It is also possible that the degree of hyperarousal during naps in INS is influenced by activities completed before napping. 9 – 11 Previous results thus tend to imply that hyperarousal is a 24-hour phenomenon in insomnia. 12 Other studies found that following sleep deprivation, INS had longer sleep onset latencies during daytime naps compared to GS. While some studies failed to find significant differences in MSLT sleep-onset latencies between primary INS and good sleepers (GS), 19, 20 others showed that INS had longer MSLT sleep-onset latencies than GS, 13, 14 even though INS reported higher levels of sleepiness. Several studies using a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) protocol reported data on objective sleep during naps in insomnia, but these variables predominantly relate to sleep onset latency. Therefore, a study on nap characteristics in insomnia would allow us to identify if hyperarousal is a phenomenon that influences not only nocturnal sleep, but also diurnal sleep. Although the neurocognitive model of insomnia 15 has been supported by numerous studies measuring quantitative EEG during the night, 17, 18 it has not yet been validated during naps. The hyper-arousal of somatic, cognitive and cortical functions contributes to alterations in sensorial and information processing and the formation of long-term memories. 16 Cognitive activation is characterized by intrusive thoughts before sleep and cortical activation is measured by cortical activity across different frequency bands. 15 These strategies are not efficient since they contribute to the elevation of somatic, cognitive and cortical activations. 15 In this model, the authors state that in order to diminish sleep difficulties, INS tend to develop maladaptive behaviors, such as increasing the time spent in bed and going to bed earlier. One of the most popular is the neurocognitive model of insomnia. There are several models which have attempted to explain insomnia. Also, this study contributes to a better understanding of the phenomenon of hyperarousal and results confirm once more that insomnia is a 24-hour problem in the hyperarousal domain.

Study Impact: In this study, INS were more hyperaroused during their naps than GS, suggesting that the high level of hyperarousal characterizing INS influences their functioning not only during the night, but also during the day. These measures will allow us to identify if hyperarousal is a 24-hour phenomenon in INS.

These hypotheses remain to be tested.Ĭurrent Knowledge/Study Rationale: This study was done to determine if there are differences in napping characteristics between GS and INS. There is also a possibility that napping reflects the hyperarousal phenomenon that characterizes insomnia. 9 – 14 Thus, napping difficulties might be similar to sleep difficulties observed in INS during the night. 8 Irrespective of insomnia types, a difficulty in napping is one of the core features of insomnia. 6, 7 This conditioning contributes to the elevated cognitive activation that is typically reported in insomnia sufferers (INS). bedroom) and anxious thoughts concerning possible sleep disturbances. 1 The maintenance of PSY-I results from the conditioning between sleep related stimuli (e.g. 5 On the other hand, PSY-I is characterized by “relatively” good perceptions of sleep duration and quality along with “real” sleep onset and/ or sleep maintenance difficulties and/or early morning awakenings. Individuals suffering from PARA-I complain about sleep difficulties although objective sleep measures (polysomnography PSG) appear to be normal. PARA-I is characterized by misperceptions in sleep quality and quantity. 2 The International Classification of Sleep Disorders Second Edition (ICSD-2) 4 differentiates 11 types of insomnia paradoxical insomnia (PARA-I) and psychophysiological insomnia (PSY-I) being the most prevalent types. 2, 3 Important consequences resulting from this sleep disorder include fatigue, daytime sleepiness, confusion, sudden mood changes, and cognitive alterations. 1 In fact, between 30% and 48% of the general population occasionally reports insomnia related symptoms, and more than 13% suffers from chronic primary insomnia. Primary insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders.

Severe insomnia while pregnant