The heritability of insomnia: Systematic review and meta-analysis of twin studies

Twin studies have consistently found that genetic factors explain a substantial proportion of the variance for insomnia. However, studies vary widely in their heritability estimates. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to: 1) Estimate the mean heritability of insomnia; 2) Assess heterogeneity among twin studies of insomnia; and 3) Search and analyse characteristics of the studies (moderator variables) that may explain heterogeneity among estimates. For this purpose, separate meta-analyses were carried out for MZ and DZ correlations and for heritability estimates by assuming random-effects models. Thirteen independent samples were included in this metaanalysis. The heterogeneity index for heritability estimates was significant in both best fitting models (I² =98.77, P<.0001) and full models (I²=97.80, P<.0001). MZ correlations were higher (.37; 95%CI: .31,.43) than DZ correlations (.15; 95%CI:.12,.18). A mean heritability of .39 (95%CI: .32,.44) was found for insomnia. These results highlight the role of genetic factors in explaining differences among the population on insomnia and emphasise heterogeneity among studies. Further research is needed to identify variables that could explain this heterogeneity.