In episode 2, I talked about what insomnia was not--namely sleep deprivation. In this episode, we begin to explore what insomnia is and who is most at risk. I also explore the unique role of trauma both as a precipitant, but also a perpetuator of insomnia. In this episode we will:
- revisit how insomnia differs from sleep deprivation and why confusion between the two creates therapeutic problems
- examine risk factors for developing insomnia
- review studies that demonstrate insomnia patients are generally sleeping relatively normal amounts
- uncover studies that reveal that insomnia patients generally do not share identifiable sleep study deficiencies
- understand why insomnia patients often develop negative views of their sleep and how this factor alone, irrespective of sleep quality and amount, predicts disbility
- explore how trauma can create or precipitate insomnia, but more importantly how insomnia itself, over time, can become its own form of trauma, helping to perpetuate the condition.
- appreciate that when a sleep specialist tells a patient that he does not have sleep deprivation when he has insomnia, she is not saying the patient does not have a problem.
While insomnia is often not the problem the patient thinks they have, it can be a tremendous burden in and of itself, and trauma is often playing a central role.
Produced by: Maeve Winter
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Thanks for listening and sleep well!
