Anxiety Linked To Sleep Disturbances

Main Category: Anxiety / Stress
Also Included In: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Article Date: 01 Nov 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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People who suffer from anxiety from stressful life situations may be more likely to experience sleep disturbances for at least the first six months after the event, according to a study published in the November 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

The study, authored by Jussi Vahtera, MD, of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki, Finland, focused on a population sample of 16,627 men and women with undisturbed sleep and 2,572 with disturbed sleep, all of whom participated in a five-year longitudinal observational cohort study.

A measurement of each person's liability to anxiety, as determined by a general feeling of stressfulness and symptoms of hyperactivity, was assessed at the onset. The occurrence of post-onset life events (i.e., death or illness in the family, divorce, financial difficulty and violence) and sleep disturbances was measured at follow-up five years later.

According to the results, both liability to anxiety and exposure to negative life events were strongly associated with sleep disturbances. Among the men liable to anxiety, the odds of sleep disturbances were 3.11 times higher for those who had experienced a severe life event within six months than for the others. The men not liable to anxiety had odds of only 1.13 for sleep disturbances. For the men and women liable to anxiety, the odds ratio for sleep disturbance zero to six months after divorce was 2.05, with the corresponding ratio being 1.47 for those not liable to anxiety.

"This five-year follow-up showed that exposure to severe stressful events can trigger sleep disturbances in people with undisturbed sleep before the event. Those liable to anxiety before the event seemed to be at a higher risk of post-event sleep disturbances compared with those not liable to anxiety. The strength of this study is a study design that allowed the timing of pre-event predisposing traits and the occurrence of specific stressful events precipitating the onset of sleep disturbances. Control for a large number of potential confounding factors suggest that the observed associations were not explained by socioeconomic position, obesity, high alcohol intake or chronic medical conditions at study entry," said Dr. Vahtera.

More information on the effect of stress on one's ability to sleep is available from the AASM here.

Those who believe they have a sleep disorder should be aware that many treatment options are available. The AASM accredits full-service sleep centers and sleep-related breathing disorder laboratories that offer diagnosis, treatment, management and long-term care solutions. To locate an AASM-accredited sleep facility, please visit http://www.SleepCenters.org.

SLEEP is the official journal of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC, a joint venture of the AASM and the Sleep Research Society.

SleepEducation.com, a Web site created by the AASM, provides information about various sleep disorders, the forms of treatment available, recent news on the topic of sleep, sleep studies that have been conducted and a listing of sleep facilities. http://www.aasmnet.org

What is Anxiety?

For more information on what anxiety is and what to do about it, please see:
What is Anxiety? What Causes Anxiety? What To Do About It.

What is Tiredness?

For more information on what tiredness is and how to beat it, please see:
What is Tiredness or Fatigue? How Can I Beat Tiredness? Why am I Tired?