Cited by 620Sleep and related disordersAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesObstructive Sleep Apnea Research

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 1 of the 46 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Comparative effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: a systematic review

Open access

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Insomnia is common in primary care, can persist after co-morbid conditions are treated, and may require long-term medication treatment. A potential alternative to medications is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). METHODS: In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register, and PsycINFO for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CBT-I to any prescription or non-prescription medication in patients with primary or comorbid insomnia. Trials had to report quantitative sleep outcomes (e.g. sleep latency) in order to be included in the analysis. Extracted results included quantitative sleep outcomes, as well as psychological outcomes and adverse effects when available. Evidence base quality was assessed using GRADE. RESULTS: Five studies met criteria for analysis. Low to moderate grade evidence suggests CBT-I has superior effectiveness to benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine drugs in the long term, while very low grade evidence suggests benzodiazepines are more effective in the short term. Very low grade evidence supports use of CBT-I to improve psychological outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: CBT-I is effective for treating insomnia when compared with medications, and its effects may be more durable than medications. Primary care providers should consider CBT-I as a first-line treatment option for insomnia.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This systematic review found that CBT-I is at least as effective as sleep medications for chronic insomnia and may produce more durable long-term benefits. The evidence base was limited to five RCTs, all in primary insomnia, and was too small and heterogeneous for meta-analysis.

Key findings

  • Five RCTs met inclusion criteria, all in patients with primary insomnia; comparators were zopiclone, zolpidem, temazepam, and triazolam. One trial in comorbid insomnia was excluded because it used nefazodone, now withdrawn.
  • Low- to moderate-grade evidence suggested CBT-I was superior to benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine drugs in the long term, while very low-grade evidence suggested benzodiazepines were more effective in the short term. Moderate-grade evidence favored CBT-I over non-benzodiazepines in the short term.
  • Long-term CBT-I generally improved sleep latency by 30–45 minutes, total sleep time by 30–60 minutes, and sleep efficiency by 8–16%; drug effects declined over time. In Morin 1999 at 24 months, CBT-I increased total sleep time by 65.2 minutes and sleep efficiency by 16.4%, versus 11.5 minutes and 2.9% for temazepam, with all temazepam measurements significantly worsening from end of treatment to follow-up.
  • Psychological outcomes favored CBT-I in one trial: at 6 months, State-Trait Anxiety Index scores improved for CBT-I versus zopiclone (state: –5.11 vs. +1.61, p < 0.05; trait: –4.47 vs. +1.97, p < 0.01). Sleep Impairment Index declined 10 points with CBT-I versus 4 with temazepam at 24 months (p = 0.01), and PSQI improved 1.2 points with CBT-I versus worsened 0.8 points with temazepam at 8 months (p < 0.01).

Methods

  • PRISMA-guided systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register, and PsycINFO through September 2011, plus review of published systematic reviews for missed RCTs.
  • Included published RCTs of adults aged 18+ with chronic insomnia per DSM-IV, comparing individual or group CBT-I delivered by a professional to FDA-approved prescription or non-prescription insomnia medications; studies had to report at least one quantitative sleep outcome. Studies with fewer than 10 patients per group, self-help programs, and comparisons of CBT-I components were excluded.
  • Five RCTs were included; evidence was too small and heterogeneous for meta-analysis. Quality was assessed with a nine-point Jadad/Chalmers-based scale, and overall evidence strength was rated using GRADE. Sleep diary and automated measures (polysomnography/actigraphy) were analyzed separately.

Limitations

  • Stated: all included trials focused on primary insomnia and may not represent the majority of patients with comorbid medical or psychiatric disorders; only one comorbid-insomnia trial was found and was excluded because the drug was withdrawn. No trials compared CBT-I with antihistamines or antidepressants, adverse-event reporting was limited, long-term data versus non-benzodiazepines were sparse, short-term CBT-I versus benzodiazepine data were inconsistent, and double-blinding was not possible.
  • Stated: the evidence base was too small and heterogeneous for meta-analysis, and three of five included studies were in older adults.
  • Evident from the text: only five RCTs were available, outcome measures and demographic composition were diverse, and the review could not draw conclusions about relative safety.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1186/1471-2296-13-40

Cites

55 of 55 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Figure 1 PRISMA flow diagram for literature search and article inclusion.
Figure 1 PRISMA flow diagram for literature search and article inclusion.CC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

26 Own result · 25 Not checked yet · 14 Own interpretation · 10 No basis given · 4 Own method · 1 Supported

Verify all 45 references — free account

Show all 56 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 12
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 14
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 2
24 of 24
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Medications are usually not curative, leading to long-term treatment over many years despite a lack of safety and efficacy data for their long-term use beyond 1–2 years.

    “Perhaps the most important disadvantage is that medications are usually not curative, leading to long-term treatment over many years despite a lack of safety and efficacy data for their long-term use beyond 1–2 years.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    CBT-I has fewer known side effects than medication.

    “Treating insomnia with CBT-I, as opposed to medication, has a number of potential advantages, including fewer known side effects”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There can be substantial differences between automated measures of sleep time and patients' self-reports on sleep diaries.

    “There can also be substantial differences between automated measures of sleep time and patients’ self-reports on sleep diaries.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Insomnia RCTs generally find larger effects of treatment on subjective measures such as questionnaires than on objective measures of actigraphy and polysomnography.

    “In terms of outcome measures, insomnia RCTs generally find larger effects of treatment on subjective measures such as questionnaires than on objective measures of actigraphy and polysomnography.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The diagnosis of insomnia relies on patient report and not on a diagnostic laboratory test.

    “the diagnosis of insomnia relies on patient report and not on a diagnostic laboratory test.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Many patients presenting with insomnia to primary care practices will have secondary or co-morbid insomnia.

    “many patients presenting with insomnia to primary care practices will have secondary or co-morbid insomnia”
6 of 6

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Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

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2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Show all 55 references

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. NIH state-of-the-science conference statement on manifestations and management of chronic insomnia in adults. NIH Consens Sci Statements. 2005, 22: 1-30.

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Metadata

Authors
Mitchell, M. D., Gehrman, P., Perlis, M., & Umscheid, C. A.
Affiliations
  • University of Pennsylvania Health System (US)
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
Mitchell, Matthew D
Venue
BMC Family Practice
Published
2012-05-25
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
40-40
ISSN
1471-2296 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2026032799
Cited by
617
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 33 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 55 · 2022: 59 · 2021: 101 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 32 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 5
FWCI
3.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • BMC Family Practice (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology (medical) › Obstructive Sleep Apnea Research
Keywords
cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, insomnia, benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, sleep medication, sleep latency, psychological outcomes, adverse effects, comorbid insomnia, primary care, long-term treatment effectiveness
MeSH terms
Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Quality of Life, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Evidence-Based Medicine, Comparative Effectiveness Research

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