Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Polar Histogram Visualization of Acute Stress Disorder Scale Scores for Comprehensive Clinical Assessment
Published on: December 6, 2024
Prominence of hyperarousal symptoms explains variability of sleep disruption in posttraumatic stress disorder
Mariza van Wyk1, Kevin G F Thomas1, Mark Solms2
1UCT Sleep Sciences and ACSENT Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town.
Objective:
Disrupted sleep is a central feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The precise nature of that disruption is not agreed upon, however, and there is no explanation for why sleep disruptions are detected in some PTSD-diagnosed individuals but not in others. We tested the novel proposition that PTSD-diagnosed individuals with prominent hyperarousal symptoms will have more disrupted sleep than those without such symptoms.
Method:
We assigned each of 57 female volunteers to 1 of 4 groups: PTSD + Hyperarousal (PTSD + HYP; n = 14), PTSD - Hyperarousal (n = 13), depression (n = 14), or healthy control (n = 16). Each experienced 1 night of polysomnographic recording in a sleep laboratory.
Results:
General linear modeling confirmed that group status (i.e., being in the PTSD + HYP group rather than the other groups) predicted disrupted sleep quality most strongly. PTSD patients with prominent hyperarousal symptoms, relative to those without such symptoms, experienced reduced sleep efficiency, spent more time awake after sleep onset, and self-reported poorer sleep quality.
Conclusion:
These preliminary findings, although requiring replication in larger samples, suggest an important association between hyperarousal symptoms and sleep quality in PTSD, and may help explain why some PTSD-diagnosed individuals experience markedly disrupted sleep whereas others do not. (PsycINFO Database Record
More Related Videos
08:29Biomarkers in an Animal Model for Revealing Neural, Hematologic, and Behavioral Correlates of PTSD
Published on: October 10, 2012
09:55Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events,...
Anxiety: Overview
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Panic Disorder
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Nightmares and Night Terrors
Nightmares...
Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Fugue
A hallmark feature of dissociative disorders is the dissociative fugue...