Sleep in posttraumatic stress disorder.
Ravi Kumar Singareddy, Richard Balon
Annals of Clinical Psychiatry September 1, 2002 DOI: 10.1023/a:1021190620773 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
| Interventions | Nefazodone Trazodone Fluvoxamine Imagery rehearsal therapy |
| Topics | PTSD |
| Keywords | Humans Rem sleep parasomnias Antidepressive agents Polysomnography Combined modality therapy Dreams Sleep, rem Stress disorders, post-traumatic Behavior therapy Sleep wake disorders |
| Key findings | Insomnia and nightmares are the most commonly reported subjective sleep disturbances in PTSD, and polysomnographic studies frequently report REM sleep abnormalities, though findings on the type of REM dysfunction are inconsistent. The authors report that nefazodone, trazodone, fluvoxamine, and imagery rehearsal therapy are beneficial for PTSD-related sleep disturbances and core symptoms, and propose these for patients with predominant sleep complaints. |
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often associated with sleep disturbances. In this review, we focus on the published literature on subjective and objective findings of sleep in patients with PTSD. Insomnia and nightmares are most commonly reported subjective sleep disturbances. Polysomnographic investigations have frequently reported rapid eye movement (REM) sleep abnormalities in PTSD. However, studies have not been consistent about the type of REM sleep dysfunction in PTSD patients. Antidepressants such as nefazodone, trazodone, fluvoxamine, and imagery rehearsal therapy are found to be beneficial in the treatment of PTSD associated sleep disturbances as well as core symptoms of this anxiety disorder. We propose use of such modalities of treatment in PTSD patients with predominant sleep disturbances. Further studies are required to clarify polysomnographic sleep changes especially role of REM sleep dysregulation and treatment of sleep disturbances in PTSD.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Centrally acting anticholinergic drug trihexyphenidyl is highly effective in reducing nightmares associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Brain and Behavior May 14, 2021
- Sleep disturbances in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder: epidemiology, impact and approaches to management. CNS Drugs 2006