the educational material or sleep tracker. The coaching protocol is based on the principles of Supportive Accountability and uses techniques drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing, such as goal setting and developing discrepancies between current and desired behaviors. A list of the intervention and coaching session content is listed in Table Educational contentIntervention content and coaching