Table 4

 Moderator analysis for effect of Z drugs (treatment) or placebo on insomnia. Effect sizes are weighted standardised mean differences

Moderator variable†Effect size (95% CI)β‡
Polysomnographic sleep latency
Dose (22 comparisons):
 1 mg −0.24(−0.38 to −0.11)−0.22*
 20 mg−0.50 (−0.64 to −0.35)
Subjective sleep latency
Year of data collection (9 comparisons):
 1988 −0.88 (−1.19 to −0.58)0.63***
 2004−0.03 (−0.16 to 0.10)
Age (9 comparisons) :
 38 years −0.65 (−0.82 to −0.48)0.89***
 72 years0.31 (0.13 to 0.50)
Percentage of women (9 comparisons):
 55.9 % 0.01 (−0.17 to 0.18)−0.40**
 67.5 %−0.67 (−0.99 to −0.34)
Type of drug (11 comparisons):
 Eszopiclone (3 comparisons)0.02 (−0.13 to 0.18)−0.57**
 Zolpidem (8 comparisons)−0.47 (−0.61 to −0.33)
Dose (11 comparisons):
 1 mg0.13 (−037 to 0.30)−0.70***
 20 mg−1.01 (−1.31 to −0.70)

*P<0.05; **P<0.01; ***P<0 .001.

†Effect size of each outcome was entered as dependent variable into separate weighted least squares regressions under fixed effects assumptions for each moderator variable independently; negative ds imply lower outcome at final available measures; estimates appear for observed extremes of continuous features.

‡Standardised regression coefficient.