Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia across the Spectrum of Alcohol Use Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Morin C.M., Vézina-Im L., Chen S., Ivers H., Carney C.E., Chaput J., Dang-Vu T.T., Davidson J.R., Belleville G., Lorrain D., Horn O., Robillard R.

To estimate the prevalence of insomnia and the use of sleep aids among Canadian adults.

Furukawa Y., Sakata M., Furukawa T.A., Efthimiou O., Perlis M.

BackgroundWe aimed to evaluate the comparative efficacy and acceptability of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT‐I), pharmacotherapy, and their combination in the long and short terms among adults with chronic insomnia disorder.MethodsWe searched multiple databases to December 27, 2023. We included trials in hypnotic‐free adults with chronic insomnia comparing at least two of CBT‐I, pharmacotherapy, or their combination. We assessed the confidence in evidence using CINeMA. The primary outcome was long‐term remission. Secondary outcomes included all‐cause dropout and self‐reported sleep continuity measures in the long term, and the same outcomes in the short term. We performed frequentist random‐effects network meta‐analyses (CRD42024505519).FindingsWe identified 13 trials including 823 randomized participants (mean age, 47.8 years; 60% women). CBT‐I was more beneficial than pharmacotherapy in the long term (median duration, 24 weeks [range, 12 to 48 weeks]; remission odds ratio, 1.82 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15–2.87]; [certainty of evidence: high]), while there was weaker evidence of benefit of combination against pharmacotherapy (1.71 [95% CI, 0.88–3.30: moderate]) and no clear difference of CBT‐I against combination (1.07 [95% CI, 0.63–1.80: moderate]). CBT‐I was associated with fewer dropouts than pharmacotherapy. Short‐term outcomes favored CBT‐I over pharmacotherapy except total sleep time. Given the average long‐term remission rate in the pharmacotherapy‐initiating arms of 28%, CBT‐I resulted in a long‐term remission rate of 41% (95% CI, 31%–53%) and combination 40% (95% CI, 25%–56%).InterpretationThe current study found that starting with CBT‐I for chronic insomnia leads to better outcomes than pharmacotherapy. Combination may be better than pharmacotherapy alone, but unlikely to be worth the additional burden over CBT‐I alone.

Furukawa Y., Sakata M., Yamamoto R., Nakajima S., Kikuchi S., Inoue M., Ito M., Noma H., Takashina H.N., Funada S., Ostinelli E.G., Furukawa T.A., Efthimiou O., Perlis M.

ImportanceChronic insomnia disorder is highly prevalent, disabling, and costly. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), comprising various educational, cognitive, and behavioral strategies delivered in various formats, is the recommended first-line treatment, but the effect of each component and delivery method remains unclear.ObjectiveTo examine the association of each component and delivery format of CBT-I with outcomes.Data SourcesPubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycInfo, and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform from database inception to July 21, 2023.Study SelectionPublished randomized clinical trials comparing any form of CBT-I against another or a control condition for chronic insomnia disorder in adults aged 18 years and older. Insomnia both with and without comorbidities was included. Concomitant treatments were allowed if equally distributed among arms.Data Extraction and SynthesisTwo independent reviewers identified components, extracted data, and assessed trial quality. Random-effects component network meta-analyses were performed.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was treatment efficacy (remission defined as reaching a satisfactory state) posttreatment. Secondary outcomes included all-cause dropout, self-reported sleep continuity, and long-term remission.ResultsA total of 241 trials were identified including 31 452 participants (mean [SD] age, 45.4 [16.6] years; 21 048 of 31 452 [67%] women). Results suggested that critical components of CBT-I are cognitive restructuring (remission incremental odds ratio [iOR], 1.68; 95% CI, 1.28-2.20) third-wave components (iOR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.10-2.03), sleep restriction (iOR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.04-2.13), and stimulus control (iOR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.00-2.05). Sleep hygiene education was not essential (iOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.77-1.32), and relaxation procedures were found to be potentially counterproductive(iOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.64-1.02). In-person therapist-led programs were most beneficial (iOR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.19-2.81). Cognitive restructuring, third-wave components, and in-person delivery were mainly associated with improved subjective sleep quality. Sleep restriction was associated with improved subjective sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and wake after sleep onset, and stimulus control with improved subjective sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and sleep latency. The most efficacious combination—consisting of cognitive restructuring, third wave, sleep restriction, and stimulus control in the in-person format—compared with in-person psychoeducation, was associated with an increase in the remission rate by a risk difference of 0.33 (95% CI, 0.23-0.43) and a number needed to treat of 3.0 (95% CI, 2.3-4.3), given the median observed control event rate of 0.14.Conclusions and RelevanceThe findings suggest that beneficial CBT-I packages may include cognitive restructuring, third-wave components, sleep restriction, stimulus control, and in-person delivery but not relaxation. However, potential undetected interactions could undermine the conclusions. Further large-scale, well-designed trials are warranted to confirm the contribution of different treatment components in CBT-I.

Burgess H.J., Troost J.P., Rizvydeen M., Kikyo F., Kebbeh N., Tan M., Roecklein K.A., King A.C., Hasler B.P.

AbstractBackgroundWhile sleep and circadian rhythms are recognized contributors to the risk for alcohol use and related problems, few studies have examined whether objective sleep and circadian measures can predict future alcohol use in humans, and no such studies have been conducted in adults. This study examined whether any baseline sleep and/or circadian characteristics of otherwise healthy adults predicted their alcohol use over the subsequent 12 months.MethodsParticipants (21–42 years) included 28 light and 50 heavy drinkers. At baseline, a comprehensive range of self‐reported and objective sleep/circadian measures was assessed via questionnaires, wrist actigraphy, and measurement of dim light melatonin onset and circadian photoreceptor responsivity. Following this, the number of alcoholic drinks per week and binge drinking episodes per month were assessed quarterly over the subsequent 12 months. Anticipated effects of alcohol (stimulation, sedation, and rewarding aspects) were also assessed quarterly over the 12 months. Analyses included generalized linear mixed‐effects models and causal mediation analysis.ResultsAcross the range of measures, only self‐reported insomnia symptoms and a longer total sleep time at baseline predicted more drinks per week and binges per month (ps <0.02). There was a trend for the anticipated alcohol effect of wanting more alcohol at the 6‐month timepoint to mediate the relationship between insomnia symptoms at baseline and drinks per week at 12 months (p = 0.069).ConclusionsThese results suggest that in otherwise healthy adults, insomnia symptoms, even if subclinical, are a significant predictor of future drinking, and appear to outweigh the influence of circadian factors on future drinking, at least in otherwise healthy adults. Insomnia symptoms may be a modifiable target for reducing the risk of alcohol misuse.

Verlinden J.J., Moloney M.E., Vsevolozhskaya O.A., Ritterband L.M., Winkel F., Weafer J.

AbstractBackgroundInsomnia is a well‐established, prospective risk factor for Alcohol Use Disorder. Thus, targeting sleep problems could serve as a novel and efficacious means of reducing problematic drinking. Here, we examined the potential utility of a well‐validated, interactive, easy to use, self‐paced digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia program. In a randomized, single‐blind pilot study, we examined the impact of treatment with Sleep Healthy Using the Internet (SHUTi) on drinking and sleep outcomes in a sample of heavy drinkers with insomnia.MethodsHeavy drinking men (n = 28) and women (n = 42) with insomnia were randomly assigned to complete either the SHUTi program or a control patient education program. Subjective measures of sleep and alcohol use were administered at baseline, immediately following completion of the intervention, 3 months post‐intervention, and 6 months post‐intervention. Sleep outcomes were assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Drinking outcomes were assessed using the 30‐Day Timeline Follow‐Back calendar. We used linear mixed effects models to compare groups on both insomnia and drinking outcomes.ResultsData from all 70 subjects (SHUTI: n = 40; control: n = 30) were analyzed. Linear mixed effects models showed that SHUTi significantly reduced insomnia symptoms (p = 0.01) and drinking outcomes (ps < 0.05) more than the control condition over time. Trend‐level effects on sleep quality (p = 0.06) were also observed. No adverse events were reported.ConclusionsImproving sleep may be an effective treatment intervention for reducing hazardous drinking in at‐risk individuals. Further, findings provide preliminary support for the implementation of an easily accessible health behavior intervention with significant public health impact in a high‐risk population.

Riemann D., Espie C.A., Altena E., Arnardottir E.S., Baglioni C., Bassetti C.L., Bastien C., Berzina N., Bjorvatn B., Dikeos D., Dolenc Groselj L., Ellis J.G., Garcia‐Borreguero D., Geoffroy P.A., Gjerstad M., et. al.

SummaryProgress in the field of insomnia since 2017 necessitated this update of the European Insomnia Guideline. Recommendations for the diagnostic procedure for insomnia and its comorbidities are: clinical interview (encompassing sleep and medical history); the use of sleep questionnaires and diaries (and physical examination and additional measures where indicated) (A). Actigraphy is not recommended for the routine evaluation of insomnia (C), but may be useful for differential‐diagnostic purposes (A). Polysomnography should be used to evaluate other sleep disorders if suspected (i.e. periodic limb movement disorder, sleep‐related breathing disorders, etc.), treatment‐resistant insomnia (A) and for other indications (B). Cognitive‐behavioural therapy for insomnia is recommended as the first‐line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults of any age (including patients with comorbidities), either applied in‐person or digitally (A). When cognitive‐behavioural therapy for insomnia is not sufficiently effective, a pharmacological intervention can be offered (A). Benzodiazepines (A), benzodiazepine receptor agonists (A), daridorexant (A) and low‐dose sedating antidepressants (B) can be used for the short‐term treatment of insomnia (≤ 4 weeks). Longer‐term treatment with these substances may be initiated in some cases, considering advantages and disadvantages (B). Orexin receptor antagonists can be used for periods of up to 3 months or longer in some cases (A). Prolonged‐release melatonin can be used for up to 3 months in patients ≥ 55 years (B). Antihistaminergic drugs, antipsychotics, fast‐release melatonin, ramelteon and phytotherapeutics are not recommended for insomnia treatment (A). Light therapy and exercise interventions may be useful as adjunct therapies to cognitive‐behavioural therapy for insomnia (B).

Miller M.B., Carpenter R.W., Freeman L.K., Dunsiger S., McGeary J.E., Borsari B., McCrae C.S., Arnedt J.T., Korte P., Merrill J.E., Carey K.B., Metrik J.

ImportanceThree of 4 adults in treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) report symptoms of insomnia. Yet the first-line treatment for insomnia (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, CBT-I) is often delayed until abstinence is established.ObjectiveTo test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of CBT-I among veterans early in their AUD treatment and to examine improvement in insomnia as a mechanism for improvement in alcohol use outcomes.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsFor this randomized clinical trial, participants were recruited through the Addictions Treatment Program at a Veterans Health Administration hospital between 2019 and 2022. Patients in treatment for AUD were eligible if they met criteria for insomnia disorder and reported alcohol use in the past 2 months at baseline. Follow-up visits occurred posttreatment and at 6 weeks.InterventionsParticipants were randomly assigned to receive 5 weekly sessions of CBT-I or a single session about sleep hygiene (control). Participants were asked to complete sleep diaries for 7 days at each assessment.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPrimary outcomes included posttreatment insomnia severity (assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index) and follow-up frequency of any drinking and heavy drinking (4 drinks for women, ≥5 drinks for men; number of days via Timeline Followback) and alcohol-related problems (Short Inventory of Problems). Posttreatment insomnia severity was tested as a mediator of CBT-I effects on alcohol use outcomes at the 6-week follow-up.ResultsThe study cohort included 67 veterans with a mean (SD) age of 46.3 years (11.8); 61 (91%) were male and 6 (9%) female. The CBT-I group included 32 participants, and the sleep hygiene control group 35 participants. Of those randomized, 59 (88%) provided posttreatment or follow-up data (31 CBT-I, 28 sleep hygiene). Relative to sleep hygiene, CBT-I participants reported greater decreases in insomnia severity at posttreatment (group × time interaction: −3.70; 95% CI, −6.79 to −0.61) and follow-up (−3.34; 95% CI, −6.46 to −0.23) and greater improvements in sleep efficiency (posttreatment, 8.31; 95% CI, 1.35 to 15.26; follow-up, 18.03; 95% CI, 10.46 to 25.60). They also reported greater decreases in alcohol problems at follow-up (group × time interaction: −0.84; 95% CI, −1.66 to −0.02), and this effect was mediated by posttreatment change in insomnia severity. No group differences emerged for abstinence or heavy-drinking frequency.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this randomized clinical trial, CBT-I outperformed sleep hygiene in reducing insomnia symptoms and alcohol-related problems over time but had no effect on frequency of heavy drinking. CBT-I should be considered a first-line treatment for insomnia, regardless of abstinence.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03806491

Meneo D., Bacaro V., Curati S., Russo P.M., Martoni M., Gelfo F., Baglioni C.

Young adults (18-30 years) are vulnerable to sleep-wake disturbances and substance use, which are bi-directionally associated. The present work aims to organise the literature that deals with the association between sleep and substance use in young adults, also considering self-medication behaviours. We adopted a framework that accounts for the multidimensionality of sleep and the effect of different substances. We considered sleep disturbances (insomnia symptoms, sleep quality), sleep health dimensions (duration, satisfaction, efficiency, timing, daytime alertness), circadian characteristics (chronotype). Substances were alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, cannabis, others. We included 46 studies. The use of caffeine and nicotine was associated with higher odds of sleep disturbances. No significant effect was detected for sleep duration. In narrative findings, daytime dysfunction was associated with alcohol and caffeine use, and poor sleep satisfaction with nicotine use. Few evidence were available for the other sleep health dimensions. Evening chronotype was associated with alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine use. Few studies focused on cannabis or self-medication. Longitudinal results were inconclusive. We found a distinct pattern of associations between different substances and different sleep outcomes. Further investigation considering the multidimensionality of sleep would create a better understanding of the complex relationship between substance use and sleep health in young adults.

Bolstad I., Toft H., Lien L., Moe J.S., Rolland B., Bramness J.G.

Insomnia is common among patients with AUD and can impair quality of life and cognitive functioning, as well as cause psycho-social problems and increased risk of relapse. Nonetheless, determinants of insomnia in patients with AUD have scarcely been studied. We aimed to examine prevalence and development of self-perceived insomnia among inpatients in treatment for AUD, and to examine factors in this group known to be associated with sleep disturbance in the general population. We examined self-reported information about sleep from ninety-four AUD inpatients in long-term treatment (up to nine months) using a questionnaire identifying probable insomnia. Potential predictors identified in bivariate tests were used in binomial logistic regressions to examine the effect on sleep at baseline and at six-week follow-up. Longitudinal multilevel analyses were used to examine factors affecting development of sleep quality during the treatment stay. At baseline, 54% of the patients reported sleep problems indicating insomnia. This was reduced to 35% at six-week follow-up. In a cross-sectional analysis of sleep at baseline, we found that being male (OR 0.18, p=0.042) and engaging in physical activity (OR 0.09, p

Passos G.S., Youngstedt S.D., Santana M.G.

The question that guided this review is whether exercise can add to the improvements in insomnia in patients treated with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). CBT-I has long been recommended as the first-line treatment of chronic insomnia. However, CBT-I is not effective for as many as 30% to 40% of patients with insomnia. There is accumulating evidence for positive effects on insomnia following acute and chronic exercise. However, to the best of our knowledge, the effects of CBT-I combined with exercise have not been explored in clinical trials. In this article, we develop a rationale for combining CBT-I with exercise.

De Crescenzo F., D'Alò G.L., Ostinelli E.G., Ciabattini M., Di Franco V., Watanabe N., Kurtulmus A., Tomlinson A., Mitrova Z., Foti F., Del Giovane C., Quested D.J., Cowen P.J., Barbui C., Amato L., et. al.

Behavioural, cognitive, and pharmacological interventions can all be effective for insomnia. However, because of inadequate resources, medications are more frequently used worldwide. We aimed to estimate the comparative effectiveness of pharmacological treatments for the acute and long-term treatment of adults with insomnia disorder.In this systematic review and network meta-analysis, we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.gov, and websites of regulatory agencies from database inception to Nov 25, 2021, to identify published and unpublished randomised controlled trials. We included studies comparing pharmacological treatments or placebo as monotherapy for the treatment of adults (≥18 year) with insomnia disorder. We assessed the certainty of evidence using the confidence in network meta-analysis (CINeMA) framework. Primary outcomes were efficacy (ie, quality of sleep measured by any self-rated scale), treatment discontinuation for any reason and due to side-effects specifically, and safety (ie, number of patients with at least one adverse event) both for acute and long-term treatment. We estimated summary standardised mean differences (SMDs) and odds ratios (ORs) using pairwise and network meta-analysis with random effects. This study is registered with Open Science Framework, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/PU4QJ.We included 170 trials (36 interventions and 47 950 participants) in the systematic review and 154 double-blind, randomised controlled trials (30 interventions and 44 089 participants) were eligible for the network meta-analysis. In terms of acute treatment, benzodiazepines, doxylamine, eszopiclone, lemborexant, seltorexant, zolpidem, and zopiclone were more efficacious than placebo (SMD range: 0·36-0·83 [CINeMA estimates of certainty: high to moderate]). Benzodiazepines, eszopiclone, zolpidem, and zopiclone were more efficacious than melatonin, ramelteon, and zaleplon (SMD 0·27-0·71 [moderate to very low]). Intermediate-acting benzodiazepines, long-acting benzodiazepines, and eszopiclone had fewer discontinuations due to any cause than ramelteon (OR 0·72 [95% CI 0·52-0·99; moderate], 0·70 [0·51-0·95; moderate] and 0·71 [0·52-0·98; moderate], respectively). Zopiclone and zolpidem caused more dropouts due to adverse events than did placebo (zopiclone: OR 2·00 [95% CI 1·28-3·13; very low]; zolpidem: 1·79 [1·25-2·50; moderate]); and zopiclone caused more dropouts than did eszopiclone (OR 1·82 [95% CI 1·01-3·33; low]), daridorexant (3·45 [1·41-8·33; low), and suvorexant (3·13 [1·47-6·67; low]). For the number of individuals with side-effects at study endpoint, benzodiazepines, eszopiclone, zolpidem, and zopiclone were worse than placebo, doxepin, seltorexant, and zaleplon (OR range 1·27-2·78 [high to very low]). For long-term treatment, eszopiclone and lemborexant were more effective than placebo (eszopiclone: SMD 0·63 [95% CI 0·36-0·90; very low]; lemborexant: 0·41 [0·04-0·78; very low]) and eszopiclone was more effective than ramelteon (0.63 [0·16-1·10; very low]) and zolpidem (0·60 [0·00-1·20; very low]). Compared with ramelteon, eszopiclone and zolpidem had a lower rate of all-cause discontinuations (eszopiclone: OR 0·43 [95% CI 0·20-0·93; very low]; zolpidem: 0·43 [0·19-0·95; very low]); however, zolpidem was associated with a higher number of dropouts due to side-effects than placebo (OR 2·00 [95% CI 1·11-3·70; very low]).Overall, eszopiclone and lemborexant had a favorable profile, but eszopiclone might cause substantial adverse events and safety data on lemborexant were inconclusive. Doxepin, seltorexant, and zaleplon were well tolerated, but data on efficacy and other important outcomes were scarce and do not allow firm conclusions. Many licensed drugs (including benzodiazepines, daridorexant, suvorexant, and trazodone) can be effective in the acute treatment of insomnia but are associated with poor tolerability, or information about long-term effects is not available. Melatonin, ramelteon, and non-licensed drugs did not show overall material benefits. These results should serve evidence-based clinical practice.UK National Institute for Health Research Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre.

Pearce M., Garcia L., Abbas A., Strain T., Schuch F.B., Golubic R., Kelly P., Khan S., Utukuri M., Laird Y., Mok A., Smith A., Tainio M., Brage S., Woodcock J.

Depression is the leading cause of mental health-related disease burden and may be reduced by physical activity, but the dose-response relationship between activity and depression is uncertain.To systematically review and meta-analyze the dose-response association between physical activity and incident depression from published prospective studies of adults.PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and the reference lists of systematic reviews retrieved by a systematic search up to December 11, 2020, with no language limits. The date of the search was November 12, 2020.We included prospective cohort studies reporting physical activity at 3 or more exposure levels and risk estimates for depression with 3000 or more adults and 3 years or longer of follow-up.Data extraction was completed independently by 2 extractors and cross-checked for errors. A 2-stage random-effects dose-response meta-analysis was used to synthesize data. Study-specific associations were estimated using generalized least-squares regression and the pooled association was estimated by combining the study-specific coefficients using restricted maximum likelihood.The outcome of interest was depression, including (1) presence of major depressive disorder indicated by self-report of physician diagnosis, registry data, or diagnostic interviews and (2) elevated depressive symptoms established using validated cutoffs for a depressive screening instrument.Fifteen studies comprising 191 130 participants and 2 110 588 person-years were included. An inverse curvilinear dose-response association between physical activity and depression was observed, with steeper association gradients at lower activity volumes; heterogeneity was large and significant (I2 = 74%; P < .001). Relative to adults not reporting any activity, those accumulating half the recommended volume of physical activity (4.4 marginal metabolic equivalent task hours per week [mMET-h/wk]) had 18% (95% CI, 13%-23%) lower risk of depression. Adults accumulating the recommended volume of 8.8 mMET hours per week had 25% (95% CI, 18%-32%) lower risk with diminishing potential benefits and higher uncertainty observed beyond that exposure level. There were diminishing additional potential benefits and greater uncertainty at higher volumes of physical activity. Based on an estimate of exposure prevalences among included cohorts, if less active adults had achieved the current physical activity recommendations, 11.5% (95% CI, 7.7%-15.4%) of depression cases could have been prevented.This systematic review and meta-analysis of associations between physical activity and depression suggests significant mental health benefits from being physically active, even at levels below the public health recommendations. Health practitioners should therefore encourage any increase in physical activity to improve mental health.

Verlinden J.J., Moloney M.E., Whitehurst L.N., Weafer J.

BackgroundAlcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and insomnia are highly comorbid; at least 40% of individuals with AUD suffer from insomnia. Women are more likely to report insomnia than men and have seen a concerning rise in rates of AUD in recent years. As such, the association between AUD and insomnia could be particularly pronounced in women. However, currently little is known regarding sex differences in this association. Here we examined the degree to which relationships between alcohol use and sleep quality differ between women and men.MethodsHeavy drinking women (n = 66) and men (n = 45) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to assess alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine sex differences in the association between poor sleep quality and alcohol-related problems.ResultsAfter controlling for age, global subjective stress, and depression, sex significantly moderated the positive association between poor sleep quality and alcohol-related problems. Further analyses of the simple slopes for each sex revealed that poorer sleep quality (i.e., higher scores on the PSQI) were associated with greater alcohol-related problems (i.e., higher scores on the AUDIT) in women, but not in men.ConclusionThese results suggest that in heavy drinkers with insomnia, poor sleep is more strongly associated with drinking problems in women than in men. Future research is needed to investigate potential mechanisms underlying this relationship. Specifically, it will be important to determine whether sleep problems in heavy drinking women are a cause or consequence, or both, of heavy drinking.

Hertenstein E., Trinca E., Wunderlin M., Schneider C.L., Züst M.A., Fehér K.D., Su T., Straten A.V., Berger T., Baglioni C., Johann A., Spiegelhalder K., Riemann D., Feige B., Nissen C.

Almost 70% of patients with mental disorders report sleep difficulties and 30% fulfill the criteria for insomnia disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for insomnia according to current treatment guidelines. Despite this circumstance, insomnia is frequently treated only pharmacologically especially in patients with mental disorders. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to quantify the effects of CBT-I in patients with mental disorders and comorbid insomnia on two outcome parameters: the severity of insomnia and mental health. The databases PubMed, CINHAL (Ebsco) und PsycINFO (Ovid) were searched for randomized controlled trials on adult patients with comorbid insomnia and any mental disorder comparing CBT-I to placebo, waitlist or treatment as usual using self-rating questionnaires as outcomes for either insomnia or mental health or both. The search resulted in 1994 records after duplicate removal of which 22 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included for the meta-analysis. The comorbidities were depression (eight studies, 491 patients), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, four studies, 216 patients), alcohol dependency (three studies, 79 patients), bipolar disorder (one study, 58 patients), psychosis (one study, 50 patients) and mixed comorbidities within one study (five studies, 189 patients). The effect sizes for the reduction of insomnia severity post treatment were 0.5 (confidence interval, CI, 0.3-0.8) for patients with depression, 1.5 (CI 1.0-1.9) for patients with PTSD, 1.4 (CI 0.9-1.9) for patients with alcohol dependency, 1.2 (CI 0.8-1.7) for patients with psychosis/bipolar disorder, and 0.8 (CI 0.1-1.6) for patients with mixed comorbidities. Effect sizes for the reduction of insomnia severity were moderate to large at follow-up. Regarding the effects on comorbid symptom severity, effect sizes directly after treatment were 0.5 (CI 0.1-0.8) for depression, 1.3 (CI 0.6-1.9) for PTSD, 0.9 (CI 0.3-1.4) for alcohol dependency in only one study, 0.3 (CI -0.1 - 0.7, insignificant) for psychosis/bipolar, and 0.8 (CI 0.1-1.5) for mixed comorbidities. There were no significant effects on comorbid symptoms at follow-up. Together, these significant, stable medium to large effects indicate that CBT-I is an effective treatment for patients with insomnia and a comorbid mental disorder, especially depression, PTSD and alcohol dependency. CBT-I is also an effective add-on treatment with the aim of improving mental health in patients with depression, PTSD, and symptom severity in outpatients with mixed diagnoses. Thus, in patients with mental disorders and comorbid insomnia, given the many side effects of medication, CBT-I should be considered as a first-line treatment.

Xu D., Cardell E., Broadley S.A., Sun J.

Background: Face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used non-pharmacological treatment approaches for insomnia. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of face-to-face delivered CBT on health outcomes and to evaluate the effect of CBT components as subgroup variables to explain the efficacy of face-to-face delivered CBT on health outcomes in adults over 18 years old with insomnia.Methods: Relevant randomized controlled trial studies published in the past 22 years were searched through the electronic databases. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to assess the quality of the 31 included studies. The mean difference and standard deviation of outcome variables and subgroup variables were analyzed using random effect model, and the heterogeneity among the articles was assessed with the Q-test and I2. Egger regression analysis was used to assess publication bias.Results: The meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in Insomnia Severity Index [standardized mean difference (SMD) = −2.56, 95% CI −3.81 to −1.30, p &lt; 0.001], Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (SMD = −0.96, 95% CI −1.25 to −0.68, p &lt; 0.001), sleep onset latency (SMD = −1.31, 95% CI −2.00 to −0.63, p &lt; 0.001), wakening after sleep onset (SMD = −1.44, 95% CI −2.14 to −0.74, p &lt; 0.001), number of awakenings (SMD = −1.18, 95% CI −2.10 to −0.26, p &lt; 0.05), depression (SMD = −1.14, 95% CI −1.85 to −0.42, p &lt; 0.01), and fatigue (SMD = −2.23, 95% CI −3.87 to −0.58, p &lt; 0.01), and a significant increase in total sleep time (SMD = 0.63, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.98, p &lt; 0.001), sleep efficiency (SMD = 1.61, 95% CI 0.92 to 2.29, p &lt; 0.001), and physical health (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.76, p &lt; 0.05), in the CBT intervention group compared with the control group. There was no significant change in anxiety (SMD = −0.62, 95% CI −1.55 to 0.32, p &gt; 0.05) and mental health (SMD = 1.09, 95% CI −0.59 to 2.77, p &gt; 0.05) in CBT intervention group compared with control group. Group-delivered studies with larger number of intervention sessions and longer duration of single session provided a larger improvement in sleep quality.Conclusion: Face-to-face delivered CBT is effective in increasing total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and physical health, and reducing Insomnia Severity Index scores, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores, sleep onset latency, wakening after sleep onset, number of awakenings, depression, anxiety, and fatigue in patients with insomnia. Face-to-face delivered CBT is more effective when delivered through a larger number of sessions with longer duration of each session, and when delivered in groups. Face-to-face CBT is recommended to provide treatment to patients with insomnia in clinical settings.Systematic Review Registration:www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020200091, identifier: CRD4202020009.

Pigeon W.R., Bishop T.M., Arnedt J.T.