Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Transcranial Electric Stimulation on Sleep in Healthy Adults

Background Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has gained attention because of its potential to modulate human sleep physiology. However, its efficacy in healthy populations remains unclear. Objectives This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of tES on sleep in healthy adults. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted across five electronic databases from January 5 to 10, 2023, to retrieve articles administering tES and evaluating its effects on sleep in healthy adults. The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool was used to assess the risk of bias. The meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models and robust variance estimation, with subgroup analyses and meta-regression to examine conditional and moderation effects. Results Among the 1,182 identified articles, 39 were included in the qualitative synthesis, and 14 ( N = 297) met the criteria for meta-analysis. The overall effect of tES on sleep was negligible (estimate: 0.00, 95% confidence interval [CI]: –0.18 to 0.19), with substantial heterogeneity. Subgroup meta-analysis revealed that pre-sleep tES prolonged sleep latency (estimate: –0.30, 95% CI: –0.49 to –0.11), whereas transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) increased total sleep time (estimate: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.27). Meta-regression analysis showed that tES efficacy was attenuated with increasing age ( β –0.01, 95% CI: –0.02 to 0.00). Conclusions Although tES does not appear to have a substantial overall effect on sleep, tACS may improve total sleep time, and pre-sleep offline tES may prolong sleep latency. Further well-designed studies are warranted to confirm these findings and minimize potential biases.