Impact of Traumatic Stress on Sleep and Management Options in Women

Ihori Kobayashi1, Mary Katherine Howell2

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Howard University, 530 College Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20060, USA.

Sleep Medicine Clinics
|August 13, 2018
PubMed

After exposure to traumatic stress, women are at greater risk than men for developing symptoms of some psychiatric disorders, including insomnia and nightmares. Sleep disturbance is one of the most refractory symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Women were included in a few studies that examined efficacy of psychological or pharmacologic interventions for trauma-related sleep disturbances. Studies demonstrated preliminary evidence for efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, imagery rehearsal therapy, and combinations of these techniques in treating insomnia and nightmares in trauma-exposed women. Prazosin as an adjunct to ongoing treatment is a potentially efficacious strategy for treating trauma-related nightmares in women.

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