Abstract
:Post-traumatic stress disorder is related to a wide range of medical problems, with a majority of neurological, psychological, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, as well as sleep disorders. Although the majority of studies reveal the association between PTSD and sleep disturbances, there are few studies on the assessment of sleep disruption among veterans with PTSD. In this review, we attempt to study the sleep disorders including insomnia, nightmare, sleep-related breathing disorders, sleep-related movement disorders and parasomnias among veterans with chronic war-induced PTSD. It is an important area for further research among veterans with PTSD.
Highlights
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), classified under Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders in the DSM-IV-TR, is a mental health problem that can occur following experience of a psychologically traumatic event like war, assault, or disaster
Mellman et al have concluded that sleep maintenance is impaired in veterans with chronic PTSD, and they hypothesized that the sleep disturbances in PTSD patients are the result of more highly aroused behaviors and states, which appear partially conditioned to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
Consistent with this conclusion, Lavie et al reported that there were no significant differences between sleep data of patients and controls, veterans with PTSD had significantly higher awaking thresholds that were significantly and positively correlated with depression and anxiety scores.[25]
Summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), classified under Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders in the DSM-IV-TR, is a mental health problem that can occur following experience of a psychologically traumatic event like war, assault, or disaster. PTSD symptoms are divided into three clusters: 1) reexperiencing of the traumatic event (e.g., recurrent recollections of the event, including flashbacks and nightmares); 2) avoidance of trauma cues (e.g., avoiding thinking and feeling about the traumatic event); and 3) hyperarousal (e.g., insomnia, hypervigilance).[1,2]. It has been shown that sleep disturbance independently aggravates daytime symptoms and often requires sleep-target intervention.[4, 5] Sleep disturbances contribute to poor clinical outcomes including poor daytime function, increased suicidality and depression, poorer perceived physical health and increased drug and substance abuse.[5,6,7] Previously, studies showed that patients with chronic psychiatric disorders may be at increased risk of sleep problems and that sleep problems may exacerbate psychiatric disorder symptoms such as anxiety and PTSD.[8, 9]
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