Sleep-related arousal versus general cognitive arousal in primary insomnia

Study Objectives: The present study aimed at further investigating trait aspects of sleep-related cognitive arousal and general cognitive arousal and their association with both objective and subjective sleep parameters in primary insomnia patients. Methods: A clinical sample of 182 primary insomnia patients and 54 healthy controls was investigated using 2 nights of polysomnography, subjective sleep variables, and a questionnaire on sleep-related and general cognitive arousal. Results: Compared to healthy controls, primary insomnia patients showed both more sleep-related and general cognitive arousal. Furthermore, sleep-related cognitive arousal was closely associated with measures of sleep-onset and sleep-maintenance problems, while general cognitive arousal was not. Conclusions: Cognitive-behavioral treatment for insomnia might benefit from dedicating more effort to psychological interventions that are able to reduce sleep-related cognitive arousal.