Insomnia interventions in the workplace: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify and evaluate the impact of interventions to improve or reduce insomnia in the workforce through randomized clinical trials. Following the recommendations of the PRISMA and MARS statement, a systematic literature search was carried out on the PubMed, Web of Science, CINHAL, and PsycINFO databases, with no restrictions on the language or publication date. For the meta-analysis, a random-effects model and the Insomnia Severity Index were used as outcome measures. To assess the risk of bias and the quality of evidence, the Cochrane Collaboration tool and the GRADE method were used, respectively. Twenty-two studies were included in the systematic review and 12 studies in the meta-analysis, making a total of 14 intervention groups with a sample of 827 workers. Cognitive behavioral therapy was the most widely used intervention. According to the estimated difference between the means, a moderate effect for the reduction of insomnia symptoms after the intervention (MD −2.08, CI 95%: [−2.68, −1.47]) and a non-significant degree of heterogeneity were obtained (p = 0.64; I2 = 0%). The quality of the evidence and the risk of bias were moderate. The results suggest that interventions on insomnia in the workplace are effective for improving workers’ health, and that improvements in the quality of sleep and a decrease in the symptoms of insomnia are produced, thanks to an increase in weekly sleeping hours and a reduction in latency at sleep onset. As regards work, they also led to improvements in productivity, presenteeism, and job burnout.