States of consciousness and interoceptive hypersensibility: A study in patients with insomnia disorder
Gaspare Alfì, Julia Maruani, Giulia Aquino, Danilo Menicucci, Laura Palagini, Angelo Gemignani, Balthazar Bazin, Emmanuelle Clerici, Émilie Stern, Pierre A Geoffroy
Journal of Sleep Research August 19, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.14320 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational case-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 78 |
| Population | 37 patients with insomnia disorder (mean age 46.05 ± 18.16) and 41 healthy good sleepers (mean age 50.2 ± 12.99) |
| Measures | Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | Patients with insomnia disorder showed heightened interoceptive sensibility in noticing body sensations and emotional awareness but diminished attention regulation, not-worrying, and trusting compared with good sleepers. Higher emotional awareness was associated with a 2.49-fold increase in the likelihood of subjectively experiencing altered consciousness states during insomnia. The authors caution these exploratory findings require confirmation. |
Abstract
This exploratory study aimed to investigate the relationship between interoceptive sensibility and quality of consciousness in individuals with insomnia disorder, in order to understand how the modulation of internal states may contribute to modifying the experience of consciousness during sleep difficulties. A total of 37 patients with insomnia disorder (mean age = 46.05 ± 18.16) and 41 healthy good sleepers (mean age = 50.2 ± 12.99) underwent a psychometric sleep and interoceptive sensibility assessment, using Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). Moreover, patients with insomnia disorder also completed a quality of consciousness evaluation, using the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI). Patients with insomnia disorder exhibited heightened interoceptive sensibility, particularly in noticing body sensations (p < 0.0001) and emotional awareness (p = 0.032), along with diminished abilities in attention regulation (p = 0.040), not‐worrying (p = 0.001), and trusting (p = 0.002). Furthermore, correlations between interoceptive sensibility and multiple aspects of the consciousness state during the insomnia night were identified. Specifically, higher emotional awareness was linked to a 2.49‐fold increase in the likelihood of subjectively experiencing altered consciousness states during insomnia. The study sheds light on the relationship between interoceptive sensibility and the subjective state of consciousness during insomnia, emphasising the importance of exploring and considering interoception as part of the therapeutic process for insomnia disorder. Given the exploratory nature of the study and the increased risk of type‐I error from numerous correlations, the results should be interpreted with caution. Further research is needed to validate and confirm their robustness.