High sleep reactivity: clinical, psychological and polysomnographic features

Background. The model of sleep reactivity to stress considers sleep reactivity to stress as a link in the pathogenesis of insomnia disorder – the degree to which stress disturbs sleep, which manifests as difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep.

The aim. To study clinical and psychological features as well as subjective and objective sleep indexes of subjects with high level of sleep reactivity to stress.

Materials and methods. The psychological status, subjective indexes of sleep and sleep reactivity to stress according to Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test were studied among 18–75 year-old subjects without significant sleep disturbances and patients with chronic insomnia. Polysomnography was performed for objective evaluation of sleep parameters.

Results. It was found that individuals with high levels of sleep reactivity to stress were characterized by high levels of anxiety, restlessness, and neuroticism. According to results of Pittsburg questionnaire, a lower quality of sleep was revealed. These findings were correlated with objective indexes of sleep according to polysomnographic studies: less deep sleep and its lower efficiency due to sleep disturbances.

Conclusions. Individuals with high sleep reactivity to stress are characterized by greater anxiety combined with subjective and objective sleep disturbance like insomnia type.

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