Primary insomnia (PI) is characterized by low subjective sleep quality which cannot always be verified using polysomnography (PSG). To shed light on this discrepancy, subjective estimates of sleep and PSG variables were compared in patients with PI and good sleeper controls (GSC). 100 patients with PI (age: 42.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Previous studies have shown depression-like sleep abnormalities in borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, findings in BPD are not unequivocal for REM dysregulation, as well as for a decrement of slow wave sleep and sleep continuity disturbances. Earlier findings in sleep EEG abnormalities in BPD may have been confounded by concomitant depressive symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is well known that insomnia is more frequent in women than in men throughout all age groups. In this respect insomnia resembles other psychiatric disorders that occur more frequently in women such as anxiety and depressive disorders. Since insomnia is frequently a symptom of anxiety and depression, it remains an open question whether the comorbidity with psychiatric disorders fully explains the gender differences in the prevalence of insomnia or whether gender influences sleep independently from psychiatric conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study investigated evening and nocturnal serum cortisol and melatonin concentrations in patients with primary insomnia to test if this clinical condition is accompanied by an increase of cortisol secretion and a simultaneous decrease of nocturnal melatonin production. Ten drug-free patients (4 males, 6 females) with primary insomnia (mean age+/-S.D.
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