CBT for Chronic Insomnia: Effective, but Questions Remain

Chronic insomnia is common, often accompanies comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions, and is predominantly treated with medications. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has evolved over the past decade to include multiple components in the same “package” (cognitive therapy, stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene, relaxation). In a meta-analysis, researchers have now examined 19 studies using three or more of these components in a minimum of two sessions in 1162 patients with noncomorbid, chronic insomnia. (To reduce study heterogeneity, the analysis was restricted to studies of patients with primary chronic insomnia.)

At treatment end (<1 month), CBT-I significantly reduced sleep latency and awake time after sl…