Sleepless and Stressed

A study (#1268) being presented this morning as a poster reports that there is a bidirectional relationship between stress and poor sleep.

Results show that higher habitual stress is associated with reported shorter sleep duration, poorer sleep quality, and daytime functioning impairments. Conversely, daytime functioning impairments and shorter sleep duration demonstrated a predictive relationship with habitual stress complaints.

In February the Sleep Education Blog reported that stress related to the struggling economy can have a negative impact on sleep. On SleepEducation.com the American Academy of Sleep Medicine describes how job stress can affect sleep.

You can download the SLEEP 2009 abstract supplement as an 11 MB file in PDF format.

The Genetics of Insomnia: Stress & Intrusive Thoughts

A study (# 0781) being presented this afternoon as an oral presentation examines the underlying genetics of insomnia. Results of the twin study show that sleep reactivity to stress may mediate the genetic relation between insomnia and intrusive thinking/ruminative thoughts. The study also found an environmental variance in intrusive thinking that predicts insomnia; this suggests that behavioral treatments could be designed to target specific environmental triggers that promote rumination.

A clinical workshop relevant to this study will take place today from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time. “Arousal-reducing and Cognitive Techniques in the Treatment of Insomnia” will include discussions on progressive relaxation techniques for insomnia and constructive worry treatment strategies for intrusive thinking.

You can download the SLEEP 2009 abstract supplement as an 11 MB file in PDF format.