Time estimation in chronic insomnia sufferers.

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Rioux, Isabelle; Tremblay, Sébastien; Celyne H Bastien

Source:

Sleep, Volume 29, Issue 4, p.486-93 (2006)

Keywords:

Adult, Aged, Anxiety, Chronic Disease, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Polysomnography, Severity of Illness Index, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Time Factors, Wakefulness

Abstract:

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study is 2-fold: (1) compare the time-estimation performance of chronic insomnia sufferers to that of good sleepers and (2) evaluate the severity of the sleep complaint in order to assess its association with the time-estimation performance.DESIGN: Between subjects design.PARTICIPANTS: The sample included 11 individuals suffering from chronic primary insomnia (7 women and 4 men, mean age = 44.64 years, SD = 12.71) and 11 good sleepers (5 women and 6 men, mean age = 48.00 years, SD = 7.86).INTERVENTIONS: N/A.MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: All participants completed a time-estimation task, namely a finger-tapping task. The results indicate no significant between-group differences on time-estimation data, as well as no significant relationship between severity of insomnia complaint and estimation of time.CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the tendency to misestimate sleep difficulties is not linked to impaired time estimation-specific processes in insomnia sufferers, as measured with the present task.