How Hyperarousal and Sleep Reactivity Are Represented in Different Adult Age Groups: Results from a Large Cohort Study on Insomnia
Brain Sciences. 2017-04-14; 7(12): 41
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci7040041
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1. Brain Sci. 2017 Apr 14;7(4). pii: E41. doi: 10.3390/brainsci7040041.
How Hyperarousal and Sleep Reactivity Are Represented in Different Adult Age
Groups: Results from a Large Cohort Study on Insomnia.
Altena E(1)(2), Chen IY(3)(4), Daviaux Y(5)(6), Ivers H(7)(8), Philip P(9)(10),
Morin CM(11)(12).
Author information:
(1)Sommeil, Addiction et Neuropsychiatrie, Univ. Bordeaux, USR 3413, F-33000
Bordeaux, France. .
(2)Sommeil, Addiction et Neuropsychiatrie, CNRS, USR 3413, F-33000 Bordeaux,
France. .
(3)École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
.
(4)Centre d’Étude des Troubles du Sommeil, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut
Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada.
.
(5)Sommeil, Addiction et Neuropsychiatrie, Univ. Bordeaux, USR 3413, F-33000
Bordeaux, France. .
(6)Sommeil, Addiction et Neuropsychiatrie, CNRS, USR 3413, F-33000 Bordeaux,
France. .
(7)École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
.
(8)Centre d’Étude des Troubles du Sommeil, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut
Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada.
.
(9)Sommeil, Addiction et Neuropsychiatrie, Univ. Bordeaux, USR 3413, F-33000
Bordeaux, France. .
(10)Sommeil, Addiction et Neuropsychiatrie, CNRS, USR 3413, F-33000 Bordeaux,
France. .
(11)École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
.
(12)Centre d’Étude des Troubles du Sommeil, Centre de Recherche de l’Institut
Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada.
.
Hyperarousal is a 24-h state of elevated cognitive and physiological activation,
and is a core feature of insomnia. The extent to which sleep quality is affected
by stressful events-so-called sleep reactivity-is a vulnerability factor for
developing insomnia. Given the increasing prevalence of insomnia with age, we
aimed to investigate how hyperarousal and sleep reactivity were related to
insomnia severity in different adult age groups. Data were derived from a large
cohort study investigating the natural history of insomnia in a population-based
sample (n = 1693). Baseline data of the Arousal Predisposition Scale (APS) and
Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST) were examined across age and
sleep/insomnia subgroups: 25-35 (n = 448), 35-45 (n = 528), and 45-55 year olds
(n = 717); good sleepers (n = 931), individuals with insomnia symptoms (n = 450),
and individuals with an insomnia syndrome (n = 312). Results from factorial
analyses of variance (ANOVA) showed that APS scores decreased with increasing
age, but increased with more severe sleep problems. FIRST scores were not
significantly different across age groups, but showed the same strong increase as
a function of sleep problem severity. The findings indicate that though arousal
predisposition and sleep reactivity increase with more severe sleep problems,
only arousal decreases with age. How arousing events affect an individual during
daytime thus decreases with age, but how this arousal disrupts sleep is
equivalent across different adult age groups. The main implication of these
findings is that treatment of insomnia could be adapted for different age groups
and take into consideration vulnerability factors such as hyperarousal and stress
reactivity.
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci7040041
PMCID: PMC5406698
PMID: 28420079