Insomnia

7 Pages 1637 Words

unfavorable outcome of this sequence of events is that the excessive and intensifying anxiety may result in a real deficit in sleep and daytime functioning.
In a study conducted by ( ) the role of cognitive factors in sleep-onset insomnia were investigated. Moreover, attributions regarding the causes of sleep difficulties and pre-sleep cognitive activity were examined. Thirty-four mild to extreme insomniacs were interviewed and then spent 5 consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory. Predictor measures included attribution ratings of sleep difficulty, perceived control of pre-sleep cognitive content, and affect associated with pre-sleep cognitions. The results of this study indicated that the content of pre-sleep cognitions and the attributions of sleep difficulties were significantly associated with several subjective measures of sleep-onset latency or concern with initiating sleep. None of the predictor measures was significantly associated with objectively measured sleep-onset latency. The findings of this study provide empirical support for the subjective dimensions of insomnia. Insomnia, thus, may be characterized as a psychophysiologic amalgamation- a combination of both physiological and psychological factors. Although this study lacks treatment implications for insomnia, it provides a sound basis for the development of cognitive interventions in treating insomnia.
There are a variety of nonpharmacologic treatments for insomnia. Treatments considered include: stimulus control, progressive muscle relaxation, paradoxical intention, biofeedback, sleep restriction, multicomponent cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep hygiene education, imagery training, and cognit...