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Sleep disturbance in anxiety disorders
George N Papadimitriou1, Paul Linkowski
1Athens University Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Greece.
International Review of Psychiatry (Abingdon, England)
|October 1, 2005
Summary
Anxiety disorders significantly impact sleep, with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder showing notable sleep disturbances. However, sleep studies in obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder do not consistently support subjective sleep complaints.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Sleep Medicine
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Anxiety disorders are frequently associated with sleep disturbances, affecting millions globally.
- Patient-reported sleep difficulties are common across various anxiety disorders.
- Objective polysomnographic data is crucial for understanding the physiological basis of these sleep issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize polysomnographic findings in patients with different anxiety disorders.
- To compare objective sleep parameters with subjective complaints in these patient groups.
- To identify specific sleep alterations associated with panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, PTSD, and social phobia.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of polysomnographic studies in anxiety disorder populations.
- Analysis of sleep parameters including sleep latency, sleep efficiency, wake time, and REM sleep.
- Comparison of findings across different anxiety disorder diagnoses and with healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder patients exhibit increased sleep latency and reduced sleep efficiency.
- No significant alterations in sleep architecture or REM sleep measures are typically observed in panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
- Polysomnography results for obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder do not consistently validate subjective sleep complaints, with some discrepancies in REM sleep findings for PTSD.
- Social phobia patients show no significant sleep parameter differences compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Sleep disturbances are objectively measurable in panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, primarily affecting sleep initiation and continuity.
- The link between subjective sleep complaints and objective findings is less clear in obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the complex relationship between anxiety disorders and sleep physiology.