Hyperarousal in Primary Insomnia

Naima Covassin

Department of General Psychology
University of Padova
Padova, Italy

Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, or the presence of non-restorative sleep. Among other conditions, patients with insomnia experience fatigue, dysphoria, and cognitive impairment, and are at higher risk of adverse health effects such as cardiovascular disease. The pathophysiologic hyperarousal observed in these patients is believed to be at least partly responsible for these clinical manifestations and the associated reduced quality of life and well-being. However, the exact pathophysiologic mechanisms of hyperarousal on other systems is not completely understood and warrants further investigation. Towards this end, Naima Covassin and her colleagues investigated the relationship between hyperarousal, cognition, and cardiovascular function in patients with primary insomnia (Int J Psychophysiol. 2011 Apr;80(1):79-86). Their study highlights deficits in motor inhibition control and enhanced sympathetic activation which may be related to the non-sleep disturbance related patient complaints.

References

Culpepper L. The social and economic burden of shift-work disorder. J Fam Pract. 2010;59(suppl):S3-S11.
De Zambotti M, Covassin N, De Min Tona G, Sarlo M, Stegagno L. Sleep onset and cardiovascular activity in primary insomnia. J Sleep Res. 2011;20:318-325.
Lombardi C, Parati G, Cortelli P, et al. Daytime sleepiness and neural cardiac modulation in sleep-related breathing disorders. J Sleep Res. 2008;17:263-270.
Covassin N, de Zambotti M, Sarlo M, De Min Tona G, Sarasso S, Stegagno L. Cognitive performance and cardiovascular markers of hyperarousal in primary insomnia. Int J Psychophysiol. 2011;80:79-86.

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