Is insomnia disorder associated with time in bed extension?

Area of Science:

• Sleep science
• Behavioral sleep medicine
• Clinical psychology

Background:

• Insomnia disorder is a prevalent condition affecting millions worldwide.
• The role of extended time in bed behaviors in perpetuating insomnia remains unclear.
• Understanding these behaviors is crucial for developing effective insomnia treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between insomnia disorder and various time in bed behaviors.
• To determine if behaviors such as early bedtime, late rising, staying in bed while awake, and napping are linked to insomnia severity.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 150 good sleepers and 173 individuals with insomnia.
• The Wang Insomnia Integrated Questionnaire was used for data collection.
• Participants were recruited between December 2017 and June 2018.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in bedtime, rising time, or total time in bed between good sleepers and insomniacs.
• Staying in bed while awake during the night and morning was significantly more common in insomniacs and correlated with insomnia severity.
• Napping was more frequent in good sleepers and predicted good sleep.

Conclusions:

• Behaviors like going to bed earlier or rising later are not associated with insomnia.
• Staying in bed while awake may be a symptom of insomnia rather than a perpetuating factor.
• Current interventions targeting time in bed or napping behavior may require re-evaluation for insomnia treatment effectiveness.