Abstract
Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently complain of sleep disturbances such as insomnia and nightmares. Evaluation of sleep disturbances is often difficult due to the subjective nature of the complaints. Polysomnography (PSG) and other sleep studies are generally not indicated in the evaluation of insomnia or nightmares associated with PTSD. Actigraphy, (electronic activity monitoring) has been used in research to evaluate sleep disturbances in patients with PTSD. We reviewed the literature on the use of actigraphy in evaluation of sleep problems in patients with PTSD. A literature search for articles on the topic was conducted on PubMed using the search algorithm (actigraphy[Title/Abstract] OR actigraphic[Title/Abstract]) AND PTSD[Title/Abstract]. Out of 11 search results, 9 studies in which application of actigraphy had relevance to the primary objective and outcome in PTSD patients with sleep problems were selected for review. We also handpicked one additional article from personal communication with our colleagues who have done some of these studies. Actigraphy has been used to evaluate circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Use of actigraphy in psychiatry clinics is uncommon. There is no data to support that there are specific actigraphic sleep related findings in PTSD patients. However, it can be a useful tool to complement the use of sleep diaries when assessing sleep and wake patterns in patients with PTSD.
Highlights
Insomnia and nightmares are common complaints of patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in addition to wakeful symptoms of re-experiencing traumatic events and avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma
In addition sleep complaints as perceived by patients with PTSD may vary over periods of time, so that one night of data collection may be inadequate. This suggests that in-home monitoring, such as actigraphy may be helpful in documenting objective sleep disturbance in PTSD patients
While motor vehicle collision (MVC) survivors with PTSD reported markedly poorer sleep as reflected by significantly higher scores on the mini-Sleep Questionnaire, there were no significant differences between the three groups (MVC survivors with PTSD, MVC survivors without PTSD, Comparison group) on the actigraphic measures that were largely normal
Summary
Insomnia and nightmares are common complaints of patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in addition to wakeful symptoms of re-experiencing traumatic events and avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma. Because Polysomnography (PSG) is generally not useful nor indicated for evaluation of insomnia in PTSD, a simpler objective measure, actigraphy has been used to research settings to get subjective data about sleep. Many patients with PTSD sleep more comfortably in a sleep laboratory as it is perceived as safe and “protected” by the staff.[5] In addition sleep complaints as perceived by patients with PTSD may vary over periods of time, so that one night of data collection may be inadequate This suggests that in-home monitoring, such as actigraphy may be helpful in documenting objective sleep disturbance in PTSD patients. Actigraphy in PTSD helps with determination of time of going to bed, awakenings during the night and in the morning, and determines the limits of actual time in bed This information can be used to determine the intervals used to define “time in bed” that are scored as sleep or wake by movement count data. This paper reviews existing literature on the use of actigraphy in assessment of sleep difficulties in patients of PTSD, with the aim of demonstrating how actigraphy could contribute to our understanding of sleep problems in PTSD patients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
