SynthesisBMC family practice2012
Comparative effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC family practice, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 228 papers, 18 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
SIESTA: Sleep Intervention to Enhance Cognitive Status and Reduce Beta Amyloid
Feasibility of a Personalized Short Message Service Intervention for Insomnia
Enhancing Sleep to Improve Brain-heart Functions in People With Persistent Post-concussion Symptoms
Who cites it
228 citing papers in PubMed, 18 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy for insomnia: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2026Pooled it
- The historical and contemporary aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in recent 30 years: a bibliometric study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of psychological interventions on sleep in children and adolescents with chronic pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological treatments to improve sleep quality in university students.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions to improve the sleep of nurses: A systematic review.Research in nursing & health · 2023Pooled it
- eHealth-Based Psychosocial Interventions for Adults With Insomnia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Sleep Health Promotion Interventions and Their Effectiveness: An Umbrella Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Framework for the Design Engineering and Clinical Implementation and Evaluation of mHealth Apps for Sleep Disturbance: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Cognitive-behavioural therapy for a variety of conditions: an overview of systematic reviews and panoramic meta-analysis.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2021Pooled it
- Efficacy of Face-to-Face Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Improving Health Status of Patients With Insomnia: A Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- The effect of acceptance and commitment therapy on insomnia and sleep quality: A systematic review.BMC neurology · 2020Pooled it
- Effects of physical activity programs on sleep outcomes in older adults: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2020Pooled it
- Changes in dysfunctional beliefs about sleep after cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.Sleep medicine reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Cognitive and Behavioral Interventions to Improve Sleep in School-Age Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2018Pooled it
- Insomnia treatment in the context of alcohol use disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2017Pooled it
- Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Treat Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.PloS one · 2016Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of group cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.Sleep medicine reviews · 2015Pooled it
- The effect of insomnia treatment on work productivity and related costs among cancer survivors with insomnia and comorbid perceived cognitive impairments: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2026Trial
- The association between slow wave activity and memory improvement following cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in older adults: A secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2026Trial
168 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInsomnia 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).
methodsIn 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.
resultsFive 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.
conclusionsCBT-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.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.