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Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation to Improve Sleep and Well-being among Healthcare Workers

Kuan Chen KUO, Hong Min LIN, Ming Chung HO, Yan Lin ZHONG and Chih Hung TSAI

Healthcare workers are vulnerable to sleep disturbances due to shift work, circadian disruption, and high occupational stress. Poor sleep quality negatively impacts alertness, mental well-being, and patient safety. Non-pharmacological sleep interventions suitable for irregular schedules remain limited. Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation has emerged as a potential auditory method for promoting neural relaxation and improving sleep, but evidence in frontline healthcare personnel is limited.To evaluate the effectiveness of Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation in reducing insomnia severity among healthcare professionals experiencing subjective sleep disturbances.This prospective single-group pretest–posttest study recruited 15 healthcare workers aged 20–65 years with at least one month of subjective sleep disturbance. Exclusion criteria included use of sedative or psychiatric medication, diagnosed sleep disorders, epilepsy, major psychiatric or neurological illness, significant hearing impairment, or pregnancy/breastfeeding. Participants completed a standardized Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation protocol, which consisted of a 30-minute session delivered through headphones each night before bedtime for two consecutive weeks. Insomnia severity was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) before and after the intervention. Pre–post differences were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests with effect size estimation.Fifteen participants (14 females, 1 male; mean age 40.8 years) were enrolled. All participants completed the intervention. Mean ISI scores decreased from 10.0 (SD=5.55) to 4.27 (SD=2.69), representing a mean reduction of 5.73 points (t=5.08, p<0.001) and a large effect size (Cohen’s d=1.31). Those with higher baseline insomnia severity demonstrated the largest improvements.This pilot study offers preliminary evidence that Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation may be associated with reductions in insomnia severity among healthcare workers. Its brief, structured format appears compatible with shift-based routines. Nonetheless, findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small sample and single-group design. Larger controlled studies are needed to further assess effectiveness and generalizability.Brain Dynamic Audio Stimulation may serve as a feasible non-pharmacological approach to support sleep health among healthcare personnel in high-stress clinical settings.