Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Can Improve Sleep in Adults With Tinnitus

Takeaway

• This meta-analysis suggests that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based interventions can significantly improve sleep in adults with tinnitus.

Why this matters

• Robust randomised controlled trials are needed, particularly targeting tinnitus-related insomnia.
• Future trials should explore digital CBT for insomnia in adults with tinnitus.

Study design

• 5 studies met eligibility criteria after a search on MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.gov and PROSPERO.
• 4 of the studies provided data for the meta-analysis.
• Funding: NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and the University of Nottingham.

Key results

• Meta-analysis of 4 studies revealed a statistically significant reduction in Insomnia Severity Index score following tinnitus CBT-based interventions (−3.28; 95% CI, −4.51 to −2.05; P<.001), which equates to a moderate effect size.
• No evidence of statistical heterogeneity was found (I²=0%).

Limitations

• Small number of studies.

This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.