The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Insomnia Severity Among Menopausal Women: A Scoping Review

• Published in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 14; no. 11; p. 1405
• Main Authors: Ntikoudi, Anastasia, Owens, Dimitra Anna, Spyrou, Alketa, Evangelou, Eleni, Vlachou, Eugenia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 31-10-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Anxiety; Behavior modification; Bias; Clinical trials; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Drug therapy; Effectiveness; Hygiene; Insomnia; Intervention; Literature reviews; Menopause; Population studies; Quality of life; Restless legs syndrome; Review; Reviews; Side effects; Sleep; Sleep deprivation; Sleep disorders; Systematic review; Therapy; Womens health; Iran; Canada; South Korea
• ISSN: 2075-1729; 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life14111405

This review explores the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on menopausal women suffering from insomnia. The transition to menopause is often accompanies by sleep disturbances, which significantly affect women’s quality of life. This review applies a scoping approach to evaluate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focused on CBT-I interventions for insomnia among menopausal women. The included studies examined variations in the number of CBT-I sessions, the duration of interventions, and their delivery methods (face-to-face, online, or telephone-based). The results consistently showed that CBT-I significantly improves sleep quality and reduces insomnia severity in menopausal women. CBT-I was particularly effective compared to other interventions such as sleep restriction therapy and sleep hygiene education. Sleep quality improvements were observed to persist for up to six months after treatment. These findings support the use of CBT-I as a first-line intervention for insomnia in menopausal women, offering a sustainable solution with fewer side effects compared to pharmacological treatments. However, the review also highlights the need for further research on CBT-I’s efficacy in diverse populations, as most studies focused on predominantly white and well-educated women.