Sleep and PTSD
Thomas A. Mellman
Oxford Medicine Online September 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1093/med/9780190259440.003.0023 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Prazosin Imagery rehearsal therapy |
| Topics | PTSD |
| Key findings | The chapter argues that findings on sleep arousal dysregulation and nightmare disturbances in PTSD, including the role of REM sleep, have been uncertain and controversial, but can be partly reconciled when contextual factors such as PTSD duration and recording setting are considered. It highlights emerging links between sleep, particularly REMS, and emotional learning, and notes that treatments such as prazosin and imagery rehearsal therapy continue to be developed and evaluated. |
Abstract
The Chapter reviews two long standing concerns of sleep research in PTSD. The first is characterizing dysregulations of arousal that manifest in relation to sleep including disturbances of sleep initiation, maintenance, and depth. The other is characterizing nightmare disturbances in PTSD and establishing the role of the neurophysiological substrate of dreams, rapid eye movement sleep (REMS), in the disorder. While there has been uncertainty and controversy regarding these issues, a comprehensive look at findings and their context (e.g. duration of PTSD, setting of recordings) allows some reconciliation of findings. Recent developments include assessment of autonomic balance during sleep and application of functional brain imaging. Emerging research on the role of sleep, particularly REMS, on emotional learning has been linked to PTSD. Treatments specifically targeting nightmares and other sleep disruptions, such as the alpha adrenergic antagonist prazosin and imagery rehearsal therapy, continue to be developed and evaluated.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelic Psychiatry's Brave New World. | 2020 | Review | |
| Reviewing the Potential of Psychedelics for the Treatment of PTSD | 2020 | Review | |
| Novel psychopharmacological therapies for psychiatric disorders: psilocybin and MDMA. | 2016 | Review | |
| MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD: Are memory reconsolidation and fear extinction underlying mechanisms? | 2018 | Review | |
| Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review. | 2016 | Review |