Authors' recommendations: In the available literature, CBT seems to be effective in mediating the symptoms of primary insomnia as indicated by sleep outcome measures. The results demonstrate that CBT is as effective and in some studies even more effective in treating primary insomnia than available pharmacotherapies. Based on the available evidence, CBT also seems to have longer lasting effects in comparison to other therapies, as observed at patient follow-ups, with fewer adverse events. The literature supports the notion that pharmacotherapy remains to be first-line therapy for primary insomnia, while CBT is still relatively unknown and underused by health-care practitioners. Some barriers that need to be addressed may include the need for increased exposure of this intervention, the extra time and effort required to implement CBT, and limited availability. Additional training for physicians may be necessary to make this therapy more accessible for patients. Comparative economic assessment of this intervention may also be of interest as it may be more costly in the short-term, but may show cost saving benefits long-term. These issues may be a consideration for decision-making about the use of CBT for treatment of patients with primary insomnia.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.cadth.ca/media/pdf/L0175_cbt_for_insomnia_htis-2.pdf

Year Published: 2010

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Canada

Organisation Name: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health

Contact Address: 600-865 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 5S8 Canada. Tel: +1 613 226 2553; Fax: +1 613 226 5392;

Contact Name: requests@cadth.ca

Contact Email: requests@cadth.ca

Copyright: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)