Personalizing sleep therapy: Integrating EEG neurofeedback into the sleep disorders management.
The review describes promising improvements in reported sleep quality and some objective sleep measures. The underlying studies were generally small and varied, so neurofeedback has not been established as a replacement for CBT-I.
Shirolapov I, Bazanova O, Zakharov A.
Cranio : the journal of craniomandibular practice · Publication date: 2026-05-04
Added to site: 2026-09-13
DOI: 10.1080/08869634.2026.2666591
Historical addition: first published May 4, 2026, not new September research.
- Modalities
- Neurofeedback, EEG
- Clinical focus
- Insomnia, Sleep
- Population
- Studies of EEG neurofeedback for insomnia and sleep-related outcomes
- Sample
- 16 original studies selected from 179 identified records
- Intervention / method
- EEG neurofeedback protocols varied across the included studies
- Comparator
- Comparators varied; the abstract does not report how many studies were controlled
Clinician summary
A 2014 to 2025 search yielded 16 original studies for descriptive synthesis. The authors report favorable subjective and objective signals, particularly in primary insomnia, while calling for standardized multicenter controlled trials.
How to interpret the findings
Narrative rather than quantitative synthesis; small studies, heterogeneous protocols and limited long-term data. The abstract does not provide study-level risk-of-bias assessment, pooled effects or comparative efficacy against CBT-I.
Equipment and disclosures
Equipment details were not verified from the abstract.
Funding and competing-interest disclosures were not verified from the abstract.
Related evidence
Compare findings from the same clinical area, including mixed results.
- Infra-slow EEG neurofeedback for insomnia: a single-case experimental study in primary care. · Positive with limitations
- Infra-low frequency neurofeedback impact on post-concussive symptoms of headache, insomnia and attention disorder: Results of a randomized control trial. · Positive with limitations
- Closed-loop auditory stimulation in phase with slow waves during sleep enhances cerebrospinal fluid flow in humans. · Positive with limitations
- Transcranial photobiomodulation to enhance sleep by elevating adenosine signaling: a translational study. · Positive with limitations
Summary prepared with AI assistance. Source verification does not imply an independent replication or a clinician's endorsement. Read our review method.