Sleep Disturbances Associated With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Abstract

Sleep disturbances, namely insomnia and recurrent nightmares, are ubiquitous following trauma exposure and are considered hallmarks of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Other sleep disorders frequently co-occur with PTSD. This article describes research examining sleep problems most common in PTSD, including prevalence and clinical characteristics. Sleep disturbances are often robust to trauma-focused treatment; thus, evidence for psychological and pharmacological interventions for insomnia and nightmares in PTSD are discussed. Given the high prevalence of sleep problems in PTSD, more work is needed to empirically study putative mechanisms linking trauma exposure and sleep, as well as how to best target these symptoms in patients with PTSD.